Do you know what this is?

It’s an opportunity to make a change; not change yourself, simply change one thing, attitude, or action. Today, I’m going to present you with 3 opportunities to help yourself quickly improve your life. In all likelihood, you’ve heard all 3 options before, so that’s not the point. The point is: life is full of opportunities.

Because you’ve said ‘no’ before doesn’t mean you have to say ‘no’ this time. In fact, you can enthusiastically say YES anytime you want, to anything.

  • Help your family — take 5 minutes out of your day and help someone today. Do something they don’t want to do, and let them know it’s taken care of after the fact.
  • Help yourself — choose one new health habit, beginning today. Take 5 minutes, write down all areas of your health you think could use some improvement, rank them, and then choose the first one on the list. Spend 5 minutes every day on this new health habit, even if you’re having trouble believing 5 minutes can make a difference. Within 2 weeks, you will have created a new habit. Within 6 weeks, you will have made that habit “plastic” or much harder to break.
  • Help a friend or stranger — whether it’s someone you interact with through work or someone on the street, take 5 minutes out of your day to help. If you see an older woman loading groceries, offer to help. Open the door for people and smile at them by the mall. Help a friend think through a life challenge. Call someone and apologize for a past action you assume they don’t care about anymore. Write a thoughtful card and send it unexpectedly to someone in your life. It’s up to you, but no matter what you choose, you’ll be making a difference.

Image courtesy of Unsplash

Moving forward, when you see an opportunity to make a positive change, go for it. You are being presented with many on a daily basis. You might be given an opportunity to speak up, fix a misunderstanding, console a loved one in his/her time of need, or smile at a stranger who looks sad and make his day. It’s up to you to take action, to accept the opportunity, and to enjoy the rewards of taking action.

You are so awesome. If you’ve been feeling down about yourself, or you simply want to feel better, take this opportunity. If it feels right, go for it. Learn to listen to your gut. It’s directing you to say yes right now. Besides, what’s 15 minutes to feel better every day?

Go ahead and take action.

Choose one — or all three — opportunities above and improve your life every day.

I’m so grateful for you,

Kareem


Originally published at drkareem.com on March 6, 2017.

Originally published at medium.com