Life Upgrades: How to Improve Your Life and Inspire Those Around You
Lately, I’ve been on a kick for trying to incorporate what I call “life upgrades” into my day-to-day, and I want to share it with as many people as possible in hopes it inspires others to try and make a positive change. Whether you’re working on managing stress, improving your mental health, or just working on your overall well-being, I feel like these upgrades really did the job for me.
Life upgrades meaning, what habits/services/products can you add to your life that will upgrade it? Upgrade can mean many things: more money, more time, more peace of mind, more fitness, more sleep, more skills/education, more happiness, etc.
And a life upgrade doesn’t need to cost money…if you’re looking at how to improve your life, there are plenty of free things that will upgrade your life. For example, meditation, morning rituals, and reading 10 pages per day (library).
Why Life Upgrades?
The purpose of these life upgrades is to kaizen your life on a regular basis. i.e. continuous improvement. I’m passionate about this because I fully believe that having a growth mindset is critical. For me, it’s the journey, not necessarily the end goal.
Don’t get me wrong, having goals is important because you need to know the direction you’re heading in…but the journey…the growth…the challenges…the wins…the person I’m becoming…that’s what fires me up. Because once I reach the goal, whatever it is, I know I’ll be setting a new goal. I think anyone with a self-growth mindset is going to do this, so you might as well appreciate the journey, too.
And don’t forget that the idea behind life upgrades is not just about ways to improve your life…indirectly, you’ll also improve and inspire the lives of those around you. When you lead by example and “show up differently,” you’ll influence the family, friends, and colleagues who see you the most. Not everyone, of course, but enough to make a real difference, and that’s when it gets really fulfilling.
Recommended Reading
A couple of years ago, I read a book called The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, and it reframed the way I think about making small improvements. Usually, we have the tendency to swing for the fences…and obviously, there is something to that as well for some people, as shown by Grant Gardone’s 10X Rule or these related books.
You have to find the approach that works best for you.
I’m taking a different path in terms of adding small life upgrades on a steady regular basis (shooting for 1 new upgrade every quarter), where the results will compound over the coming years and elevate not only my life but hopefully the lives of the people around me too. It’s hard to make drastic self-improvements, but it’s easier to make small changes over time.
I’m currently reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, and the message is similar. Tiny 1% improvements in your daily habits snowball into remarkable results. The book actually points out something interesting in that, eventually, with these small changes, we reach a tipping point where the positive results become very noticeable. It’s like an ice cube sitting on a table in a room that is 25 degrees. You can keep increasing the temperature by 1 degree, and nothing will happen; your brain can’t register the differences in the ice cube…but go from 31 to 32 degrees, and the ice cube will start melting. This is the tipping point.
Life Upgrade Examples
So, in terms of what life upgrades could look like and examples of ways to improve your life, I wanted to share what I’m trying to do in hopes that it might spark some ideas for your own life. This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list, and I’d love to hear from you on what your life upgrades are or tips you will be trying.
1. Meditate Daily – Give Your Brain and Body a Break
I look at this life upgrade as going to the gym for your brain. My personal experience with meditation has made me calmer and my mind less distracted. There’s no doubt there are other benefits, such as the three I wrote about in this article.
2. Practice Gratitude Daily
That is a strategy for rewiring your brain to look for the positive….and it makes you happier. Ultimately, gratitude practice leads to a more fulfilling life. To get started, write down one or two things a day you’re grateful for, and you’ll notice that after a few weeks of gratitude practice, you see the positive around you much faster.
3. Journal or Write Daily
Everyone has a different way of tackling daily writing. It can impact people on an emotional level and help them relax. You can write every day through blogging or journaling. It’s a cool exercise that can help you keep a record of your life, thoughts, and intentions.
4. Morning Routine
Developing a morning routine should be a core pillar habit if you really want to upgrade your life and take control of both your time management and your mental health. Investing in yourself every day changes your identity because you slowly chip away at making self-improvements.
5. Take High-Quality Vitamin Supplements
I take high-quality vitamins from Total Human by Onnit. The reason I take this vitamin is that it has a unique blend for immune and brain health, along with other essential vitamins. Here is the review I wrote about these vitamins and how they’ve helped me. Taking vitamins is a great way to optimize your health. It can’t take the place of a healthy diet, of course, but it is a great life upgrade.
6. Read 10 Pages Per Day
Self-education and learning new topics are other great ways to upgrade your life. You don’t have to read for hours; you can just read 10 pages a day, and over time, there will be a compound effect on what you know. There’s no way you won’t change if you invest in your education.
7. Walk Around Your Local Area
Try to commit to daily movement…either through a number of steps or minutes. Walking around the area where you live is a great low-impact exercise that has other benefits, such as getting fresh air and being in nature. You can stack this life upgrade by listening to a podcast or Audible.
8. Get An Audible Account To Learn
Look for opportunities to level up your skillset by listening to new books on Audible. Don’t assume you know all the answers, even if you’ve been in a business for a long time. Be in a perpetual state of learning, as this could help your self-esteem. Think about Warren Buffet…he is uber-successful, and he attributes a lot of that to always learning.
9. Get A Skillshare Account To Learn
Skillshare is another great resource for upgrading your skills and learning new things. It’s always a good idea to add multiple learning sources to your day because then you won’t get bored with any one thing.
10. Hang Out With a Friend Routinely Or Join A Local Organization
This life upgrade is about relationships and building better connections. Humans are tribal in nature, but it doesn’t mean it comes naturally to everyone. Create a habit of looking for ways to build relationships. Do this by spending time with friends on a regular basis. Call up an old friend every once in a while just to check on how they’re doing. You can also join a local organization to find people who are interested in the same things you are.
11. Join A Mastermind
I’m a huge proponent of joining a mastermind. It’s a great way to get together with a group of like-minded people to talk about challenges and things that are happening in your life. This is a major life upgrade…I can’t stress it enough.
12. Get House Cleaners
Some people like to clean, so this might not be a good life upgrade for you. But I have house cleaners who come every two weeks, and it’s been really nice that not all of our cleaning falls on us. If you hate cleaning up, getting a house cleaner will definitely help you feel more organized and take something off your plate.
13. Train Your Brain
I’ve talked about training your mind through meditation and your body through exercise…but I haven’t talked much about training your brain. CogniFit is an app I like to use that helps me train my brain. For ten minutes, I play mind games. It doesn’t feel like work, but I’m training my brain, which will help me as I grow older. You want to always keep your brain working and look for ways to make yourself sharper.
14. Use A Food Service Like Blue Apron Or Freshly
I like to use a food service like Bue Apron or Freshly because it helps with time management. Outsourcing even some of your meal prep can help you reclaim time and use the excess time you have on other things. The other reason food services like these can be a life upgrade is that it is a great way to cook as a couple or family without the extra time needed to go shopping.
15. Take Cold Showers
Taking cold showers has health benefits as well as mindset benefits. I did this for a year, and it really helped me to push myself outside of my comfort zone. Many people take cold showers to start their day because it forces them to do something they don’t want to do. It’s a great way to train your brain to push through uncomfortable situations.
16. Send Out A Handwritten Thank You Card or Note Every Day
This life personal development tip helps you invest in relationships. Writing a note and sending it to someone draws people to you and tells them you’re interested in them. It also helps you do something tangible for that person. It’s a great way to reinforce gratitude practice.
17. Reach Out To Two People Every Day To Connect And Build Relationships
As I mentioned already, being intentional about building relationships matters, and it takes intentional effort. You have to reach out to people in order to invest in them and grow meaningful relationships. Maintaining these positive relationships can help your mental health.
18. No Electronics After 8 pm (This Includes Social Media)
I think this is a good idea as part of your bedtime routine. Try to unplug all electronics an hour before bed. If that’s too much, try to start with 15 minutes and work your way up. The benefit of a digital sunset is giving your mind and brain time off before you go to sleep. Ultimately, this is a way to help you fall asleep and get the rest you need.
19. Use WHOOP or something similar to track your health stats
I have the Whoop tracker, and I downloaded the Google Fit app on my phone to help me track my steps and health metrics. Whoop is great for tracking recovery and other physical health metrics. Google Fit helps me track my steps. Ever since I started tracking these metrics, I’ve seen improvements in how much I move as well as my sleep.
20. Invest In Training Or New Skills
Try to create an environment of consistent kaizen. One of the ways to do this is through continuous self-improvement. Investing in new training and skills stacks over time. Ask yourself, “What else can I learn?” When your antenna is up, you find new opportunities.
21. Get 7–8 Hours Of Sleep Every Night
If you want to know how to upgrade your life, it has to start with being more rested because it helps you think clearly, regulates your emotions, and gives you more energy. Some people get nowhere near the amount of sleep they need at night. Do what you can to get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep at a minimum. No one is perfect, and you may not get this much sleep every night, but getting plenty of sleep can help you get your morning routine off to a great start.
22. Fast Or Whatever Diet Works For You
Intermittent fasting has a lot of benefits, such as triggering autophagy in your body, giving your digestion a rest, reducing caloric intake, and more. If you can’t intermittent fast, then find a balanced diet that helps you stay healthy and nourished.
Thanks for Reading!
To sum things up, I think everyone will benefit from being conscious of the idea of upgrading their life. Adding small, continuous improvements over time can lead to big gains across your life, career, health, happiness, finances, and more. Don’t overthink this. If you’re looking to improve your time management, bedtime routine, or any other part of your life, just start with something…and the fact that you’re now conscious of this lifestyle change, you’ll naturally notice upgrades you can make. I’d love to hear from you on tips for ways to improve your life and feel better all-around. Reach out and let me know!
Seize the day! 🙂