How to live simple

Nowadays we feel the need to do more and more, to fit in as much as possible. Squeeze everything together. I personally have the feeling that by doing many things in the same time is productive but that is totally wrong. Trying to do everything at once not only burns you out faster but it doesn’t give you the 100% joy in what you are doing. It’s not fun to get caught up in the crazy pace of our culture; instead we have to improve every day little by little, live simple and see where the true value is. So our first step is to:

  1. Give value to what is valuable for you. Remember what I said to you “valuable to you” nor to your friends or even to your parents.
  2. Create routines. By creating routines reduces the energy of thinking. It’s a bit hard to create good habits but by the time you create them your life will get easier. It’s like brushing your teeth and having your dinner; you don’t even think about them, you do them automatically. Tip: creating a morning routine is the best you can start with, it will change your life.
  3. Tidy up. Start by tiding up the space that you spend most of your time. It may be your office, your bedroom, your bathroom or your kitchen. Having everything in place makes everything easier and easy to find. For example how many times have you been in the situation of rushing to go out and trying to find your keys or your wallet? Having a special place for the things you use regularly it will save you time and energy. Then you can tidy each room in your house and especially your wardrobe. Organise the clothes that you have or even get rid of some that you don’t wear. Every day you come into quandary of what to wear to be more attractive, but believe me; you are beautiful whatever you choose. Your feelings are what make you more beautiful, so wear what makes YOU feel good.     
  4. Simplify your decisions. Such as what are you going to wear, where you are going to have your coffee and many other small decisions that we take during the day. A great book that a friend suggested me about making life simple is “the art of simple living“.
  5. Start giving and I don’t mean money. We can all give something that we have and that’s a bit of our time, energy, a small act of kindness or even a smile. We first have to give in order to receive. By doing these kind of acts, our lives will get better, happier and more simple. This is an example of what happened to me two weeks ago. One early morning I saw my neighbour struggling with her shopping and I offered to give her a hand. It wasn’t something hard to do but a simple question and an act of kindness. I wasn’t expecting anything in return; I just did it because it made me feel good.
  6. Take breaks. Before you even get tired, take a small break to rest and refresh your mind. Taking often breaks it won’t slow you down; instead it will make you more productive. Breaks are not only for when you are working but for everything in life. I would suggest you to spend some time alone to reflect, think about what you value most in life and to be grateful for what you already have. When you spend time alone you can ask yourself “what is making me anxious or stressing me out?”, “how can I live my life simple and with less distractions?”
  7. Say NO more often. Saying no to things we don’t really enjoy doing and don’t have the time for, is not bad. Instead of feeling guilty, feel great for showing that you value your time and energy to what truly matters to you. Keeping a balance with your time shows maturity.

These are some of the steps that are helping me, I think they are the most important to live a simple life in my opinion. Feel free to add more tips or actions that you think are necessary in the comments; I would like to know your thoughts.

12 Great “Simple Living Quotes” You Should Know – GoDownsize.com

By living your life simple, I don’t mean to live a poor life or without big expectations; I mean live with less distractions and stress. A simple living makes everything easier, giving you more energy, productivity and focus on the things that matter to you most. Be true to yourself and your values.

Simple life for me means more energy, more life through less decision and less abstraction.

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated

Do you invest in yourself?

Investing in ourselves is our responsibility to take the time to develop our gifts and talents, so we can serve others. Investing in yourself is an example of self-love. We are a true miracle with a golden ticket in our pockets. That ticket has unlimited potential but it needs our action to unlock all its value.

Here is how we got that ticket…

Life gave it to us the day that the oval and the sperm were fertilized and that became us.

The possibilities for that spermatozoon to survive were only few. The time it took to grow from a small bean to a bigger and then to a tiny human was crucial.

Now the value of the ticket…

The half of the ticket’s value is our life which has been given to us for being alive and the other half; depends on our actions.

My point is not about pregnancy and how we came to earth but to remind you of how lucky we really are. Even if your life seems like hell at the moment; think that God, the universe or whatever you want to call it, gave you that hard time because He or it thinks that you are capable of fighting it and one day you will be able to inspire others through your difficulties.

We were born in a nice environment (clinics) with all the necessary equipment to monitor our heartbeat and the specialists around us to keep us safe. We were brought in a house with a roof over our heads to protect us, food to eat and water to drink. We were provided with people to take care of us until we are able to open our wings and fly. We are capable to achieve whatever we set our minds to. We just have to take daily action.

We all have the essentials to swim but if we don’t put the time to learn and effort to move we will drown. Another great example is when we learn to walk; we all fell down hundreds maybe thousands times but we never thought of quitting. I never heard of someone saying maybe walking wasn’t for me, so I gave up.

Not only we fall down but we GET UP AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Invest in yourself …

You don’t need to have money to invest in yourself. What you need is the right mind-set, energy and time.

Think of your body and mind as an extremely expensive car, it will take you wherever you desire but you have to take care of it so it can perform marvellous and last for a very long time. So you have to use the best oil and fuel possible to maintain the engine’s function at the top level. So give to your body high quality fuel by making healthy food choices as often as possible. What you eat does play a large role in your energy and ability to perform.

Don’t go too hard, meaning to rest and relax when it’s necessary. Try not to overload your body and your mind with overthinking and stress.

You can expand your mind and your body but wisely and with a good manner.

What do I mean?

Like for example exercise is really important but you have to have the right amount of sleep and the right nutrition so you don’t end up feeling sore and tired.

We have to have a nice balance for everything in our life!

Some examples to invest in you are:

  • Eat right, like I mentioned before
  • Have good sleep
  • Learn new things – a new language, how to play an instrument, cooking etc.
  • Read often – anything and everything, feed your mind
  • Explore – travel, listen to different style of music
  • Be creative – draw, write, take photos, knitting, gardening etc.

Keeping your mind and body active is the best way of investing in you.

We all have the ability to do any of those and eventually get good in doing them.

The first two, eating and sleeping are every day habits, we just have to get good in them. The rest we just have to see which of them we find interesting.

You don’t have to like anything in particular as sometimes we don’t know what we really like unless we try it. So go and try few of them and see what suits you more.

For example, in my case I never thought that I will like running. Although I had tried it a couple of times in the past, now running is one of my best hobbies. When I run I feel free, happy and energised.

Try something new and even if you notice that you don’t like it maybe because is not the right time for you and that’s ok. At least you gave it a go. It may appear a desire to try it again in the future, as it happened with me and running.

Investing in you is the most valuable asset you will ever make. Nor your house or the fanciest car in the world is an inch better than YOURSELF. Make the best investment every day for you.

The surest way to achieve a better quality of life, be successful, productive and satisfied is to place a priority on investing in both personal and professional growth. The effort you put into consistently investing in yourself plays a large role in determining the quality of your life now and in the future.

My top 5 books on self-help

Most of us want to be more productive, achieve our desire goals and find our greatness within. But another big fact, in my opinion, is that by reading these kinds of books are really make a difference, not only to you but to the people around you as well.

They will help you feel positive, make better decisions, have faith and show you that you are not alone. Every single human being is facing problems and fears daily.

These are my top 5 self-help books:

  1. You are a badass by Jen Sincere – A completely different kind of self-help book. It’s so powerful, straight forward and funny at the same time that you don’t want to put this book down. Talks about how we are constantly sabotaging ourselves in getting what we desire and how to reach to our greatness!
  2. The secret by Rhonda Byrne – The master of showing you how to manifest you biggest desires. It gives many true stories of people’s struggles and how they change completely their life by applying these 3 simple steps: ask, have faith and receive. Learn the law of attraction with simple actions and unshakeable faith through this book.
  3. The power of positive thinking by Norman Vincent Peale – This book teaches you the fundamental lesson of life which is positive thinking. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s powerful message of faith and belief in you will inspire and change your everyday thinking.  
  4. How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie – This is one of the most timeless self-help books ever written. The KING of all books out there. Carnegie believed that most successes come from the ability to communicate effectively with other human beings. You will learn communication skills by showing you how to treat people, help them feel valuable and appreciated. A book for every type of person and specialty.
  5. Think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill – Think and Grow Rich condenses laws of success and provides you with 13 principles of personal achievement. It goes in depth of the power of our thought to manifest strong desires. Napoleon Hill shares his secret formula which is:

Desire + Ideas + Plans + Massive Action = Success

 It is noted that an individual with desire, faith, and persistence can reach great success by eliminating all negative energy, thoughts and focusing at the greater goals. If you are looking for ways to achieve your desire goals this is the book!

Here are the links of the books I mentioned:

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

https://amzn.to/3blsrS5

The Secret

https://amzn.to/2wzyqDY

The Power Of Positive Thinking

https://amzn.to/2WEGQF4

How to Win Friends and Influence People

https://amzn.to/33HtI36

Think and Grow Rich

https://amzn.to/3dyrKa6

Foods that make you clever and happier

 It’s not always about calories, carbohydrates and sugar. What you eat makes a big difference not only to your body but to your brain as well.

If you’d like to boost your brain power, feel better and have more clarity, try these healthy foods.  They will sharpen your thinking and improve your mood in the long run.

  • Berries (with blueberries on the top list) – memory boosting, improve mood, high antioxidants and anti-aging effect.
  • Avocado (my top healthy food) – Protects and boosts your brain.
  • Nuts (with walnuts and Brazil nuts on my top list) – A handful of nuts a day is the best snack. Give to your body and mind a boost of energy. Researches have sawn that they reduce anxiety and depression.
  • Olive oil – Protects the brain from Alzheimer’s disease. The recommended daily amount is 1 to 2 tablespoons.
  • Fish – Rich in Omega 3 fats which support the brain with a protein called BDNF.
  • Dark chocolate (75%+ cocoa) – Improves memory and brain blood flow. Studies showed that dark chocolate is one of the most powerful sources of antioxidants.
  • Water – Is the key to our health, every system in our body needs water to function properly. Did you know that 2/3 of our body is made of water? Our brain, muscles, skin, bones and blood are made up of water. Water is the most important essential for delivering nutrients to the brain, it helps us to concentrate, reduce stress and headaches.
  • Eggs – Contain everything needed to grow a healthy brain.
  • Dark leafy greens (spinach and kale on my top list) – One cup of raw leafy green vegetables every day can increase your brain function. So go green and you won’t regret it.
  • Broccoli – improves memory and brain function in general.

The “good” side of coronavirus

I would like to say that I feel sorry for those people and their families have been affected or even lost their lives because of this virus. This is a severe disease which doesn’t look on age or gender.

I am not any kind of expert but my opinion is that we play a big role in all these diseases and for the whole climate change issue. Our actions and behaviour are causing tremendous affects to nature, animals and humans. Have you thought about how many animals have lost their lives because of our actions? How many fires, water and air pollution have we caused?

We only find out how bad it is when we see numbers of human deaths. We have to pay more attention to our everyday actions and the way we think of our environment. If we don’t take care of nature, we can’t take care of ourselves.

As everything in this world has two sides, the good and the bad, the same is with this disease. At the moment the good thing for all of us are not many but there are still few positive things such as spend time with your family, learn a new indoor hobby (drawing, a new language, the guitar etc.), rest, watch your favourite movies, read books and more important to appreciate your health.

 Now you have the time to do and learn whatever you wanted to. You’ve been given all the time you were always complaining about not having. When you were telling “I don’t have enough time for myself”, “I don’t have time to learn a new language” or “I don’t have time to read”. Now you have time. Spend it wisely.

I am not saying that is an easy period or that we know what’s coming next. What I am saying is that we have to see the positive side of all this and stay strong. Is hard but we are humans and humans are unbreakable, if we set our minds to be.

The coronavirus pandemic is a very strange, uncertain time for us all. People are losing jobs, homes and lives. It’s horrific! But there is a small impact to the world as we all going into isolation, the planet is having a chance to breathe, air pollution is improving and wildlife is being restored.

 We’re living in uncertain and very anxious times, and of course we cannot reduce the severely negative impact that Coronavirus is having on people worldwide but it’s nice to take a break from the bad news and look of something good.

I hope I didn’t offend anyone. I would like to know what your thoughts are.

Take care of yourselves and if you need to talk to someone, go ahead. You are not alone to this!

How to sleep better and faster

   Going to sleep early and having good quality sleep is a skill that we have to develop. We have to train our brain and body to know when is time to relax and go into bedtime mode. Sleep is essential for our energy levels and more serious for our mental health.

    Have you noticed when you don’t get a good sleep how bad you feel the next morning? You don’t have enough energy, keep making mistakes and forget things very easy.

Here are a few suggestions that can improve the quality of your sleep, make you have more energy and be more productive.

  1. No electronic devices 1 hour before sleep. You can start by 15’ and gradually get to 1 hour without screens. You can replace devices with a book or some music to relax you. I know it’s a bit hard but you will see that your quality of sleep is improving.
  2. Take a warm shower. Warm showers tend to relax our body and low the body temperature.
  3. Don’t make any negative thoughts. Clear your mind from negative thoughts or worries. Tomorrow is a new day with a better you.
  4. Don’t drink coffee after 18.00. Avoid any drink that contains caffeine e.g. tea, coffee, energy drinks. Caffeine stays in your system and affects the quality of your sleep.
  5. Check your bedroom temperature. The ideal room temperature is between 16°C -20°C (61°F – 68°F)
  6. Don’t consume large meals before bed time. It will make you feel sick and might take you longer to fall asleep.
  7. Don’t drink any liquid. Drinking before going to bed can interrupt your sleep.
  8. Keep a schedule. Go to bed the same time every night will make your body get into a routine.

Those were my 8 tips which some of them I am still working on. Let me know if you think that any of them have helped you or any that you would like to add.

Be kind to yourself

I am writing this article as I was unkind to myself and beating myself for not doing enough. Ok I know that I’m still doing it sometimes, because people forget very easy, but now with these 7 steps as guidelines to remind me I don’t have any excuse. 

Kindness comes easy when we have our good days. It is when the bad days are coming to us and then we blame ourselves when we feel disappointed due to something we did or didn’t do.

 We give names to ourselves such as I am not smart, I am short, I am fat, I am useless, I am ugly and the list never ends. What we have to do is reframe our judgmental words in a positive way.

Long time ago I read a book about Buddhist psychology and it says that we have to teach ourselves how to be self-compassionate and that is actually a skill. The more we practice the easier and more natural it gets! So the key is to try what suits you best and make it every day until it becomes a habit.

Here are 7 tips that I think will help you:

  1. Give some time to yourself every day. Put aside time for YOU. It may be 15’ to an hour to do whatever makes you feel happy or relaxed. It may be a hot bath, go for a long walk, read a book or go to the gym.

2. Become aware of your achievements. Focus on your goals and on what you have accomplished so far. This is important to see how much you have improved and how far you have come. Do you remember this exactly day 5 or 10 years ago? Did you think that you will be in this position by now? I personally wouldn’t think 5 years ago that I will be that blessed as I am today!

3. Stop trying to be perfect. Perfection is a virus that can destroy you. Perfection can drive you crazy, comparing constantly yourself with everyone around you. Your goal is to improve every day by only 0,1%, a year time from now you will be 3.7 times better. Can you imagine yourself even two times more productive, clever and stronger? Aim for improvement not perfection.   

4. Feel ok about failures and mistakes that you have done. They made you change and think differently. They shaped you and made you what you are today. You don’t have to beat yourself all the time and use words that lower you, instead pat yourself on the back and say “I did great”.

 When you face a problem or a scary situation, ask yourself, is this going to matter in a year, in 5 years from now? If the answer is no, why should you have to worry today? Just let it go.

Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.

5. Forgive yourself. We all do mistakes and things that we would have done differently and that’s ok. That was in the past and we cannot change it but we can change how we feel now. Give yourself the permission to move on.

6. Believe in you.  Feel good about yourselves and keep your self-esteem up. Believing in you is the secret to succeed in life and stay strong through hard times.

7. Stay away from negative and miserable people. They would drain your energy and unsettle your inner peace.

 Surround yourself with people that make you feel happy, accept you for what you are and force you to be a better version of yourself.

Those were my 7 tips, I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think on the comments!

Something last but not least, just as you would ask a dear friend who is struggling, take the time and ask yourself:

“What do I need?”, “Why do I feel like that?” and “What would make me feel happy?”.

THANK YOU for taking the time!

Have a nice day!

How to feel happy for free

Happiness is controlled by your thoughts, behaviour and daily actions. We put our circumstances as a key factor of our happiness. We say when I will be rich I will be happy, when I buy the new car I will be happy, when I get the promotion I will be happy, when I get…when I have……WHEN?

The answer is NOW! You don’t need any money or stuff to make you happy.

Happiness is like a skill that we have to practice every day until it becomes a habit. We have the ability to control our feelings and have a fulfilling life!

Here are some tips how to feel happy:

  1. Stop comparing yourself

We always compare ourselves with others that may accomplish more or might look happier than us. The truth is that you don’t know if they are truly happy with their achievements as well.

In today’s world with social media we compare ourselves constantly and that needs to STOP. Take a break and look around you what you have accomplished. Do you remember how many challenges have you been through? How many people have you helped?

You did it! Feel proud. Focusing on the things you’ve succeed is a lot more productive!

2. Be grateful

Being grateful in my opinion is the most powerful tool that we have been gifted. You have everything you need and most of them are free. The air that you are breathing, the amazing body that you have, the beautiful eyes which you can see the world and the powerful mind that you have been gifted.

Don’t take anything for granted.

To be grateful is to find blessings in everything.

Every day write down three things that you are grateful for, it may be a person, your dog, your car, your guitar, anything.

The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.

3. Listen to music that you love

It’s amazing how music change our mood and emotions. That’s because music release dopamine, a feel good chemical, from our brain. It reduces stress, anxiety and provides different feelings such as happy, calm, confident, stronger and positive.

4. Exercise

The more you move the more better you feel. Within few minutes of exercise our brain release dopamine, even if you don’t feel like doing any exercise going for a walk and breathe fresh air will make you feel happier.

5. Go outdoors

Walking clears the mind even only for 5’. Nature has calming effects. Being outside make us feel less stress, more creative, more positive, happier, boost our immune system and mental clarity.

6. Smile or laugh

Smiling releases happy hormones and laughter improve your mood and immune health. When we laugh our muscles relaxes and the blood pressure decreases.

7. Help someone

Studies have shown that helping others give us a sense of purpose and satisfaction, make us happier and even help us live longer. It creates better and new relationships.

THANK YOU for taking the time to read this post, it means a lot to me. I hope you find it helpful.You can also leave a comment of what you think and even share it with your friends!

Have a great day!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my first ever blog! My name is Angelo Agathos, I am 28 years old and I come from a beautiful island in Greece, Corfu.

I left Greece 5 years ago and moved to West Yorkshire of United Kingdom with aim to explore, meet new people and  find my truly self. All these years my then girlfriend and now my wife is always by my side.

 I will write more blogs on my personal life if you would like to learn more about my journey.

With no further ado I would like to tell you what’s the purpose of this blog. This blog is about feeling gratitude, being positive and become the best version of our selves! I decided to create a platform where I can file and share what I am learning through books, people stories and my own experiences. My mission is to help and inspire as many as I can!

I am so excited to share my thoughts, try to help people, learn a ton of new life lessons and meet awesome human beings around the world!                     

Life is wonderful! Doesn’t matter who you are and where you come from. What matters is that you are a unique human being and you are SPECIAL. Each of us can achieve and become anything we want and even much more than we have imagined. The key thing is to understand that the only limitation is in our mind.

I believe we came to this world to give something of ourselves!

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.   

    WINSTON S. CHURCHILL

If you want to improve your life, feel happier and go the extra mile stay tuned! I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU for taking the time to read this.   

I hope you enjoy it!

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