It’s no secret that you are your harshest critic. That internal voice is constantly criticizing every move you do…

You’re never good enough.

And you can always do better.

Does that sound familiar?

It’s totally normal.

As humans in today’s over-stimulated world, our brains are wired to be constantly dwelling, obsessing, and stressing about little things that don’t really matter at all.

It’s too easy to get caught up in the chaotic brain “trap,” and it’s why I stress brain care so much in these blog posts.

In my life, the pivotal moment when things started going my way, and I felt I was finally “on the path” happened when I started prioritizing brain care…

Now, this isn’t another blog post about exercise, journaling, meditation, or sleeping.

You already know how important those are.

This blog post is to serve as your daily reminder…

For me, enjoying life pretty much comes down to these two big ideas:

Learning to see the beauty in ordinary things.

Expressing major gratitude, every day.

Notice how there’s nothing material or superficial there?

Here are three ways to put this all into action:

List The Things You Are Grateful For.

Gratitude is like a muscle, and it needs to be trained often. Every night before I go to sleep I make a list of the things I’m grateful for.

This always opens my eyes to how “good I have it,” especially on those days when I feel like my life is a mess.

Neil issued a gratitude challenge to readers a few years ago. It’s worth re-visiting.

One rule: as you write down your own gratitude list, don’t erase, and don’t cross things out. Just keep going.

Do a Monthly and Quarterly Review…

At the end of each month, summarize what defined that month.

Was it learning? Struggle? Adventure? Overcoming obstacles?

Write down what you did, note the big things that happened, what you would do differently, and what you learned.

And every quarter, go through each previous month summary, and review your life in the same way a successful business evaluates its performance.

Track things, set goals for the following quarter, and strive to reach them. It’s a great way to harness your harsh inner critical voice into positive energy.

So remember, what gets measured, gets managed.

Meditate Daily

I’ve written about the benefits of meditation time and time again, and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon.

Meditating every morning will calm your brain down, give you clarity and insight into your thought process, and make you feel happier and more fulfilled altogether.

In a recent episode of Neil’s podcast, The Truth Barrel, guest Light Watkins—a meditation teacher and author— advised that “common side effects of daily meditation are increased energy and feelings of contentedness and inner happiness.”

So remember…

Live in the present, surrender to the moment, and know that everything that happens to you is just a lesson you needed to learn to move forward.

While Neil is writing books, Richard Arthur is busy sharing his latest knowledge with readers. If you want to be on the inside, and learn the latest tools and techniques we are using here to improve our lives and the lives of others, then you’ll want to be part of this limited email distribution list. Click here while we’re still doing this.