Are You Ready for the 10-Day Challenge That Brings More Happiness Into Your Life?

Ten simple steps for a better quality of life. According to an old proverb, not only are we the makers of our own luck, we actually hold all the strings that determine the quality of the life we lead each day. No human being can be happy all the time, but lasting contentment is very possible. According to studies, it takes an average of 66 days for a new routine to truly manifest itself in our daily lives. But even ten days would be a good start to give your existence a new direction. If you're up for it, here are ten simple but very effective suggestions on how to make this project succeed.

1. Passions get a daily fix.

What drives us and ignites that fantastic spark of inspiration within us absolutely needs more space in our lives. Our hobbies and passions in particular often get far too short shrift in our hectic daily lives. If you are serious about taking the challenge for a better life, set aside one hour a day for your passion, starting now, whether it's sports, meditation, or a creative pursuit. This time for you must be honored. Consider it as your own personal treasure and from now on guard it like the trove it is. You will probably have to fight for it and defend it in the beginning, but me-time is definitely one of the things worth fighting for.

2. Drop deadweight, a piece of it every day.

A completely underrated ritual for happiness is the one that the minimalism movement has popularized as "decluttering." Part with a piece of your accumulated stuff each day for the next few days. If you want to do it right, before you dispose of it, give a brief but sincere thanks to that item for having been with you for a part of your life. Now it's time for more space in your environment, and some things will have to go.

3. Evening reflection is mandatory.

Your evening routine for the next ten days will be a short, ten-minute reflection on your day. Review it and write down at least three good things that happened to you today. You can also create a mood statement that you put down on paper in your own words. Also think about what could have gone better and where there is still room for improvement in the future.

4. Watch your choice of words.

Our words have so much more impact on our lives than we all realize. No sooner do they leave our mouths than there is no turning back. We are usually in far too much of a hurry to pay attention to what is being said. Over the next ten days, you need to change that. Be especially careful not to devalue or speak badly of others and always use positive words instead of negative ones. It makes a difference whether we mention the cleaning staff, for example, or the cleaning team. Appreciation comes so easily and costs nothing in the process. When someone asks you how you're doing, don't give them a lukewarm "okay" or "just fine. Transmit some feelings of happiness in your answer – these will find a positive reception with other people and sometimes, as we know, bounce back to us again. In the first few days, this change will certainly be difficult for you. We are not used to thinking and pausing for a moment before we speak. For that reason alone, this exercise is definitely worthwhile.

5. Check in with one person every day.

Contacts are important to our social lives and well-being. We let many fall by the wayside over the years, and so we risk falling into oblivion ourselves. An important part of this Ten Day Challenge is to consciously make contact with another person every day. You can always ask a stranger for the time on the street or in the park, that would already apply if you can't think of anything else. Your main focus, however, should be the people who are part of your life, or at least once had a place in it. Especially in this day and age, nothing is easier than using Facebook and the like to get back in touch with old acquaintances.

6. Become a Boy Scout, at least in your heart.

Don't worry, this doesn't mean that you have to go through survival training in the forest. This point is about doing a good deed every day, just like one of the Scout Laws says. Again, these don't have to be grand commitments in the service of humanity. Go through your day mindfully and see where you can make yourself useful.

7. Let go of people who aren't doing you any good.

Small changes in our daily routines have an interesting side effect to offer: They open our eyes to the big picture. This includes relationships with people who, at some point, have become stuck and acquired a place in our lives, even though they're not actually good for us. If you go through this ten-day happiness program, you'll soon find out who the energy vampires are in your everyday life and who isn't really contributing to making you feel better.

8. Read a good book every day.

One chapter a day is enough, but be sure to make this reading session a pleasant chore. You'll soon find that immersing yourself in a fantasy world can be very relaxing, while at the same time broadening your horizons and keeping you open to new things.

9. Be kind to everyone, even the unfriendly.

This exercise will probably not come easily for many of us. There are people around us who just can't manage to get out of their unhappiness and show a minimum of kindness. These people, however, need our kindness the most. For the next ten days, your radar should be set on warm-heartedness and kindness, even if you don't expect too much in return.

10. A challenge every day is a must.

The best and the most difficult part of the Ten-Day Challenge comes at the end: It is extremely important for the success of this exercise that you escape your comfort zone a little bit every day. To do this, you should enter completely new territory every day. On each of these ten days, you have to do something that you have never done before in your life. Don't worry, there are loopholes here too that aren't quite as scary. Go a new route to work, shop at a new store you haven't seen before, cook a new dish, or finally pet the neighbor's cat that always looks at you so invitingly. The possibilities are endless and you can always increase the level of challenge.

Today’s Conclusion:

The journey is the destination. As is so often the case, the key to change lies within ourselves. A few simple habits, the much-cited "microhabits" can make a big difference. The requirements are: being honest with ourselves and really practicing these small changes on a daily basis. If you take this challenge, you will definitely have won in the end. At best you'll be happier than before, at worst you'll have learned a lot of new things about yourself.