Why you should always remember moderation is the key!
Do you ever get carried away? I know I can but by and large I keep it under control! When I say carried away I mean you over eat, you smoke to much, maybe you always need to have one extra glass of wine with your meal, or you just party too hard. If so you are living a life of excess which can be bad for you. I´m going to discuss some important tips for living with moderation (it´s not as bad as you might think!)
My tips for living a moderate life.
Read Aristotle. Uff I can hear you say, but that´s to heavy man! Ok then if you don´t want to read all of Nicomachean Ethics why not go out and buy a quick study guide. Old Aristotle was a man who believed moderation in all things meant you could live a better life.
Have good habits. Before we go any further I have to say that you have to remember to be moderate about moderation. For example you want to change your habits, change them one at a time, don´t try to change everything in one go. If you are having dinner, be happy with one serving as you don´t need to go back for seconds!
Flexibility is the key. Be open minded, and seek out new ways to solve common problems that occur. Remember your view may not always be the right view. Let others have their view as well and meet in middle ground. Of if this is not possible agree to disagree.
Become more aware of life. Let´s be honest we don´t need everything that we have. Seek the simple pleasures from what you already have in life. Look around and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. See the beauty in everything.
Understand how habits develop. It´s easy to fall into negative habits, for example over eating. And then that habit becomes a normal part of life. Take stock of the “every day” things that you do and accept..
You don´t need it now. We live in a world of having everything in an instant. From music, to movies right down to information. Delay your gratification. After all the longer you wait the better the sensation will be – in everything you do 😉
You can indulge. What I mean is you don´t have to deny yourself of something you like. For example a new phone, but appreciate it. Save your money to buy it, don´t buy a new phone every month. Otherwise the feel good factor is diminished.
You are a role model. When people see that you have made changes and how well you are living they will use you as a role model, someone to look up to. Remember when you start to make changes you may get questions asked as to why you no longer do X or Y. Say it loud and say it proud why you have made these changes.
Specific examples of applying moderation in your life.
Eat right. I have friends who like to do “crash diets” for a quick fix. However they are not eating in moderation, in fact the very opposite. Does this crash diet work? Of course not, since you are denying yourself as soon as you stop your diet what happens? You don´t eat moderately!
Pay attention to your partner. It´s too easy for people to have a crush on someone and then get infatuated with them. They disregard their partner, and get carried away dreaming about their crush. However even your relationship with your partner should be in moderation. Remember everything in moderation.
Hang on to your money. Oh oh this is a tough one for me. You need to spend in moderation. Again since we live in a “I want it now culture” we can have a tendency to over spend. And of course the banks will gladly give you a credit card. Again it´s all about moderation
How much time do you spend online? Aristotle was around a little bit earlier than the internet! However he would have agreed that using it too much is bad. In this day and age we tend to be overtaken by technology. We spend too much time on the internet, on our phones etc. Remember that´s there more to life than technology. Get out and talk to people, turn off the computer, the tv, the mobile and play games with your family. There´s a whole world out there!
Be positive about yourself. There´s a big difference to being confident and being cocky! Being cocky is that you have too much confidence and it´s not being used in moderation! People don´t like cocky people, they like confident down to earth people!
So the best way to live life is not to overdo things. Do everything in moderation, and you will live a better life. Try it!