101 Ideas on How to Be a Better Person All Around

Create the bridge and cross it.

Whether you’re looking for ideas for New Year’s resolutions or just hints & tips on how to be a better person all around  – I have a treat for you!

The following list of 101 items will help you to be empowered on your self-improvement journey, if you choose to accept the challenge.  These are not things that can be done in one day.  This is more of a year-long-checklist than a month’s to-do-list.  The idea here is to scan through, pick something you like one day, and grab another some other day.

Whatever you choose for heading through this list of self-esteem boosters, just commit to doing something.  Maybe that’s only reading through the list.  Maybe it’s doing 1 from each heading before the end of the year.  Maybe it’s all 102.  (oops – secret’s out!)  You decide.

As long as you plan to grow this year.  Here goes.

This post is part of a 14 part series on How to Be a Better Person. I’ve also super-duper fancied this group of posts up into an Amazon Kindle book. Check it out: Forget Perfect, Just Be Better: 101 Simple Ways to Grow in Relationships, at Work, in Life, and Through God.

101 Tips on How to Be a Better Person All Around:

Fun:

1. Drive through the richest and fanciest part of town.  Soak it in.
2. Find a new board game. Like Lost Cities.
3. Find the oldest board game you have.  Gather enough people to play.  Play.
4. Go see a movie – the worst one you can pick.  Or go rent ” Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 ” (2004).  Make fun of it while you watch (ala MST3K).
5. Go to a playground.  Play.  Bring a kid if you need an excuse.  Swing above the bar.
6. Go watch local sports at a nearby park or field.  Cheer liberally.
7. Go to a high-priced clothing, furniture, or electronics store. Browse, use, and gawk at awesome stuff.  Don’t buy – just live.
8. Go to the beach (or playground) and make a sandcastle.  Make it grand.  Take a picture.  Now smash it to bits!

Health:

9. Do not use your microwave for 2 weeks.  Plan accordingly.
10. Eat 1 less unhealthy item today.  Ditch that piece of candy, bacon, spoonful of mayo.
11. Eat 1 more healthy item today.  Banana, grapefruit, purslane, raw washed spinach.
12. Exercise for at least 10 minutes today.  Stuck for ideas? Try this one, this one, or this one.
13. Get to bed 15 minutes early today.
14. Go through your medicine cabinet.  Yank all of your expired pills.  Dispose of them properly.
15. Spend 15 minutes outside, in the sun, today.  You don’t need sunblock for this.
16. Take a 20 minute nap after dinner.  Set the alarm.
17. Turn your computer, phone, TV, whatever off 2 hours before going to bed.  Sleep well.
18. Watch 30 minutes less of TV today.  Do something fun and rewarding in its place.

Creativity:

19. Draw a stick figure army attacking a big bag of marshmallows.
20. Find a big sheet of paper.  Find crayons.  Draw your childhood vision of a common neighborhood house.
21. Get a sheet of paper, fold it in half, write ‘purple’ on one side, and ‘rough’ on the other.  List as many of each as you can.  Now combine the words to get 5 new ideas.
22. Go outside, lay down, look up.  Find at least 3 different objects in the clouds.  Watch them slowly transform.
23. Google “play-dough recipe.”  Make some.  Play with it.  Relive childhood.
24. Try the Lotus Blossom brainstorming method on a difficult problem you have around the house.  Then try at least 1 of the ideas you come up with to fix it.
25. See if you can discover your passion through the Fruit-Root-Tree brainstorming exercise.  It’s quick and fun.
26. Use that play-dough you made, along with some toothpicks, to make a tower.  Try to touch the ceiling.

Chaos:

27. Chunk the junk pile in the garage.  No, you don’t actually need that stuff.
28. Clean out all of the junk in your trunk.  The car, people, the car.
29. Clean the back-seat of your car out.  Maybe even consider vacuuming.  Wipe the back window with Windex.
30. Clean under your bed.  Get your dust-bunny gun ready.
31. Clean your computer.  The outside of it.  Vacuum the dust and vents.  Wipe the keyboard, mouse, and screen with a cloth – not water.
32. Go through and donate clothes you no longer need.  Clothe the naked.
33. Organize everything within 10′ of your attic or basement entrance / stairway.
34. Sift through and donate books you are done with.  Goodwill needs them.

Think:

35. Cheer yourself on and congratulate yourself for little wins.  Aim for 5 today.  Mental fist-pumps are okay.
36. Do not judge the appearance of anyone today.  Catch yourself and just stop.
37. List the top 3 reasons you are not happy with something.  Think of 3 things you can do to fix each one.
38. Try out some positive, useful Self-Talk exercises today.  See if you can stick with it for a week in a row.
39. Turn something you think is negative about yourself into a descriptive statement.  Are you really ‘fat’ or do you just ‘weigh XXX pounds?’
40. Pay attention to what you think.  Catch yourself the next time you put yourself down.  Stop.  Replace it with something useful and positive.  Do this at least 5 times today.
41. Pretend the people you talk with today are the most interesting people in the world.  Stay interested my friends.
42. Think of your favorite cliché.  Research where it came from and how it was originally used.

Explore:

43. Find a local park, check out every square inch.  Look for a plant you’ve never seen before.
44. Search YouTube for a guided meditation exercise.  Okay, okay – try this one.
45. Hop over to the local museum or zoo.  Go to every exhibit.  Read the plaques.  Walk away with at least 5 new facts.
46. Get in the car, point yourself in a direction, and drive.  Put a sticky note over the clock.
47. Go to a local ethnic grocery store.  Buy 3 things you can’t pronounce.  Use them.
48. Go to a new restaurant and order something unfamiliar.
49. Travel to a town near to you that you’ve not been to.  Walk around stores and observe people.

 Faith:

50. Give thanks for your meals, in public.  It’s worth it.
51. Go out in the backyard or porch and quietly reflect on life for 10 minutes.
52. Don’t talk down, bad, or mean about ANY religion for 3 weeks. Just go silent if you have to.
53. Pick a random spot in the Bible.  Read at least 1 verse.  Slowly.
54. Say a short prayer for a person in need – or a person you don’t like.
55. Subscribe to a religious “quote of the day” email service.  I’m partial to these guys (Minute Meditations and Saint of the Day).
56. When you get frustrated, say a quick prayer for help – like, “God, please help me.”  Try, “Jesus, thank you and I love you” just whenever, too.

Success:

57. Bring a brown-bag lunch to work for a week.  Count up how much money you didn’t spend.
58. Make a list of things you buy, but don’t really need.  Cut 1 of them out for 3 weeks.
59. Make your own coffee for a week.  Buy a thermos – you’ll have enough money for a really nice one after skipping Starbucks 3 or 4 times.
60. Put 1% of your next paycheck into a savings account – you won’t miss it.  Repeat often.
61. Write down your biggest goal on a blank sheet of paper.  Write at least 15 ways to achieve that goal.  Write down the next “15 minute” step toward that goal.  Take that step.
62. Look up the “magic of compound interest” and the “rule of 72.”  Make financial plans accordingly.
63. Brush up on your finances.  Beginner?  Check out my notes on Comfort Zone Investing.  Advanced?  Check out my notes on The Intelligent Asset Allocator.

Family:

64. Ask a family member out to dinner.  Enjoy it.  Pay for it.
65. Call up the family member least likely to expect your call.  Talk for at least 5 minutes.
66. Do 1 chore for another family member today.  Don’t tell anyone and don’t expect anything in return.  Let it be a secret.
67. Do whatever your spouse or ‘boo’ asks without any ugly faces, hesitation, or funky words.  Do it because you love.  Don’t tell them you’re doing this – just do it.
68. Send an email to your younger family members.  Ask about their interests.
69. Buy 1 flower for the person you love the most.  Don’t expect anything (even a thanks) in return.
70. Visit an in-law or lesser-noticed family member for an hour.  Talk about their life.
71. Write a letter to your grandma or grandpa on highlights of your last year.  Ask them for advice.
72. Tell your mom and dad you love them.  Be a little dramatic about it – but be genuine.

Talking:

73. Compliment a stranger or acquaintance on their smile today.  Don’t be creepy.
74. Pay attention to what you say all day.  Write down 5 negative things you say today.  Scratch them out and write alternative, positive & useful responses by each one.
75. Say hello and be genuinely interested in a stranger today while you wait.  Try to get passed the weather, politics, and the long line.
76. Use the cashier’s name while you’re checking out at the store today.  Wish them a good day, too.
77. Say 5 positive things to yourself today.  You really are a unique snowflake.  You can do this in your head, if you like.
78. Really listen, without thinking of what to say next, to at least 3 people today.
79. The next time you are upset at someone, wait 6 seconds before responding.  Feel your face flush over, and try to make it stop.

Learning:

80. Go to your local library.  Pick a random book.  Check it out.  Read for at least 15 minutes.
81. Review notes, papers, and filed away goodies from the last year for at least 20 minutes.
82. Spend 15 minutes “Google researching” a topic you’re interested in.  Write down 3 interesting facts on an index card.
83. Go to WordNet.  Look up 3 words you have trouble with.  Digest the simplicity of the definitions given.
84. Search for a local personal development or skills building seminar in your area.  Plan to go.  Take notes.
85. Go to the VSauce YouTube channel.  Pick any video.  Be amazed while you learn.
86. Practice getting into a learning frame of mind.  It only takes about 6 minutes.
87. Go figure out what motivates you to get stuff done.  Now start using that type of motivation to get stuff done.

Outreach:

88. Appreciate the work of someone else today.  Be genuine.
89. Donate a grocery bag’s worth of canned goods to your local charity or church.
90. Lend a few bucks to a Kiva entrepreneur.  You’ll get it back and help someone in the process.
91. Research a charity in your area.  Offer to help them with your time, talent, or treasures.
92. Give a word of encouragement to someone having a bad day.  A smile will work, too.
93. Offer to help a neighbor with the yard, house maintenance, or babysitting.  Do it for free.
94. Recognize an accomplishment of a family member.  Make a handmade award for the younger ones.

Work:

95. Ask other people if they need help with something today.  Do something that is not the easiest.
96. Clean out your email inbox.  Do the quick stuff or file it, make the hard stuff a ‘task’ or ‘todo,’ delegate stuff you shouldn’t be doing, and delete the rest.  Be at 0 emails by day’s end.
97. Park in the farthest parking spot for 2 weeks.  Alternate between 2 or 3 spaces.  Enjoy the walk.
98. Do not check your personal email at all today.  Do not make excuses when you eventually reply.
99. Eat in the break room today.  Eat slowly.  Be friendly.  Bring extra goodies to share.
100. Sit at a new desk for 4 hours today.  Hammer out the project that needs the most attention.
101. Turn on the “out-of-office” notification today while at work.  Ask people to call you if it’s important.

BONUS:

102. Start a blog.  I just gave you 101 ideas for posts.  You’re welcome. :)

I hope this list has proved useful to growing your self-esteem.  Or maybe it will in the future.  Don’t forget to bookmark it and check back often.

Want to get the whole series in a convenient ebook? Check it out: Forget Perfect, Just Be Better: 101 Simple Ways to Grow in Relationships, at Work, in Life, and Through God