8 Goals Everyone Should Have.

1. Complain less. Complaining usually doesn't help much, if at all. What it does do is bring you down, along with anyone who happens to be listening to you. Hanging out with people who complain all the time is exhausting. Also, being someone who complains all the time has to be exhausting. So do yourself and everyone around you a favor and start veering your comments to a more positive side.

2. Drink more water. What drinking more water does to your body is seriously magical. Your skin gets better, you have less headaches, you have more energy, you feel overall better...just by drinking water. There's no reason not to do this. Buy a cute tumbler and keep it filled all day!

3. Compliment others. Compliments are so easy. They are free, quick ways to make someone's day so much better. If you like the color of someone's shirt, say so. If someone went out of their way to help you, mention it. Throw compliments around freely.

4. Practice being thankful. Complaining makes your day worse. Want to know what makes it better? Being thankful. For big things, little things, in-between things.

5. Get rid of what you don't use. I tend to form sentimental bonds with everything that I own...until said things are taking over my apartment. Listen: Throw stuff away. If you don't use it anymore, toss it. If you don't wear it anymore, give it away. Life is about experiences, not things.

6. Learn how to survive without takeout. I could easily eat Chick-Fil-A for every single meal and be a very happy person. But do you know who's not happy with that arrangement? My wallet. Also, my waistline. Everyone should know how to cook a meal or two at home. It's cheaper, healthier, and you can do so in your pajamas. So, we're looking at a win/win/win here.

7. Enjoy reading. Not everyone loves reading fiction, or even books in general. I get it. I don't understand it, but hey. Just because you don't like reading books doesn't mean you should swear off reading. Reading is a great way to learn--both really cool things and also completely unnecessary, but fun, things. There's plenty you can read without ever cracking open a book--magazines, articles, newspapers. Fill your brain with some good words.

8. Think before you speak speak, write, text, post, tweet...etc. I have a favorite quote when it comes to speaking out on controversial matters:

Does this need to be said?
Does this need to be said by me? 
Does this need to be said by me right now?

If you actually think about those things before saying whatever you wanted to say, chances are you'd regret a lot less.

What goals do you think everyone should have?

Life Goals.

I'm a huge goal person...weekly, monthly, yearly. I'm constantly journaling and making lists of goals. 

But there are some things that don't fit into a list. They can't be squeezed down to a year or a month or a week...they aren't things that can eventually be accomplished and crossed off the list, not to be thought of again. Things that are more like life goals.

Be a good listener. In my opinion, being a good listener is one of the best qualities a person can have. It's such a treasure to have a friend who will really listen to you, not sit on their phone and nod or obviously be thinking of something else. That's the kind of friend I want to be. 

Be a hard worker. I never, ever, ever want lazy to be a word that describes me. Sure, I enjoy lounging around and watching Netflix or spending the day reading just as much as the next person, but when it comes to the work I'm supposed to do, I want to be a diligent and hard worker. 

Be someone who brings other people happiness. There are people in life that make you happy just by being with them, and there are people in life that make you tired just by being around them. I want to be someone who is encouraging, not negative. Who leaves people happier than they were.

Be someone who doesn't always need something/need to be doing something to enjoy life. I love going to the pool. It's one of my favorite ways to spend a day. Recently, I've decided that people can be divided into two groups. 

There are people who can hang out at the pool with friends, and as long as there's food and drinks, be perfectly content spending a whole day just talking and swimming and hanging out. And then there are people who can hang out at the pool with friends for about a hour before needing to make plans for what's going to happen next, where they're going to go tonight, what they're going to do today. Personally, I think the first group is way more fun to hang out with, and that's the kind of person I want to be. 

I don't want my happiness or level of enjoying life to depend on what things I have or what plans I have. 

I've got plenty more, but those are some of my life goals I've been thinking about lately. 

What are your life goals?