12 Things to change your life in 2016

1. In times of misfortune and stress, foster a calm head. 

When irritated it is easy to react, saying something in an instant can take a years of regret. Swearing, losing your calm or being violent also takes away your control of the situation.  This is a difficult thing to do, but the more often practised the better self control gets. It is necessary to accept within yourself how you feel about a situation, to dwell on it and think about it. However it does not good venting anger, let yourself go outside of the incident which takes place.  Not in it.

2. Think things could be worse.
This is a matter of changing mindset and again moving away from the negative thoughts life should of treated you better. Consider you are not living in a country or culture where laws are strictly adhered to with considerable force. Or worse capital punishment for merely stating an opinion. This point is also about counting good things and attenuating the negative things in your life.

3. Harbour a sense of humour.
When growing up I thought fun and laughter were limited commodities.  Anything can be fun, everything is a matter of personal attitude and laughter is a good way of of relieving awkward moments and stress. It can create bonds quickly and break down defences, sometimes it may mean showing your vulnerable side. It is always healthy to see things in a different way but it's even better to have a laugh over it.

4. Enjoy a moment of peace and quiet.
In the hectic life of today it is important to find time for yourself.  This is necessary more so for those individuals who consider themselves to be introverts.  A break in a quiet place may either be short or long, sometimes it is frequency which matters.  If you are in a loud environment take a break outside of this environment.  Make a cup of tea, go to the toilet do anything which gives a momentary break from that loud place.

5.  Play a musical instrument
I began to play the ukulele about three years ago and am one of those people who has never in their life played an instrument. I practice as often as I can and even try singing along. It has been great fun and will continue to be both a learning and relaxing experience. I heard it is even good to sing because singing strengthens your voice.

6. Exercise
This single word in itself can be akin to holding garlic in the face of a vampire. The human body is not a machine but rather the human is an animal. Animals need food water and exercise, to name but a few items.  Exercise does not have to be crazy it can be gentle, many programs recommend exercising to the point there is a slight strain on breathing. Others indicate the heart rate should be raised for at least ten minutes at a high and uncomfortable level.  What matters though is just getting out and doing some exercise.

7. Talk to a stranger
This is for those who find they speak to the same people everyday and don't get to meet and talk to someone they don't know.  Someone not part of the family or the workplace. There are places everywhere this can happen.  On the train, the bus or in a shop, at the pub anywhere you might visit is a potential place to speak to someone you don't know. Then try and learn something about them, something unusual. Favourite food for example.

8. Diet and be healthy
The statistics suggest getting fat is now rife in the western world. With it brings illnesses which could of been avoided, such as the ubiquitous diabetes. Carbohydrates are a cause for concern methinks. Especially the white ones with a high glycemic index. I don't know what it is, but the more white starch I eat then the more white starch I want to eat. It must be doing something to my brain, kicking in some kind of eating switch. When I was a teenager it didn't matter what I ate but now in my 50s every single calorie is being notched up on my belt. And the belt gets bigger as well.

9. Keep an eye on finance
Here I have been hitting two birds with one stone. There are days in the week I will either walk to work which is just over two miles or walk home. It takes about an hour depending on how fast my little legs move. So exercising and saving the fare of riding a bus. Which has gone up yet again. In addition to this I have made a conscious effort to try and save a few pennies every week which go into a savings account and are not touched. Economists say your savings account should have 8 times your monthly earnings.  This is in case of both an unforeseen emergency and in the event of losing your job. I so wish my savings were this high, but I will keep squirrelling away.

10. Read and learn
Always be reading and learning. The two go hand in hand. Have a book about a subject which interests you and at the same time is educational. At present I have a simple book about economics and the development of humanity.  There are points which are raised I have not considered before and may well be generalisable to other areas, be it work or personal life.

11. Learn to do something difficult
As a kid if something was difficult I would not want to do it. Such as math and I will admit to being not great at maths even though I managed to get an A'level in pure math and a A'level in statistics. I've forgotten most of what I was taught and wish I could still remember it. Being an adult now I appreciate the skill and effort which goes into doing difficult things. Such as playing the ukulele. The first year of playing I practised every single evening. I am learning music, chords, musical registers, a very little bit of musical theory, rhythm and how to sing a song.  It is funny how family think when you pick up an instrument you will be belting out a tune in a fortnight. You may well be but it will probably be not very good.

12. Improve your memory
This is probably one of those age related problems, but the older you get the easier it is to forget everything. However, forgetting things is just as important as remembering them, otherwise your brain would be cluttered up.  Yet when you need to remember something this is when it does become a problem. Looking into the subject of mnemonics, it will amaze you how easy it can be to remember stuff, any stuff at all. The problem with this is your memory is like a muscle and using mnemonic methods requires active practice.