Are you stuck in a rut and not sure what to do next? Has your vision for your life halted because you’ve lost the motivation? Have you hit a plateau?

Well, the answer to all of these questions is that you need to change the game. You’ve got to start playing the game differently and trying new things. What you’ve done in the past has got you to where you are today.

If you want your future to be different, then you’ll need to take a new set of actions. These new set of actions are also known as habits. They’ll be your best friend if you’ll embrace them and be a life long learner. It’s time to put the learner plates back on the vehicle of your life.

Here are 12 new habits that will take your life beyond your wildest dreams:

1. Hold the door open

No, I’m not joking! This habit will change how you act. We need more gentlemen in this world and when you open the door for someone you show people that strangers care. You show yourself that all it takes to be better than yesterday is one small act.

You’ll also find that people smile a hell of a lot more at you, and you’ll quickly meet new people!

2. Tell someone what you admire about them

I’ve found that the more you tell people positive things, the more your world becomes awesome. Everyone wants to feel good, and there’s nothing better than having someone tell you what they admire about you.

I’ve implemented this one in the last few months, and I’m finding that people want you around more. The key is not to be fake with this tip and be genuine about it. Rather than thinking in my head what I envy about someone, I reframe the envy into admiration.

As you increase the number of times you tell people what you admire about them, you’ll find that you will build deeper relationships naturally which can open up all sorts of opportunities. It feels good to be wanted, and admiring people is a quick way to experience more of this feeling.

3. Read one non-fiction book a month

We all need mentors, but we can’t all have Leonardo DiCaprio as our gym partner. What we can do though is get insights from influential, highly success people, by reading one non-fiction book a month that is ideally an autobiography.

I’ve just finished reading Andre Agassi’s autobiography, and it was like having him next to me to teach me all the things I’m doing wrong. When you study people who have been at the top of their industry, you learn how they think, and you learn what it takes.

You see that their journey wasn’t so easy after all, and they had to overcome great obstacles to achieve success.

4. Blogging or journaling

I’ve experienced the benefits of this one first hand. Having conversations with yourself through blogging and journaling helps you to express yourself.

The great thing about blogging is that you’re not the only one that benefits. The whole world get’s to see the real you and they get to look behind the mask that we all wear. If you’ve read my work enough, then you’d know by now that I’m anything but perfect, and that’s the way I like it.

“When you write down what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling you start to see the truth behind your thoughts”

5. Write down three things you’re grateful for

Gratitude has been a tug of war battle for me because I find it easy to get into states of wanting more. The best way to deal with this overwhelm is to write down three things you’re grateful for each day into your phone.

As you do the exercise more, you’ll find that your mind becomes more creative at coming up with things you’re grateful for. The reason is that we don’t want to get caught naming the same things all the time, so we try and come up with new things and twist them to be gratitude moments.

6. Public speaking

A life beyond your dreams requires you to be able to bring people on a journey with you. The quickest way to recruit followers to support you is by being able to speak publically in front of lots of people. There is no use having a message to tell the world if you can’t stand in silence and deliver it.

Yes it’s hard and yes it takes practice, but this one will open up more avenues than you ever knew.

7. Attend a weekly networking event

The question I get asked all the time is “where do you go to find new customers for a business?” This one’s really easy; the best place to find people to work for you or people to be customers of your product and services is at networking events.

In person contact is a quick way to build a relationship and then you can leave the business talk for a later time over coffee. To get the maximum effectiveness from networking events, you need to get good at entering and exiting conversations.

As you get involved with more conversations and meet more people, your pool of contacts grows bigger. Not everyone you meet needs to be part of your grand plan, but by meeting more people you increase the likelihood of creating a fantastic circle of influence.

Don’t be shy and just talk about what you love. Remember to listen and not to talk too much.

8. Ten second mindfulness

I learned this at a sales conference, and it’s a terrific little life hack. Before you go into a big meeting pitch, or even networking event, take ten seconds to close your eyes and notice three sounds around you. By doing this, you become mindful of the present moment, and it stops your heart racing.

9. Take more breaks

Working around the clock without a proper break will make you burn out quicker. Tim Ferriss taught me that you have to break up activities with breaks as often as possible. Get good at resetting your thinking every 45 minutes by walking outside, or doing some activity that is unrelated to your vision.

My favorites are: jumping on the trampoline, getting a hot pot of tea (caffeine free), and ironing a shirt. Disrupt your thought patterns to keep the creative juices flowing.

10. Drink more vegetables

Boost the number of quality vegetables you ingest by having a green juice every day. You’ll find the more vegetables that go in your body, the more energy you put out. Plus, your skin will clear up, and you’ll glow brightly like the shining star that you are.

11. Chunk down your to-do list

Lists of tasks that need to be done can look overwhelming quickly. Rather than write down the hundred things you need to do for your holiday, try writing down complete holidays tasks. I find that big long lists stop me from taking action, and it’s better to group similar tasks under the same label.

12. Schedule overseas travel

Going to a foreign country is not cheap, and so it’s easy to go a whole year having been nowhere. I’m the guiltiest of this, and so I have adopted the habit of scheduling travel well in advance. In fact, my travel locations are going to be added to next year’s goal list to ensure that holidays become a priority.

When you schedule travel in advance and ideally pay for it long before you need to, you can get much better value for money on flights and accommodation, and it gives you leverage to follow through. Travel also gives you something to look forward to, and it motivates you to work harder.

Since booking my USA trip, I’ve felt like I can work harder each day because I have playtime coming up, and it’s guaranteed. The thought of sitting on a beach in Santa Monica is getting me fired up writing this blog post! Who knew this habit could have such a positive effect on our life.

What new habit are you going to try out? Let me know on my website timdenning.net and my Facebook.