Shortened my commute by at least 30 mins each way

I stopped being flaky and stopped being late.

I started investing in my friendships more. I live overseas and my friends are all scattered around (my closest friends live in NYC, DC, SF, London, and Shanghai) and these long-term friendships are really important to me. I make a point to reach out and see how everyone's doing regularly.

I raised my standard of cleanliness for my home. By keeping the house neater, my mood tends to be better overall and I have more energy (I'm not kidding).

I'm already pretty minimalist, but now I regularly get rid of things rather than doing a big purge. More manageable.

I refuse to engage in drama with anyone, ever.

I stopped being self-deprecating. It's not to say I act like a cocky a**hole, I just started to realize my value and worth and no longer present myself that way.

If I don't feel it, I don't do it. Friendships, undertakings, books, whatever - life is too short.

I exercise daily, get biweekly manicures, spend a ton of time taking care of my skin and body, make sure my eyebrows are always groomed, and invest in mid-range nicer clothes and shoes (not high end, but not Old Navy or Loft either).

I make Pinterest boards for every party/holiday meal that I plan, so I can "see" everything and notice what's missing, what I have too much of, what I'll need to buy or borrow, etc.

Generally, overall, I've ramped up my level of organization.

I try to give myself a manicure or get one done professionally when I can. It signifcantly improves my overall appearance and "level."

Sold my place in FFX and bought in Arlington so I could shorten my daily commute by a lot. The higher mortgage is stressful, but not more stressful than constantly being late for either work or daycare pickup.

Before that, I started exercising daily. Game changer.

Joined a gym with affordable child care. Now I have no excuse for not going a few days a week and it's good for my kid to socialize with other kids.

I quit my stressful job and started working part-time.

Anonymous wrote:I pick up my house every night. Not a major clean or anything, just getting every room "back to ready." My husband and kids do help.

I am very choosy about what I eat. I make good investments. I will never eat a lame bagel in the conference room or a store-bought cookie. I'll enjoy the real-deal things, and I save my calories for foods that are truly worth it.

This is such good advice and I need to follow it (I did for a little while and then stopped). There is NO POINT in eating bad desserts at the catered conference lunch. Or the terrible treats that co-workers leave out on Mondays.

Stopped pulling my hair up every day, got a nice haircut that can be easily styled (thanks Revlon hair brush dryer).

Upped my game on clothes thru online shopping / sales (Nordstrom Rack)

Started "training" for a 5K by running weekly, and now 2x/week.

I pick up my house every night. Not a major clean or anything, just getting every room "back to ready." My husband and kids do help.

I am very choosy about what I eat. I make good investments. I will never eat a lame bagel in the conference room or a store-bought cookie. I'll enjoy the real-deal things, and I save my calories for foods that are truly worth it.

Started long distance running.

I quit giving a crap about almost anything. This morning, for instance, I used the trimmer on my electric razor to trim my hair. Hate wasting money on that stuff.

IPL laser treatments make my skin look great and botox twice a year.
MAde some real change to up my wardrobe game.
Started getting a farm delivery box each week, making me cook more vegetables, try new recipes.

If you took active steps to raise your standards/live a higher quality of life, what did you do?

Did you buy fresh flowers for your home every week? Hire a weekly cleaning service? Take a wine course? Learn to play tennis? Start laser hair removal treatments?

I'm looking for inspiration on living well. I just feel like I need to push myself to live a better lifestyle.