Habits for a Better Life: Choosing Growth Over Illusions
Intro: My Birthday, My Real New Year
I always try to build habits for a better life, small consistent practices that shape who I am and how I experience each day.
The past year has taught me many lessons — not only about the world, but also about myself. As the year closed, I realized how much strength lies in small, consistent actions, and how much change they can bring into our everyday lives. This blogpost is a reflection, a recap of my journey, and hopefully, an inspiration for you to start your own habits for a better life.
Now it is the end of August – this is the time of year when I usually stop and reflect on everything that has happened in the past twelve months. By the end of August, summer fades where I live—on the 20th, the weather shifts, the rain comes, the wind picks up, and suddenly we all realize: summer is over.
My birthday is on the 17th, and these weeks are always my moment of deep reflection. I look at where my life is heading, what I’ve experienced, and what I want to invite into my future.
Strangely, New Year’s Day has never carried the same weight for me. Winter is my season of retreat, quiet, and introspection—not of bold resolutions. After the whirlwind of Christmas, travel, and gift-giving, I don’t crave new promises.
But in late summer, I feel full of fresh energy. This is when I gather my “new year” inspiration. This year, I even created a new vision board. It’s still a little chaotic, but once everything finds its place, I’ll share it here with you—along with my unconventional approach to vision boarding.
A Year of Milestones and Unexpected Turns
Looking back, the past year has been full of milestones since last August—a year that reminded me how habits for a better life can create the foundation to notice opportunities and take bold steps.
- September: my partner proposed, and I said yes! We haven’t started planning the wedding yet—I still enjoy being in the “bride-to-be” phase without rushing into ceremony details.
- October: we spontaneously decided to travel to Uganda for two weeks. For me, travel is the best self-knowledge journey—and the best relationship test too! We packed just 35-liter backpacks, traveled low budget, hitchhiked, rode buses, ate, and slept in the simplest places. If you’re interested, I’d love to share more, because this ties beautifully into organization and intentional living.
- December: we bought an apartment—without me even seeing it first! Since spring, our free days (few as they are) have been dedicated to its slow renovation. I’m documenting this under the “Renovation Diary” section here on the blog—plans, tips, and the lessons we’re learning.
Habits for a Better Life: When Growth Means Choosing Differently
So many events this year pushed me to start completely unexpected things—like investing in the stock market. Mamma mia! What does that even have to do with self-growth?
Everywhere I turned, the world shouted two conflicting messages:
- “Live in the moment, treat yourself, buy flowers, indulge in a 15-step skincare routine, consume more.”
- “Save money, be mindful, spend consciously.”
No wonder so many of us feel trapped in a hamster wheel of mixed advice.
The Shift That Changed Everything
Here’s what I realized: the real shift happens when we stop believing that we are stuck.
When we stop financing our own burnout with little daily “rewards” that don’t actually bring us closer to the life we dream of.
Habits for a better life are not about deprivation. They’re about possibility.
Why do small habits matter more than motivation?
Personal improvement starts with small, consistent steps:
- redirecting the energy and money into something that compounds over time
- replacing avoidance with intentional action
- and being consistent with it.
This is how self-discipline transforms into freedom. Small decisions create momentum, and personality development begins to shape a new identity.
Beliefs Create Habits, Habits Create Futures
There are countless self-improvement tips online. Also I have a collection of my favorite self-growth tools. But here’s the truth I learned:
The courage to change your actions starts with the courage to change your beliefs.
When we align our mindset with intention, even small choices become habits for a better life. And as soon as we take that first step—whether it’s saving, investing, or finally daring to set long-term self-goals—we move from avoidance to intentional living.
That’s where self-growth truly begins, and where the inspiration to create a better future becomes not just possible, but inevitable.
Journaling as a Tool for Self-Growth
Habits for a Better Life: How Journaling Fuels Self-Growth
One of the simplest but most powerful tools that helped me shift my mindset was journaling. For me, it wasn’t about having a perfect notebook, a fancy app, or a strict routine. Honestly, I’m too unorganized for that.
I simply wrote on whatever was at hand: a page in my calendar, the Notes app on my phone, a scrap of paper, even once in the sand by the lake.
Gratitude Without Rules
This wasn’t about keeping memories or storytelling. It was a quiet writing practice, a form of gratitude journaling.
If something happened during the day that filled me with joy, gratitude, or even just a thought-provoking moment, I wrote it down. No rules, no pressure, just capturing it.
Over time, this small one of the habits for a better life gave me a kind of superpower: the ability to notice little things. And as I practiced, I realized my life was filling up with experiences I never thought I was capable of—like buying a flat.
It wasn’t luck; it was awareness combined with readiness. As the saying goes: “Luck is when opportunity meets preparedness.” Journaling made me both aware of opportunities and ready to act.
Why Journaling Works
- It builds awareness – noticing small details makes you more conscious of what truly matters.
- It shifts your focus – from problems to moments of gratitude and possibility.
- It creates momentum – by capturing progress, even in tiny ways, you reinforce personal improvement.
- It strengthens self-belief – seeing your words and reflections on paper helps you realize growth is happening.
How to Start Journaling for Habits for a Better Life
To begin, pick one simple notebook, your phone’s Notes app, or any paper you have on hand. Each day, write down one thing that made you happy, grateful, or inspired—a small moment that mattered.
For example, write the month, and then start a list that you continue each day. This makes it easy to revisit and see your growth or happy moments at the end of the year. The key is daily consistency—not perfection.
This is what I usually write into my list:
- a slow breakfast on the terrace on this rainy day
- the clothes smell like they are freshly dried on the sun
- first time sleeping outside in the fruit-garden
- I smiled at a passenger on the train, and she smiled back
Remember: No rules, just stop for a moment!
Looking Ahead: A Vision for the Next Chapter
As I stand on the edge of a new year—my own personal new year—I feel grateful, challenged, and ready. This past year reinforced me that real personal improvement doesn’t come from big dramatic resolutions. It comes from steady, grounded steps, from rethinking old patterns, and from daring to believe that life can hold more than what we were conditioned to expect.
Next year, my focus will be:
- Working on my self-discipline
- Small, consistent habits that shape a better life – like in the past years.
The truth about habits for a better life: our habits build our future. And the most powerful self-growth begins the moment we stop running in circles and start walking with intention.
I am planing to stay more grounded, and live in the moment. Being self-disciplined and be nice and forgiving to yourself are not opposite values, but they support each other in my opinion.
If you feel stuck, know this: it’s not about having perfect plans or endless motivation. It’s about starting with one simple action that aligns with your self goals. Build one new habit, however small, and let it prove to you that change is possible. Over time, these micro-decisions stack up into massive transformation.
Life inspo takeaway
Don’t underestimate the quiet power of consistent habits. They are not just routines — they are the foundation of how to better yourself and create the life you’ve been secretly dreaming about. I’ll share my vision board method in an upcoming post!
Ps.: these are all my pictures, most of them were photographed on film.
Are you a gratitude journal type person? What are your New Year’s resolutions? Share in the comments!
