Absorb Your Surroundings
We’ve covered a lot of ground so far in the 17 Strategies series, with some strategies being more obvious and others a bit intuitive. The 14th strategy, which is what we’ll be covering this week, is on the less obvious side, but it is no less important than the others. In order to become the best version of yourself, it is essential that you work to absorb your surroundings. Like I said, not as obvious. So how do you enact this strategy? Here are four methods for doing just that.
Go Outside
In case you haven’t noticed, spending all of your time inside is not good for your overall well-being. And this is true whether you’re on your feet all day at work or if your job means sitting at a desk, staring at your laptop all the time. A lot of our lives, we will have to stay inside for the majority of our days for all kinds of reasons, but staying inside too much affects both our physical and mental health. Going outside and getting some fresh air, feeling the sunshine or a cool breeze, and moving around a little to get your blood flowing are all really good for your body and your mind, and it’s easy to forget just how helpful stepping outside can be! So prioritize it. Find a way to get outside regularly, wheather that’s simply taking walks or participating in an outdoor sport of some kind.
Put Down Roots (Literally)
If you’re committed to becoming the best version of yourself, then there are two reasons why you should seriously consider giving some of your time to gardening or landscaping. The first reason is that getting your hands dirty in the soil of a yard or garden is a natural antidepressant. Gardening is good exercise, gets you more vitamin D from the sun, and can help reduce stress. If you want to learn more benefits, UNC Health Talk explains 8 of them in this article. The second reason that gardening or landscaping is a good investment along the way to becoming the best version of yourself is that putting time and effort into the land you own will connect you more deeply to your environment. This not only gives you a useful feelings of ownership, purpose, and responsibility, but it also gives you a sense of security. As you literally put down roots into the ground, you will be figuratively putting down roots as well, establishing a strong connection and foundation for your life and the life of your family.
Get to Know Your City
When you move to a new place, it’s usually exciting at first, and you have plans to try all the restaurants and find all the best spots. But, after a while, it can become easy to form a stagnant routine that keeps you in the same social circle and cycle of experiences. Once we settle into our cities, towns, or neighborhoods, we’re quick to lose our exploring motivation. But knowing your city is an important part of reaching your full potential. Learn the culture of your community. Try new places and meet new people. Find out what makes your particular environment unique. We talk a lot about identity in this series, and being able to identify with the place where you live is an important aspect of it. Get to know your city and be proud to call it home.
Make Investments in Your Land
The last method for absorbing your surroundings is to invest yourself where you are. This can look like a lot of different things! Sometimes investing in your land looks like supporting the small businesses and local merchants in your community. Sometimes it looks like spending time in its public spaces or volunteering for some of its services. Wherever you are, be all there, because a place won’t give back to you if you don’t give to it first. Sacrifice some of your time and energy to get involved in your community, and I know you’ll receive an invaluable return on that investment.
No matter where you live or how long you’ve lived there, there is always more you can learn and more ways that you can invest yourself in that place. Through spending time in the outdoors, investing in gardening and landscaping, getting to know the place where you live, and making investments in your community, you will be well on your way to becoming the best version of yourself.
