Posted on: Friday, September 24, 2004

Make bed, and remake your life

By Valerie Finholm
Hartford (Conn.) Courant

The house is a mess. Your life is falling apart. The future looks bleak.

What to do? Make your bed — you'll feel better.

"A tidy bed is an oasis of order," Susan and Larry Terkel say in their book "Small Change: It's the Little Things in Life that Make a BIG Difference!"

Unlike self-help books that might suggest that you're a slob who needs a personality makeover, the Terkels' philosophy is nonjudgmental: "Small change adds up."

"Empty your small change into a jar every day, and watch the total add up over time. Make small changes in your daily habits — such as your meals or snacks, your relationships, your work, or your leisure — and watch those changes gradually accumulate into a much more ... happier, and more satisfying life."

Feel better?

Here are 10 little changes from the book that the Terkels suggest could make a "BIG" difference in your life:

1. Eat breakfast — even if it's only a wedge of cheese on a cracker with your morning coffee — to avoid daytime fatigue. Protein is essential to fuel our bodies after eight to 12 hours of fasting (which is what happens when we sleep). Other sources of protein include a handful of nuts or seeds, a glass of milk, a container of yogurt, a tablespoon or two of peanut butter or a slice of turkey. Better yet, eat a wholesome breakfast.

2. Replace a soft drink with water at just one meal — say, lunch. With this change, you will drink about 40 more gallons of water per year, while not drinking 40 gallons of carbonated sugar. You will also save up to 50,000 calories and as much as $500.

3. Improve your posture. Stand tall like a mountain, and look better, feel better and give yourself the best insurance you can against back pain. Stand with your shoulders aligned with your hips and your ankles. Sit forward on the seat of your chair in front of your computer.

4. Are you in the habit of going to social engagements late and leaving early — even slipping out without saying goodbye? Go when you would want others to come to your affair, and leave when you would want others to leave yours.

5. To paraphrase Confucius: "People's natures are alike; it is their habits that carry them far apart." If you care what others think of you, want to be happier and make others happier, then walk your talk. Stop promising more than you can deliver, and deliver what you promise. Strive to be on time.

6. When you go shopping to buy a few items, get in the habit of not using a cart. That way you are not tempted to buy any item that catches your fancy or buy more than you need.

7. Break the habit of reading magazines that focus on rich people or advertise goods that only the wealthy can afford.

8. Handwritten notes are like home-baked cookies — always appreciated.

9. Slow down.

10. Smile more.