Everyone knows which actions would benefit their life, character, and future the most. Eating healthy, sleeping better, reading every day, working out, and getting to work 15 minutes earlier are no-brainers. The same goes for leading a more frugal life and not being afraid to try new things. So, with all this knowledge on our side, what’s stopping us?
Fear!
It’s not just that we’re terrified of these things; sometimes, it just seems so difficult or complex that it’s really hard to get going. The procrastination soon sets in, and these tasks seem more challenging the more you think of them. Well, here are five things that you’re reluctant to try, which are far easier than you think.
1. Counting calories
There’s no easier way to lose weight than to start counting calories. After all, no matter what they say, the CICO (calories in, calories out) is the simplest way to ensure that you either lose or gain weight. There’s just one way to lose weight (caloric deficit) and just one way to gain weight (caloric surplus), so this is something you need to keep an eye out for.
The worst thing about counting calories, and the main reason why so many people avoid it, is the fact that it makes something as simple as having a meal into homework.
It’s not always as simple either, you see; the problem is that even the same type of food can have different caloric values based on weight and even the way it’s prepared. A boiled egg and a fried egg don’t have the same caloric value.
Now, why is this easy? First of all, you have your phone within reach, and you can just google or, better yet, download an app to help you out.
Second, you need to understand that an estimate is as good as you need. Unless you’re a prizefighter cutting weight for the next event or a movie star whose contract depends on how toned your arms look during the superhero landing scene, you don’t have to get it exactly right.
After a while, you’ll develop a feeling and be able to guess (within 50 calories) the value of any meal.
2. Working out
A lot of people have misconceptions about what the fitness community is like. They’re afraid that people will judge them for being too skinny or having too much weight or that they’ll give them the side-eye for doing the exercise wrong.
First of all, you don’t have to go to the gym to start working out. You don’t even have to leave your home. You can do calisthenics, and when it comes to cardio, jumping rope can be found for as little as £2, and it’s an amazing way to burn calories.
You also have a lot of online courses, online trainers (via video call), and a lot of free content that you can access. Start with basic exercises until you’re comfortable enough.
However, this is beside the point. Gyms are full of people either minding their own business or willing to help you out. Everyone starts somewhere, and most of the fitness community is excited to see someone starting out.
Just think about how you feel when you see someone new just picked up your favorite hobby (even though this is a bit more of a lifestyle). Sure, some people are gatekeepers, but the majority of people are excited to share advice and opinions.
3. Buying crypto
A lot of people want to get into crypto. They’ve seen people buy BTC at $50 and sell at $17,000, $21,000, or even $60,000, and they want in on the action. At the same time, they’re unfamiliar with crypto wallets and the entire process behind them.
This is no longer a valid excuse. Today, it’s so easy to find a reputable step by step guide on how to buy Bitcoin in the UK. Once you learn how to buy BTC, you’ll also understand how to buy other coins, like ICOs and presales.
Now, let’s be completely honest and admit that a lot of people see BTC for what it really is – a new asset and not some get-rich-quick scheme. They may want to use it to diversify their portfolio or to send money abroad. In the age of remote work, a lot of employers prefer to pay via crypto, and a lot of employees prefer to receive funds this way.
Regardless of what your motivation is behind wanting to learn how to buy and sell crypto, this is a process that you can master in several minutes, and it can be life-changing.
4. Learning a language
Learning a new language is one of the best ways to broaden your horizons. How so? It’s simple, when you learn a new language, every non-translated book, non-translatable joke/meme, and every movie in that language that lacks subtitles becomes available. It’s like discovering a whole new world or traveling to a completely new dimension.
A lot of people find this to be intimidating, but there’s really no reason for such a thing, especially now, with all the resources you have available.
You can start by finding a tutor online or downloading an app like Duolingo to help your academic efforts.
However, it doesn’t stop there. Thanks to the internet, when you decide to put your knowledge to the test, you’ll find an unlimited amount of content in that language. You can start watching a series with subtitles and try to figure out how much speech you can discern. You can set your video game to that language (provided it’s available) and much, much more.
The best way to learn a language is to actually speak it; fortunately, with online communities or even if you’re lucky on Omegle, this won’t be an issue. You can even travel there and use phone translation apps to help you out a bit. Speaking of traveling…
5. Traveling alone
For a lot of people, there’s nothing more challenging than coordinating with their traveling companions (other than finding someone to take care of your dog while you’re away). People need to coordinate vacation dates and vacation preferences, and even on location, different people have different interests.
Sure, traveling in a company is much more fun for the majority of people, but there are those who would enjoy traveling alone more if they dared.
This is neither impossible nor as difficult as you think.
First of all, you’re already in touch with the majority of your friends via DMs. This much is true even while you’re at home. This means that ensuring that someone knows your location (for security reasons) is easier than before.
The key thing when traveling alone is to increase your self-reliance and to pay more attention to your safety. You see, while safety in numbers makes sense in theory, in practice, it’s more of a placebo effect. People get pickpocketed or get into accidents equally as often when they’re in company. In other words, you’re no more or less at risk when traveling alone; you just feel more cautious.
Mustering the courage to do any of these things can have long-lasting positive effects on you
Sometimes, all you need is a bit of a push and we hope that we’ve dispelled the myth of how difficult or terrifying some of these things are. At the very least, you can try and see for yourself whether what we’re saying holds water.