Hands up if you countdown the days until Friday? We’re wishing away more than half of our week while simultaneously lamenting that ‘life is too short’. We’re saving our favourite things for ‘a special occasion’ which automatically sends a message to our brain that today will be ordinary.

Make it a habit to wake up with an appreciation for the brand new day you’ve been given – a new amazing opportunity to experience life, grow, eat, laugh, give, explore, dance, dream, create and discover what it feels like to be you.

2. Learn to open up and lean on people.

Many of us are scared of being vulnerable and authentic — of being seen for who we really are, weaknesses and all. It’s okay to be seen without all the pretences; without all your social masks. By opening up and being your true self, and asking for help when you need it, you automatically give other people permission to do the same. You create a better world through leading by example.

3. Practice the art of acceptance.

If you are not yet living your ideal life, make peace with this fact while you work towards your goals. If you struggle against each day, resenting each task you need to complete, it will drain all of your precious energy leaving nothing left in the tank to go after your dreams. Do things with a happy heart and a light-touch, and you will feel freer and more energised.

4. Make time to get in touch with your soul.

Your soul is your eternal essence — it’s who you really are underneath the chatter of your monkey mind, the social masks you wear, and the titles and roles you hold. Get in touch with your soul each week through meditation, writing a journal, spending time in nature, or making time to just sit and soak up the world without judgment for a few moments.

5. See the light in people.

People may do things which frustrate, hurt or anger you, or they may have nothing in common with you at all — but you can choose to see beyond these external factors and focus on the common humanity and mortality you both share. You are both souls in human bodies trying to navigate the world at this point in time in the best way you know how. Strive to accept and forgive other people whenever you can.

6. Let your emotions be your guide, but not your identity.

When people experience strong negative emotions like anger, jealousy or pain, they usually do one of two things — bury their emotions deep in their subconscious, or get so caught up in their emotions that they are consumed by them and adopt them as part of their ongoing identity.

Neither choice is healthy — instead, when a strong negative emotion arises, learn to observe the feeling (the act of observation immediately disassociates you from the emotion) and ask yourself what it is trying to teach you. Do you need to work on yourself and grow into a more resilient and peaceful person, or do you need to make crucial changes to your life situation?

7. Open your mind to new possibilities and leave room for surprises.

So much can happen in a single day — you could meet the right person, stumble across a new opportunity, come up with a life-changing idea, move jobs, move houses or move countries.

While it’s worthwhile clarifying your desires and making plans, keep a little room in your heart and mind for the unexpected — things might not go to plan, and that might be the best possible outcome.

8. Give to give, not to receive.

There is something so beautiful about giving from a place of pure love, without conditions or expectations — to feel someone else’s happiness as your own. Try to give more without seeking anything in return, and notice how the positive feelings you experience from seeing someone else’s joy and comfort are more than enough return on your investment.

9. Be led by joy, not fear.

So many people make decisions based on their fears, rather than following their intuition, interests and passions. You are a once-in-a-humankind combination of talents and quirks and there will never again be anyone like you. When you make decisions based on what you enjoy and what feels right with your soul, you light up and the whole world benefits.

10. Speak and think in positive terms.

The world is a reflection of your dominant beliefs. If you constantly focus on and complain about your problems, struggles and worries, you will perpetuate the same circumstances over and over again. If you start to shift your focus towards the more positive aspects of your life and all of the things that could go right, you will immediately start to experience more good fortune and positive outcomes.