By JOHNNY CARCIOPPOLO / Business Columnist 

Fortunately, we live in a day and age where not everything is about us. We seek to improve not only our lives, but the lives of others, as well. While this is more commonplace these days, it is still sometimes a struggle to create this mindset as a way of being rather than return to old habits.

Old habits and patterns are sometimes hard to break. We may wish them away and want to do better and be more, but without practical tips and advice along with the creation of new habits, we remain stuck in the same old place.

If you’re looking to become a better you the following tips will smooth the transition and have you creating new habits in no time at all. There are 30 tips in all which I will be sharing over the next few weeks. Here are numbers 1-5; more to come.

1. Take time for you. While you might associate being a better person with doing more for others, the truth is you need to take time for yourself in order to be that better person. If you are burned out and stressed, you will not be a positive contribution to anyone. Taking time out for yourself is not selfish; it gives you the opportunity to refresh your own wellbeing.
2. Create daily me time. Once you understand that taking time out for yourself is a contribution then it’s time to schedule it. It is important to keep your integrity to yourself when declaring your “me” time. Set aside some time daily. If you are like most, this may seem near impossible; but guess what? You can find 15 minutes every day.
3. Be dedicated to your personal time now. If you don’t respect your personal time, no one else will. Take your 15-minute meditation time in the morning or your daily time out on the front stoop just listening to nature; read a spiritual book like the Book of Psalms which will take you a few mere moments every day.
4. Let others know you are serious about your personal time. Once you have an established amount of time and set time of day, let everyone know you have a big, “Do Not Disturb” sign on your back. It’s 15 minutes a day for goodness sake. Everyone will survive without you for a while.
5. Choose how you start your day. You can choose to start your day grumpy and irritable or you can choose to start your day grateful that you were given another chance to enjoy life and love. The choice is always yours. Choose to wake up declaring out loud a few things you are grateful for and watch how this daily habit changes your day and your life.