Improving your life rarely starts with a giant leap. It usually starts with one small chance: clearing a drawer, calling an old friend, saying yes to a class, or finally sitting in silence for ten minutes. Small chances add up, and each one makes the next a little easier.
Here are 20 ways to improve your life, grouped by what you might be craving right now. Each comes with a reason to try it and one small first step for this week. Pick one. Just one is plenty to start.
For a Calmer Mind
1. Take a Chance on Mindfulness
Most of us spend our days thinking about what's next. Mindfulness is the practice of noticing what's happening right now, which can ease stress and help you enjoy ordinary moments more.
First step: Eat one meal this week without a screen, paying attention to the taste and texture of your food.
Take a Chance on Mindfulness · How to Practice Mindfulness
2. Take a Chance on Meditation
A few minutes of quiet attention each day can help you feel steadier and think more clearly. You don't need special skills or equipment.
First step: Try our 5-minute guided meditation once this week.
Take a Chance on Meditation · Guided Meditations
3. Take a Chance on Silence
Background noise, notifications, and constant chatter wear us down without our noticing. Even short stretches of quiet give your mind room to rest and sort things out.
First step: Drive or walk somewhere with no radio, podcast, or music, and notice what comes up.
4. Take a Chance to Disconnect
Phones and screens are useful, but endless scrolling can leave us tired, anxious, and disconnected from the people right beside us.
First step: Choose one hour this week with your phone in another room. The Phone-Free Hour card has tips.
5. Take a Chance to Declutter
A cluttered space can feel like a cluttered mind. Clearing even a small area often brings a surprising sense of relief and control.
First step: Set a 15-minute timer and clear out one drawer or shelf. See the Clear One Drawer card.
Take a Chance to Declutter · How to Downsize Your Home
For Courage and Growth
6. Take a Chance With Courage
Fear keeps us safe, but it can also keep us stuck. Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's doing the thing while you're still a little scared.
First step: Pick one small thing you've been avoiding, like a phone call, a question, or a sign-up form, and do it this week.
Take a Chance With Courage · Should I Take the Chance? Decision Guide
7. Take a Chance on New Beginnings
Whether you've lost a job, ended a relationship, moved, retired, or simply feel stuck, you can start again at any age.
First step: Spend 15 minutes with the free Fresh Start Check-In and choose one small change.
Take a Chance on New Beginnings · How to Start Over When You Feel Stuck
8. Take a Chance on Learning
Believing you can get better at things with practice, what's often called a growth mindset, makes it easier to try new things and bounce back from mistakes.
First step: Spend 20 minutes learning something new for free, like a language app, a library class, or a how-to video.
Take a Chance on Learning · Learn Something New card
9. Take a Chance on Adventure
Novelty wakes us up. Trying something unfamiliar, even close to home, can bring back a sense of excitement and wonder.
First step: Visit one place near you that you've never been. Try the Explore Your Own Town card.
10. Take a Chance on Passion
Doing something you truly love, whether it's gardening, music, cooking, or woodworking, brings energy and meaning that spill into the rest of life.
First step: Block off one hour this week for something you love doing just for its own sake.
Take a Chance on Passion · How to Find Your Purpose in Life
11. Take a Chance on Creativity
You don't have to be an artist to be creative. Making something, anything, is good for the spirit, and nobody else has to see it.
First step: Doodle, write a short poem, try a new recipe, or rearrange a corner of your home.
For Body and Balance
12. Take a Chance on Fitness
Moving your body lifts your mood, helps you sleep, and keeps you strong. It's never too late to start, and every bit counts.
First step: Take a 10-minute walk three times this week.
Take a Chance on Fitness · How to Start Exercising at Any Age
13. Take a Chance on Balance
When work, caregiving, or obligations take over, the things that refill you get squeezed out. Balance means making room for rest and joy, too.
First step: Look at your week and protect one block of time just for yourself.
Take a Chance on Balance · How to Recover From Burnout
14. Take a Chance on Self-Care
Taking care of yourself isn't selfish. It's what lets you keep showing up for the people and causes you love.
First step: Choose one small act of care: an early night, a long bath, a doctor's appointment you've put off.
Take a Chance on Self-Care · 30 Small Ways to Be Kind to Yourself
For the Heart
15. Take a Chance on Gratitude
Noticing what's going well doesn't erase what's hard, but it changes what we pay attention to, and that can lift our whole outlook.
First step: Write down three good things each night for a week with the free Gratitude Week page.
Take a Chance on Gratitude · How to Practice Gratitude When Life Is Hard
16. Take a Chance on Forgiveness
Holding onto an old hurt can weigh on you for years. Forgiveness doesn't mean excusing what happened. It means choosing not to carry it anymore.
First step: Write a letter you'll never send. The Unsent Letter card walks you through it.
Take a Chance on Forgiveness · How to Forgive Someone Who Isn't Sorry
17. Take a Chance on Love
Opening your heart, to a new partner, a new friend, or a deeper connection with someone you already know, always involves some risk. It's also where much of life's joy lives.
First step: Reach out to someone you'd like to know better and suggest coffee or a walk.
Take a Chance on Love · How to Make Friends as an Adult
18. Take a Chance on Compassion
Trying to understand what someone else is going through softens conflict and builds connection, and it often makes us feel better too.
First step: Next time someone frustrates you, pause and ask yourself what kind of day they might be having.
Take a Chance on Compassion · How to Be Kind to Someone Who Is Hard to Be Kind To
19. Take a Chance to Reflect
Writing things down helps you understand your feelings, notice patterns, and see how far you've come.
First step: Answer one question from our 100 journal prompts for self-discovery.
Take a Chance to Reflect · Evening Reflection card
20. Take a Chance to Inspire Others
Your example matters more than you think. Sharing your story, encouraging someone, or simply showing up can be the push another person needs.
First step: Send an encouraging note to someone who's working toward something hard.
Take a Chance to Inspire · Give a Chance card deck
How to Make a Change Stick
- Start with one. Trying to change everything at once usually means nothing sticks.
- Make it tiny. A first step should feel almost too easy.
- Attach it to a habit you already have, like after your morning coffee or before bed.
- Track it. A check mark on a calendar or our free Habit Tracker keeps you going.
- Be kind when you slip. Missing a day isn't failing. Just begin again.
Want a plan? Turn your chosen chance into a gentle 30-day plan with the free Wish-to-Action Plan, or browse all our goal trackers and planners.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the easiest way to start improving your life?
Choose one small change that feels doable this week, like a short daily walk, ten quiet minutes, or clearing one drawer. Success with something small builds the confidence to try more.
How long does it take to build a new habit?
It varies a lot from person to person and habit to habit. Many people find a new routine starts feeling natural after several weeks of regular practice. Be patient and keep it simple.
What if I feel too stuck to change anything?
That's a very common feeling. Start smaller than you think you need to. If you're struggling with low mood or hopelessness, please reach out to a doctor, counselor, or someone you trust. Our Mental Health Help page lists free options, and in the US you can call or text 988 any time.
Looking for more small, brave steps? See all 26 Take a Chance cards, or pick a word for your day from our 24 daily intentions.