What truly improves our lives? For starters, mastering the art of not caring what other people think about you is not an easy thing to do. This phenomenon is not something that will happen overnight, and will most definitely require tons of patience. Nevertheless, here are five steps that you can consider incorporating into your everyday life in order to free you from the burden of an unhealthy lifestyle.

1. Eliminate the people in your life who serve you no purpose.

This includes but is not limited to: negative people, those who are not goal oriented, manipulative individuals, those who have no interest in hearing what you have to say, those stuck with only one mentality, gossip obsessed people, and last but not least, anyone who in this day and age, is still racist, homophobic, xenophobic, and especially misogynistic. Basically, pay no attention to anyone or anything that does not positively influence you and your well being.

2. Put yourself first.

Choose yourself and your well-being, always. Always. Being a good person, i.e being kind and considerate is not independent of self-love. Once you begin to put yourself before anyone else—validating your opinions, appreciating the things you accomplish, the way you look––basically every small thing.

3. Stop apologizing.

Do not apologize for the things you say, the way you act, and the hobbies you are passionate about, granted they are not particularly malicious. Most of the time we often hold back talking about the things, people, and places we love because they are not well known, or considered a standard. There is no reason to keep your interests to yourself, simply for the fear of sticking out. Some of the best friendships can be formed from authenticity and mutual passions.

4. Don't be afraid to say no.

If you have not already noticed, doing things because you feel the need to please someone––whether that is your friends, parents, coworkers––is entirely exhausting. You must be able to choose for yourself, and this can be done by refusing to do people favors simply because you feel like you owe someone something. If you’re making any significant life decisions, don’t feel obligated to choose a certain college because it’s what your parents want. Do not revert to the status quo. When you begin to publicly assert your own choices, it will improve your way of living.

5. Welcome failure.

You cannot learn without failing. The two entities are interconnected, and you should disregard anyone who tells you otherwise. If you go into a situation disregarding the fear of failure, it will reflect on your actions. Being bold is the way to go! If your mindset is focused on avoiding failure, you will never be able to grow as a person.