I have had the pleasure of reading or listening to a lot of books over the past year. I think I finished 36 last year. One of the ones that I recently completed was. "Think like a Monk" by Jay Shetty. I listened to it and then bought the hard copy as well because I think it has so many great lessons in it. I will share some of the things that I learned from it.
The first part of the book focuses on identity and values. It challenges you to really look at what your true values are and if you are living your life according to them. "It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection". - Bhagavad Gita 3.35
I found this really beneficial when I was looking at how I was spending my time and money. There was an exercise where for a full week, whenever you spend money on a non-essential item or plan for how you will spend your free time, pause and think about the value behind the choice. Just a moment of consideration, so that you are making conscious choices about what matters to you and how much energy you devote to it.
Once I removed the outside noise, I was able to get a clear picture as to where I wanted to spend my time and energy and with whom. It's crazy to see how much we do without thought. Buy something without thinking at all, eat without thought, just "go through the motions". When you take a second of pause, it is amazing how much your mind and actions shift. Give it a try next week. Remove the "noise" and you will see the world through different eyes.