5 Ways to Change Your Life
The fascinating thing about goals is that they will always challenge you and draw you outside of your comfort zone. Think about it, if it was something that you could already do then you would have already done it.
Achieving any goal is going to require you to change your behaviours, learn something new, try something different. Motivation will only get you so far. Commitment, perseverance and a willingness to meet your unhelpful habits head on is what will take you the full distance. The habits you currently have got you to here. Perhaps "here" isn't where you want to stay.
1. Take personal responsibility for where you’re at
The bare truth of it is that the only person who can stop you from moving forward is you. The only person who has stopped you thus far from getting to where you really want to be is you. Own it. If you let feelings of guilt or disappointment about past decisions stop you from pressing onward then you really haven't learned a thing, and you'll have to repeat that lesson until you figure it out.
Counteract feelings of shame with this little mantra: “I am here. This is now. I’m okay.” As you say it picture your life to date as a timeline stretching away to the left. See it fading into the distance. Picture your future as a light shining to your right. Then, in your mind’s eye, look down at your feet standing in the gap between what has been and what is yet to be. That magic moment is the sweet spot we call the present moment. Feel it. It is good, and so are you.
2. Embrace gratitude
Be grateful for all that you have been given, and all that you have learned because it has brought you to this point. It's not right or wrong; it's not better or worse; there was no luck involved; it just is what it is. You can't change it, or erase the memory of it. It can't be undone or covered over. Just let it be and let it go. Move on.
Keeping a daily gratitude journal will really help. At the end of the day write 3-5 things that you are grateful for and then spend a few moments reliving that feeling. Really feel it in your body.
3. Change something. Anything.
The very thought of changing your life is a daunting one so let’s break it down into small, easy to swallow chunks. Start by changing one thing that you do every day. It can be as simple as drinking a large glass of water as soon as you wake up. Put it beside your bed before you go to sleep and it’ll be there when your feet hit the floor in the morning. This can be the start of developing a whole morning routine (believe me, it will take you to the next level).
Taking small steps like this gets you accustomed to change, it kind of greases the wheels of the wagon, so to speak. By adopting small, doable habits you’ll be making a long term impact. It’s like putting money into a long term investment account that accumulates compounding interest. The more it grows the easier it gets to grow more.
4. Grow your skill set
When your goal is something that's really important to you don't let a perceived lack of knowledge, skill, resources or funding stop you from continuing. If you need to learn a new skill, then learn it - that's a legitimate step toward achieving the goal. If you need to go the long way around, then go the long way. As long as you are still going. Don't be halted by a perception of lack, don't accept any claims of "can't". Keep looking for the next available foothold, do whatever you can. Remember, even Einstein had to learn his times tables when he was a boy.
“What stands between you and your dreams or aspirations is your own behaviour.”
5. Believe in your ability to achieve your goal
All of life is a mind game, it’s all about what you perceive and what you believe. Nurture a belief in yourself by celebrating the small wins. You can achieve any goal if you have a plan and commit to taking action every single day toward that goal. At every step of the way you will learn something that casts a light on the next step, and then the next. You will never reveal the hidden path until you place your foot firmly on the small pool of light immediately in front of you. If you place a foot wrong you may stumble, but in getting back up you will have learned something about yourself and about your path. Take a quick look back on you life so far. You would not be here, right now, had you not taken the path that you did.