Change is hard. People resist it even when they know that it’s good for them. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. You can change your life radically with the steps below.
Know Who You Are
True change begins with authenticity, which has become something of a buzzword lately but is a concept that has genuine value. It can be difficult to be authentic when the lure of social media encourages you to perform your life according to others’ standards rather than your own. It can be difficult to even figure out what those standards and values are, but once you do, you will be able to begin living a richer, more rewarding life.
Keep Learning
Embracing a lifetime of learning is one of the keys to long-term satisfaction and success. This might be formal education, such as getting your bachelor’s degree. If you don’t already have one, a bachelors can open many career doors that would otherwise be closed to you. You can search online for Going Merry scholarships for college and other sources of funding. However, your learning can be informal as well. It’s never been so easy to pursue something you’re interested in, whether that’s teaching yourself home renovation, learning to play a musical instrument, or studying a language. There are free and low-cost resources online that help you learn about these and many other things.
Set Some Goals
Goals give you structure, something to work toward, and something to measure your progress against. You can brainstorm a list of goals, but don’t try to do too many at once. Pick just two or three to work toward. You might want to choose a short, medium, and long-term one. Make a list of the steps to reach each goal. Break down the steps into doable tasks as minutely as you need to if you’re having trouble visualizing how you will get from here to there. Over time, as you get more comfortable with the process, you can add more goals.
Change Your Habits
Goals can sometimes be best reached by thinking in terms of habits. You need to identify which habits to start and to stop to create a clear path for achieving your goals. Consistency will help you in your achievements, and consistency is what habits are all about. Figure out what habits will advance you in a small way toward your goal and practice them daily or regularly. If you want to learn a language, you could make sure that you spend 15 minutes each day practicing. The key thing about habits is to make them a part of your daily routine so that you don’t have to draw on a huge amount of motivation to keep up with them. You simply do them naturally.
Slow Down
This will improve your life immensely. Even if you’re a Type A, always on the go type who thrives on action and chaos, you’ll benefit from some down time. Give yourself time to switch off devices and focus deeply on just one thing. If you aren’t an always-on, Type A person, stop trying to be one. There’s value in embracing a slower, more contemplative way of living your life even if it feels as though the culture doesn’t always value that.
