In life, there are two possible theories about how to change anything or better still how to change your old habits and embrace new habits that could possibly change your life for the better. The first theory focuses on making small and incremental (but regular) changes until you have achieved your aim or objective.
The second one is a more direct approach that emphasises that you make that all important change all at once: example, quitting a toxic job or ending that hurtful relationship—whatever you need to do, don’t wait in either case. The time to make change your life is now. These are a few things you could do to change your present life and embrace the future you have hoping for.
‘You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.’ ~Mike Murdock
1. Spend your time doing something that matters to you.Write down a list of things you really want to achieve in life this year. If you’re reading this in the morning, good—you have plenty of time to get to work. If not, be prepared to lose sleep. Some things are worth fighting for. Don’t put off what can be achieved this month or this year.
Start with a simple statement: what do you want to be?
2. Learn to say no. Sometimes those with good intentions take advantage of those who care about them. Know that those who “depend” on you and your generosity can often find other resources to meet their needs. Actually this can be empowering to promote independence.
3. Live in the present. We all have stories about our past but they are just that, stories. The most powerful thing you have on any given day is the moment you are in, so plant and be where your feet are now.
Honor the past, learn from it, accept it and let it go. Don’t obsess or worry about the future. Life is more manageable when you are grounded in the present. Achieve clarity through mindfulness practices such as deep breathing and meditation.– Joyce Marter, LCPC, psychotherapist and owner of Urban Balance, LLC.
4. Feel free to fail. That’s right! Mistakes are going to happen, you have a right to be imperfect and one of the best ways to succeed is to fail, fail fast but success faster. Be willing to fail, but recover from failure as quickly as possible. Keep pushing ahead. Complacency can hit at any time. Resist! Refuse to settle.
5. It’s alright to quit. There are times in life (and there’s never a perfect time) when we need to quit. Quit a that job, a relationship or maybe a bad habit. Quitting these things doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Discover ways to make your current job more enjoyable, or go after that dream job that with make your waking hours a joy.
When you’re miserable at work, you make no one’s life better, and your frustration often carries over into your personal life. If you’ve got something in your life that you need to quit, and you refuse to acknowledge that need, you’re holding yourself back from the life you’re craving.
6. Know your deep motivation for everything you do. You can check it by asking yourself, “In the name of what am I doing this?” Unaddressed dissatisfaction with the answer, or a conscious lack of values in intention and actions will cause interference and deplete your energy.
If you’re not convinced yourself, convincing others will necessitate manipulation which is a poor practice as it inevitably backfires sooner or later.
7. Let go what you can’t control. Empower yourself to change what you can, and let go of the rest. Don’t expend your energy trying to control others. Focus on yourself.
8. Don’t live someone else’s dream. This quote by Steve Jobs explains it all.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
9. Finally, believe you are ready now. This is a great one to practice every day. If there are things you are STILL putting off because you don’t think you’re ready yet. One of the biggest obstacles that stop people from achieving their dreams is the feeling that they are not ready.
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. Everyone who got to where they are had to begin from where they were, just like you. You can do this!
1 comment
Great inspirational advice, Thomas!
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