
Hi Loves,
Last week, I had a TikTok video stop me in my tracks. It was a basic video with a girl sitting in front of the camera shaking her head in agreement to the sound that was playing. What stopped my scroll, was the sound she was nodding along with. In a voice as clear as day, 8 tips were being shared that could help you change your life in a year.
I loved it and listened to it several times.
Here are the 8 steps to changing your life in a year.
1. Stop complaining and appreciate how lucky you are every single day.
Each morning I write down and say out loud how grateful I am for the life I am living. Usually the first thing I do when I wake up is literally look out my window and say how grateful I am to see the sunrise.
Graciousness gets you far in life. You have to appreciate the good and the bad.
2. Embrace loneliness and reinvent yourself in the process.
During the pandemic and even now, many of us are experiencing more alone time than ever before. Fear of missing out (FOMO) has become hard-wired into our brains because so many of us associate success with the idea of not being alone.
However, solitude and positive time spent by yourself can do wonders for the soul. It’s rare to feel lonely when you are immersed in picking up a new hobby or learning a new skill. Take this time to do the things you want to do that you’ve been putting off.
3. Say goodbye to people that don’t bring positive energy into your life.
Goodbyes are never easy, but your inner guide has a way of alerting you when someone is toxic. Unfortunately family and long-time friends can fall into the harmful category.
My mom always said to me when I was growing up that there are people you’ll invite into your house, some that will stand on the front porch, others that will wait in the lawn, and a select few who will never make it past the sidewalk. Just like Instagram, be selective who you are inviting into your life. Don’t bat an eye when you may have to kick someone out of your “house”.
4. Take control of your thoughts. Remember whatever you grow in your garden will grow whether it’s good or bad.
I take at least 5 minutes every morning to meditate. It’s become my favorite way to control the thoughts racing through my head. I also have been focusing on one affirmation every night before bed. I recently found out that the last thing you think about before sleep is typically the first thing you wake up thinking about.
Growing up with a lot of anxiety, my thoughts can cause my brain to feel like it’s on fire somedays. Meditation is one of the only ways I have been able to get a hold on my thoughts.
5. Pick one skill you want to cultivate and put all your effort into developing that.
I have always had a difficult time picking one skill or hobby and sticking with it. I am a person who loves to do many things, simultaneously. I have tried to narrow my long, never-ending list of goals to 3 main points this year.
6. Commit to every single goal and never look back.
Discipline is everything. It’s the key to making any goal a reality, however it’s one of the most difficult skills to attain.
Whatever you want, you can probably achieve it if you commit to it fully. Your present self is in charge of deciding your future and your future self enjoys the outcome. Hard work is usually needed when working towards a goal. Our brain doesn’t like the idea that our present self has to do so much work for something we won’t see pay off until the future.
There are also obstacles such as burnout, trying to do everything at once, becoming bored and the idea of giving up that makes discipline even harder.
7. Sweat a little every single day to boost your mood.
This goes hand in hand with commitment and discipline. I go on walks just about every single day with Sky. However, my workout game has been consistently inconsistent for the past 3 years. I’ll go to the gym for 2 weeks straight, not miss a day and then the third week just feels impossible, resulting in me not going. Having discipline for the goals I set for myself is one of my biggest intentions this year. I want to follow through with the things I say I want to accomplish.
8. Fail forward. Learn from every single mistake you make.
I’m learning this valuable statement more and more every year. There is so much to be said about the mistakes we make and how they can redefine us as human beings.
Is there anything aside from these statements that you are doing to change your life this year? If there are, let me know below!
Until next time, Spread Kindness.
HW

