Do you have habits you want to change? Do you feel that you’re not really living up to your full potential? Do you have this nagging feeling something is missing? If so, listen up because in this article, there are three steps to change yourself for the better. By the end of this article, you will be able to take baby steps to making change.
Awareness
A key component in self-improvement is awareness. If you are not aware of habits or behaviors that are sabotaging your growth, it’s difficult to make changes. After all, the idea is that it’s impossible to change when you don’t know what needs to be changed.
If you have this nagging feeling that things could be better but you’re not quite sure why, find a quiet space and ask yourself what needs to be changed. Be patient with yourself. If no answer comes to you, ask yourself again and again until you get an answer. And when it comes to you, acknowledge it. Self discovery can be painful at times. Seek a life coach if you need to.
Whether it’s a habit you need to change or something else, acknowledge the answer that comes to you and become really aware about how it’s affecting your life. Don’t make any judgments on whether it’s good or bad, simply accept it. Write about it. How is this habit impacting your life? Focus on your feelings around the subject
For example, I was having this heavy feeling for several days when I finally stopped to ask myself “what’s the matter?” Then it came to be that for the longest time, I haven’t been taking the time to meditate, appreciate life, and how it’s been really good to me.
Identify your action steps
It’s not enough to be simply be aware. When it comes to changing habits or things about yourself for the better, action is critical. No action will keep you right where you are! So, when you’ve identified your issue, ask yourself what you can do to change. Don’t overwhelm yourself with big action steps. Instead, identify small baby steps you can do right now. Maybe you just need to go to the beach or climb up the mountain to get some fresh air. Or maybe you just need to meditate with a starting goal of 5 minutes a day.
Commit to your action steps
Once you take action, commit! In order to make a truly lasting change in your life, it’s NOT enough to take action just once. You need to do it several times until you’ve seen changes in yourself and in your life. For example, while meditation is very beneficial even when you do it just once, if you really want to change your life, meditate everyday consistently, even when you don’t feel like it. Schedule a time and don’t allow anyone to take your time away from you. This is your time. The same goes for mountain climbing and going to the beach. Do them regularly and get organized so that you’re actually making time to do those things.
In order to make things more fun, get everyone involved. Ask your friends or family to do things with you. (Doing things alone is only fun up to a certain point.) Add camping to that mountain climbing or beach going. Have a dinner once a month with like-minded friends.
Often, that nagging feeling to change this or that in your life is your soul crying out for expansion. Spend some time with you, do some deep searching to find out what you need to change to reach your goals, take action and commit to the changes. And if you’re still having trouble finding your path, be patient and find someone you can confide in.
