Is it possible to change my life in a year? Discovering simple life-changing tips

Has life started to feel repetitive? Has the monotony of the day to day or month to month bothered you? Are you in a place where you want to see significant change in your life? 

One year may seem too short to create these changes, but they are possible with personalized brainstorming and goal-setting, making use of effective systems, and dedication to create small progress consistently over time. 

Before getting to those life-changing tips, we must first answer a few questions that prepare us for our journey towards change. 

Do we know where to go? 

When you open your navigation app or online map, the first thing that it asks is, “Where do you want to go?” To change your life, you must have at least an idea of your desired future state. If you feel that you are lost, then this is the first place to start. 

Talk to people and ask them about their life vision and you will realize that no one really has a perfectly clear vision of their future. But finding your personal and desired destination in the future will make your journey towards it much smoother. 

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to give you an idea 

• What would you like to contribute to society/ to the world? 

• If money is not an issue, in what ways would you use your strengths, talents and resources in order to serve people/society/ the world? 

• If a eulogy was created for you when you pass away, how would you like to be remembered by others around you? 

Take time to pause and answer these questions. The answers coming from the depths of your inner being will guide you to know your desired destination. 

Do you know where you are right now? 

Another reason why people cannot seem to start making changes in their life is that they do not know where they are in life. 

Just like in the navigation app example earlier, after you input the destination, the app uses your current location in order to give you a suggested path to get to the destination. 

There are usually 3 major areas where we can create changes. These are in the areas of: 

• Work - career

• Relationships - connection with family, friends, loved ones

• Personal life - health, mind, personality

• Enjoyment of life

In each of these ares, you can answer these questions: 

• In your work/ relationships/ personal life/ enjoyment of life, what is going well, and what is not going well? 

• If I put a rating of 1 to 10 in each of these areas, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest, how would I rate them? 

This is a simple exercise that allows us to do some self-reflection. You might be tempted to be harsh on yourself, but remember that these ratings change over time, and instead of pressuring ourselves to be a 10, we can ask ourselves this question. “What would it take to raise my current rating 1 or 2 points higher?” By focusing on small and incremental improvements, we have a better chance of enjoying the process. 

Now that we know our desired destination, and we have an idea of where we are now, it is time to figure out how to make the changes we want to see. 

How do I change my life in 1 year? 

Start by listing down as many dreams/ desires/ goals you have in 10 years. Go all out and list the things you want to achieve, to become, to do, to create, to contribute and to see. 

Then shrink the list to the things you want for yourself in 5 years. As the list becomes shorter, you get an idea of the things that are important for you. 

Next, pick from your list 3 to 5 main goals/dreams/desires that you want to focus on in the next 12 months. Distribute these goals in the areas of Work (career),  Relationships (connection with family, friends, loved ones), and Personal life (health, mind, personality).

Lastly, create 3 to 5 actionable steps that will lead you closer to each of your goals, and create your schedule around them. Devote your energy in the direction of your goals and you will feel more confident as you develop more and more skills. 

With these 3 questions, I hope that you have gained a clearer strategy for creating change. Let the next 12 months be a year of commitment to yourself and to your dreams.  

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