We all go through struggles in life, make mistakes, and face certain hardships and challenges that prevent us from moving ahead. The important thing is to learn how to come out stronger, and become even better than you were before. Though, this is easier said than done. Many of us may find that we’re stuck or bogged down by certain limitations that prevent us from achieving our goals and progressing in life. This can be super frustrating, especially if you’ve been feeling this way for a while. When you aren’t able to find a solution or way out of a rut, it can be demoralizing and cause you to spiral further downward. Yet, it is possible to break free from those limitations or set backs, and to get ahead in life again. You can indeed take control of your actions and reactions to work them in your favor. I’ve experienced this first hand over my many years working as a life coach. Here are 4 ways to start re-inventing yourself right now so you can achieve a better version of you!
1. Refresh Your Perspective
Before you decide to re-invent yourself, it’s important to double check your attitude. If you’ve been having negative thoughts about the situation you’re in, then chances are you’re not going to progress much even if you’ve made up your mind that you want to change. This is especially so when you’ve been facing the setback for a while–you may feel accustomed to accepting the negativity. Below are some negative attitudes to get rid of, and more positive ones that you can adopt: Limit/Remove: Self-defeating talk Replace it with: Positive affirmations:
I am confident in the presence of others. Everything will work out for me. The tools I need to succeed are in my possession. Happiness is within my grasp. I will say “No” when I do not have the time or inclination to act. If I fail, I will fail forward. Positivity is a choice that I choose to make. My commitment to myself is real.
Limit/Remove: Toxic people who bring you down rather than lift you up. Replace them with: People who inspire, uplift, and empower you. Limit/Remove: Comparing yourself to others. Replace it with: Comparing yourself to who you were yesterday. Limit/Remove: An abundance of “should haves” / regrets. Replace it with: An abundance of ‘could haves’. Learn from your mistakes and move forward in a productive manner. Stop “shoulding” all over yourself! By simply mastering a positive perspective, you can really change your overall outlook and see possibilities you hadn’t before.
2. Recognize the Power of Purpose
The next important step to overcoming your limitations is to know your purpose. Whatever it is that you’re wanting to achieve or do, you need to know why you are doing it. This way, you can leverage your positive attitude and get to where you want to go. Your purpose doesn’t need to be revolutionary, such as overcoming injustice in the world. It can be as simple as wanting to be a healthier you for your family and loved ones! The key is in knowing ‘why’ you’re doing something, as it needs to bring meaning to your life.Many times, we find ourselves lost, stuck or feeling demotivated–and this is often because we never quite have our purpose figured out. If there is no concrete meaning or reason to why we were chasing after something, what’s the reason for doing it? Why feel motivated? “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” — Viktor Frankl Having a purpose gives you direction and allows you to outline what is and what isn’t important. By having a purpose, you can plan out goals that align to your purpose, and ensure it will get met. Even if you find yourself lost or facing a setback, you at least have a purpose to go back to–and a new sense of direction goals to work towards.
3. Understand How to Hit Your Goals
Once you have identified your true purpose, you can get down to setting out SMART goals! SMART goal setting is a goal setting method that considers certain factors about a goal relative to the person setting it. They are:
S — Specific M — Measurable A — Achievable R — Realistic T — Time bound
The strength of SMART goals is that they set a clear path to achieving goals, and they have a clear time frame in which to achieve them. When you understand how to reach those goals, things will seem less complicated, and you’ll find yourself feeling more confident about certain decisions or actions. Specific It is important to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. That way you can focus your time and energy on achieving your goal. Also, having a specific goal helps you stay away from distractions. Let’s use the example of wanting to be a ‘healthier you’. Saying that you want to be healthier is vague. Instead, you could say that “you want to lose 15kg within a year”. Measurable You want to know when you’ve achieved your goal. You should also be able to tell how far you’ve come during the process, and how much further to go. Be specific with how much or how many about your goal.Using our example while explaining the Specific acronym, you can make the goal more measurable by saying, “I will start to lose weight by exercising 5 times a week”. Achievable Look at what skills and resources you already have, and compare them to the things needed to achieve your goal. Think about whether you’ll be able to learn or get the things you lack right now. A goal like this is not achievable: “I want to lose 20 pounds in 1 week.” Meanwhile, this person is not at all in shape, and losing weight and building muscle would realistically take months. Realistic Before you proceed to making the commitment toward that goal, you need to think about how realistic it is. Being realistic means you are willing to make all the commitments required for that goal to be achieved. Research all the stats, facts and figures relevant to your goal. Then consider the resources available to you, such as your budget, time, help from others, etc. Ask yourself if your goal makes sense in your situation.In the case of our example, it would be unrealistic and unhealthy for someone to achieve that much weight loss in 1 week. Time Bound Every goal must have a commencement date and an end date. The act of having deadlines set to your goals is ample motivation to drive you into action. Without a deadline, it is not possible for you to know if you’re making headway with your goals. “I will start losing 20 pounds by exercising 5 times a week for the next 12 months” is a time bound goal. Remember that some goals are short term while some are long term. It is important to always bear this in mind, because this will help you in making a clearer and realistic strategy for your SMART goal setting.
4. Know the Value of Your Time
Re-inventing yourself requires you to know the value of your time. Time is extremely valuable; it is something we can never get back once it’s gone, and it’s very limited in quantity. Therefore, we need to know just what is it that we’re using our time for, and to be sure to use it well. So what are you prioritizing? Is it aligned with your purpose? How do your habits stack up to your time budget? Are you spending more time in a wasteful rather than productive way? To learn more about how you can quantify and put a value to the time you spend on certain tasks, I’ll recommend you read this article: The Ultimate Guide to Prioritizing Your Work And Life Once when you’ve figured out what’s unimportant, what do you do with those tasks? One way is delegate out those tasks. If you’re unsure of what should be delegated, this article will show you how: Have You Fallen Into the ‘Busy’ Trap? Here’s Your Way Out
Make Progress Towards an Improved Version of You
These 4 steps may seem overwhelming at first, but once you can take some time to go through each, you’ll be making progress in no time. Refreshing your perspective enables you to step out of your current mindset to see new possibilities. Knowing your purpose will allow you to use the refreshed perspective you now have to get moving in the right direction. Understanding how to set goals that align to your purpose will also prevent you from falling into potential setbacks or spending time on things that don’t bring meaning to your life. And finally, knowing the value of your time will ensure that the tasks you do will multiply your available time and help you progress towards actual goals and the future that you dream of. By implementing these steps, you’ll soon discover that it is possible to overcome whatever circumstance you’re currently facing, and be ready to take on goals that actually align to your purpose. Featured photo credit: Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash via unsplash.com
