Write down the big changes you want to make. Maybe you want to lose a considerable amount of weight; maybe you want to learn to be generous; maybe you want to go from working on Wall Street to being a scuba diving instructor. Whatever big changes you want to make, write them down, and make a list of how you can go about accomplishing those goals. Write down the small changes, too. Though reinventing yourself takes big leaps, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the new you won’t be, either. Make a list of small things that can slowly help you build up to your new life. This could be learning to meditate in the morning, volunteering in your community for just an hour a week, or eating more fruits and vegetables every day.
Write your goal dates into your calendar, just like you would with any other commitment.
Surround yourself with images that remind you of your vision for your future. If your plan is to devote yourself to gardening full-time and to expand your property, then surround yourself with potted plans and images of beautiful gardens. Write about your goals in a journal. Take at least 10 minutes out of your day to write about how close you are to achieving your goals, and chronicling your process as you make the big changes. You’ll feel more confident about your goals once you reflect. Write down at least three reasons why you want to reinvent yourself on an index card. Carry it around with you at all times so that you can pull it out and stay pumped in a moment of weakness.
If you’re active on social media, share with your online community as well. The more people who know about your plans, the more indebted you’ll feel to making this serious commitment. Make sure your loved ones take you seriously. They shouldn’t try to draw you in to the “old you” that you want to shed.
Think more positively. If you find yourself often picturing the worst thing that could happen in any scenario, thinking that everyone is mad at you because you’ve made a mistake, or convinced that nothing you do can improve your life, then it’s time to make a concerted effort to be a more positive thinker every single day. Start by pinning down your negative thoughts and practicing positive responses to assure you that you’re going down the right path. [5] X Expert Source Lucy YehLife Coach Expert Interview. 21 November 2019. Improve your thinking about the future. Many people are filled with anxiety and dread when they think of the future – but not you! At least, not anymore. Make sure that any thoughts of the future, however uncertain, put you in a happy and excited place. [6] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good Magazine Journal published by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living Go to source Improve the way you think about yourself. Gain confidence and learn to love the person you really are, how you look, and what you do. Without confidence, you won’t have the ability to change. Improve the way you view your situation in life. Learn to be more grateful for the things you do have instead of focusing on the things you want. [7] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good Magazine Journal published by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living Go to source
Be a better friend. Take the time to listen to your friends more, to help them with their problems, and to do little favors that will light up your friends’ days. Work on being less selfish and more caring toward your friends. [9] X Research source Be a better significant other. Take the time to be more romantic and more adventurous, and to tell your loved one how you really feel every single day. [10] X Research source Be a better employee. Whether you’re the boss, or working on the ground floor, take the time to get to know your coworkers and to be kind and helpful. [11] X Research source Be a better citizen. Take the time to be generous and to volunteer in your community, whether it’s to teach children how to read at your local library, or to clean up your community park every Saturday. [12] X Research source
Find a new exercise routine. [14] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Take a yoga, salsa dancing, or karate class, and fall in love with the new activity as well as its health benefits. Take time for a few 20-minute walks a few times a week. Taking walks will not only improve your health, but it will give you time to reflect on your new vision for your future. [15] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School’s Educational Site for the Public Go to source Be a healthy eater. Learn to eat three balanced meals a day, filled with healthy carbs, lean proteins, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. [16] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to source Do whatever you can to reduce stress in your life – this will have numerous health benefits. Take the time to unwind for half an hour before you go to bed, minimize your extra commitments, reduce caffeine intake, and try to eliminate as many stress-causing factors in your life as you can. [17] X Expert Source Lucy YehLife Coach Expert Interview. 21 November 2019.
If you’ve been thinking about going back to school for the last few years, it’s time to put down your reservations and apply, no matter how old you are or how insecure you feel. You should enroll in courses at your local community college or a university to improve yourself, especially if you need a more formal education to reach your career goals. Read works by experts on subjects you want to know about. You can learn a lot about almost any given topic by getting the information straight from the horse’s mouth. You can make a goal of learning about one completely new subject each week. Travel. Seeing the world in all its glory can help you change your perspective and will help you become more open-minded and learn about how other parts of the world function on a daily basis. Learn a new language. Taking a language class in person, online, or through a textbook can help you expand your brain and learn to think in more than one set way.
Read philosophy. Philosophy will expand your worldview and will show that the world is more complicated than it seems. It will also open up more ways of viewing your daily life, and will help you improve the vision you have of the future you. Read international fiction. Reading works by authors from different countries will help you gain an understanding of how people live on the others side of the world. Reading about other countries is also a great way to travel without moving from your couch. Read the newspaper. Make a goal of reading the newspaper for just 10-15 minutes a day, so that you feel more complete as you follow current events and have a stronger sense of how the world works. Read the classics. Indulge in Tolstoy, Dickens, or Poe, and you’ll feel like you have a more well-informed knowledge of the history of literature. And after all, literature can teach you a lot about how to live, and many classics are about a central character who is trying to reinvent himself.
Ask a close friend to teach you a skill. If you have a friend who cooks like a world-class chef, dances like a professional, or just really loves watercolor painting, ask if the friend can spend an afternoon with you to teach you the ropes. Ask your colleagues for work-related help. Talk to people who have been working at your company longer than you and ask a few questions that can help improve your productivity or the way you approach your work. And if you’re looking for a career change, talk to some people who are experts in your new career of choice, and see what advice they can give you. Talk to your older relatives. Take the time to talk to your older relatives, not only for life advice, but to learn more about your family history. You don’t want to be left with tons of questions about your family’s past when it’s too late.
Be more organized. Keep a clear work space, a logical filing system, and a decluttered home. If you know where everything is all the time, it’ll be easier for you to concentrate on any given tasks. Learn to avoid distractions. Spend less time browsing the Internet, watching shows that don’t matter, or texting your friends nonstop instead of just making one phone call. Push away all of the things that are keeping you from accomplishing your goals. Let yourself take a break. Part of focusing means taking breaks after every hour of intense work. If you don’t let your mind rest from time to time, it will be harder from you to accomplish your goals, whether it’s to finish writing a paper or to change your entire outlook.
Consider a dramatic change to your hair. If you have long hair, why not chop it just above your chin? Sick of the same brown hair you’ve had since the beginning of time? Go blonde. Change the way you dress. Have you always gone grungy? Go for a sleek look. Have you always been preppy? Try the hipster trend. Improve your body language. Your body language is a big part of your appearance, so you can work on standing taller, keeping your arms at your sides instead of crossed over your chest, and making eye contact when you talk. Smile more. Smiling will give you a healthy glow and will make you look like a more positive person.
Change the amount of talking that you do. If you’re a big talker, take the time to listen more and talk less, and you’ll find that you’ll learn a lot more. If you’re shy, try to talk more often in everyday conversation, and you’ll find that you have more to contribute than you think. Change how you talk. If you’re a fast-talker, take the time to slow down and articulate every word. If you talk softly, work on talking louder and with more confidence. Change the things you talk about. If you spend more time grousing or complaining than you’d like, work on talking about the positive things in your life, and the things that make you happy. Gossip less. Though it’s tough to stop gossiping completely, try to avoid saying bad things about people behind their backs, making fun of people, or just generally being not nice. You’ll feel much better about yourself if you find yourself saying nice things about people when they aren’t there.
Change your career. Part of reinventing yourself can mean to change your career path into something that makes you more fulfilled and happy. [21] X Research source Change your hobbies. Pick up a completely new hobby or interest, such as bird watching, surfing, writing poetry, or training for marathons. Do what you have to do to make yourself feel new. [22] X Research source Change who you hang out with. Try making new friends, turning new acquaintances into friends, and getting to know complete strangers. This will make you feel even more like a new person.
If you really want to reinvent yourself, consider moving to a completely new place where you don’t know anybody. This may be scary, but this will make it easier for you to disconnect from your old self. Move into a new home. If you’re sick of your old apartment but have been too lazy to move to a new place, now’s the time. Living in a place that makes you feel comfortable and different can help you transition more smoothly into your new skin. Go on vacation. Though a vacation isn’t a good permanent solution to any problem, taking a week or two to travel in a new place, whether it’s a foreign country or a national park a few hours away from home, will help you clear your head and better complete your vision of your future. Renovate your space. If you can’t move and don’t have time for a vacation, try painting your walls a new color, moving your furniture around, and throwing out or donating any furniture or clothes you don’t need. You can change your space enough to make it feel like a new environment. Consider working abroad. This is a dramatic move, but it will certainly help you reinvent yourself even faster.
