Have you ever felt a bit like life is on top of you? Like you always wake up tired? Like you have no energy and look worse because you’ve let yourself go? Have you ever wondered what it would be like not to be stressed?
If you want your life to change then simply the change has to start with you. As Jackie Chan says: ‘don’t let your circumstances change you, change your circumstances’. For this you need a fresh start and a new leaf. Let’s look at how to create a new you who will be more confident, more energetic, more disciplined and more efficient.
Step One – Your Attitude
Now you’ve probably tried to create a ‘new you’ in the past at some point. Perhaps you’ve attempted a new training program and failed to stick at it, or maybe you made a decision to look for a different job then gave up. What was the problem that prevented these things from working?
Well most likely your failure will have come down to two things: your mental attitude towards the challenge, and your energy/lifestyle. These two are very closely linked and you can’t really fix one without fixing the other.
To start with then, you need to start prioritizing yourself and you need to start putting your health and wellbeing above everything else. You can’t just ‘start’ a new training routine you see: if you didn’t have the time or energy before then you won’t suddenly have it now. Instead you need to find a way to make room for it in your life by removing something else, or just getting up a little earlier. Perhaps make a pact with yourself to stop staying late at work, or maybe quit those classes that you weren’t really enjoying anyway.
Then you need to find more ways to give yourself more energy. Look to see if your sleeping environment could be improved, start eating more fruit and veg, and schedule yourself in some time to rest and relax.
Step Two – Your Look
To make these changes though, you are also going to need enthusiasm and that will essentially come from your self-esteem. This is why it’s important to change the way you look and to improve your appearance as part of your all-over transformation. Start by getting a haircut which always makes everyone feel better about themselves, but then look at the other things that are holding you back. Are you unhappy with your teeth? Then perhaps now is the time to get some cosmetic dentistry. And how about changing up your wardrobe and getting help from a friend? This might seem like expensive vanity, but it’s not: when you feel better about yourself you will hold your head up higher and you will have infinitely more enthusiasm and energy for improving yourself in every other way too. This is a great catalyst for a new you.
Step Three – Workout
Now you should have more time and energy and you should be more confident with your looks. You’ll be brimming with enthusiasm hopefully to capitalize on your improved looks and your higher energy, so now’s the time to add a new workout to your routine.
Make a workout then that works with your lifestyle as it is and then make a commitment to stick to it. Don’t think about long term goals for how you want to look or how much weight you want to lose by a certain time frame – instead make your goal to do the workout X number of times every week. That’s a goal that is directly within your control and it will put your focus where it should be. Then one day you will catch yourself in the mirror and notice that you’ve transformed your body. And that you’re more energetic, and more confident, and smarter, and stronger…
That said, a little inspiration doesn’t hurt and the best source of inspiration for this is old pictures: old pictures of yourself when you were in your prime.
Step Four – The Rest
Now you have built a better you, it’s time to start changing your circumstances. Identify sources of stress in your life such as money or relationships and think about ways to combat them: often it just means scaling things back – focusing more on a few important relationships, or spending less on a monthly basis so you can save more.
Then make a plan for your career and the way you want your life to be in the future. You have the power now to see it through, so the sky is the limit!
Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/federicoravassard/8568683430
