You don’t need the start of a New Year to kick off a new beginning to uplift your life. It doesn’t have to be a new year, new month, new week, or a new season to get started. You can start any darn day you please. You get to decide.
First up though: You are already enough – exactly how you are. As is. End of story.
We all feel broken in some way, but this is part of what makes us beautiful too. Never forget that. In Japan, this idea is Kintsugi – based around a culture of repairing pottery with gold, or silver. The mended broken pieces then become more “beautiful.”
Life improvement, though, is something that is okay to desire for yourself. It’s an act of self-love, respect and growing that helps us to thrive, and feel vibrantly alive. Give yourself permission to stop, pause and choose you in this gritty, chaotic world.
Live the life you desire.
Here are some tips to inspire your new start, beginning, or transformation, that you crave. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new job, relationship, or adopting a new, healthier “you.” I hope one of these tips resonates and empowers you to push “go” on your new start.
1. We all struggle with shame and fear that we are not enough and are not worthy of what we dream of and desire. You are not alone. But try and park that “not enough mindset” and choose to be brave and adopt a growth mindset instead.
2. Know that loving yourself first is critical to living a happier life. This time you take for yourself is okay. You deserve this time.
3. Let go of who you think you have to be in this life. Worry only about how you feel – never what others think. Most people are too busy living their own lives to worry about what you are doing anyway. Remember – good friends cheer you on to be the best version of you; they never want to bring you down.
4. Make the choice to believe in yourself. Ignore those gremlin voices that tell you otherwise in your own head!
5. Get specific on what you want and go get it in a smart, strategic, and mindful way. Imagine it, feel it, see it, taste it, believe it. Then map out small, smart, steps and actions to get you started, and then to progress you, along the way.
6. Imagine the bridge that you need to get “over” to get to what you want. What I mean by this is the parts where you might get “stuck” and find things HARD. Because things will get hard. They always do. But you can do hard things. Reach out to a friend already at the goal you desire and ask them for help or tap into a wellness coach like me. Research shows that tapping into expert advice can get you to your goal faster and smarter.
7. Know why you want this change – so you are emotionally attached to the outcome.
8. Take action. I call it “showing up”. If you “show up” to actions, or practice actions, then you get better and improve over time, or get closer to your goal. Practice is the key to improvement.
9. Enjoy the journey. Reward yourself along the way – even if it’s with a small reward. For example, I love to have a celebratory coffee with girlfriends on a Saturday, after a gym workout. It’s my reward for the hard work and sweat! The girl-chat also makes me smile.
10. Name the barriers stopping you from living the epic life change you want. Is it time, money, energy, knowledge, or self-belief holding you back? Speak this out loud with someone who cares about you and who you trust. Talk from the heart. Next, think about how to break through that barrier that’s holding you back. Be brave. Trust you. The only one holding you back right now from starting this new journey this very moment right now is “you.” Life is short. Don’t spend your life dreaming; Spend it “doing.”
Rachel Grunwell is a wellness coach, speaker & author of Balance: Food, Health + Happiness.
