How to Change Your Life Completely in 4 Powerful Steps
It's totally possible to learn how to change your life and live your dreams – it might not feel like it could be that way, but it's true.
If you look around, there is always someone in the world who grew up in a similar place, time, and situation as you, who managed to change their life for the better.
But just because it's possible to change your life doesn't mean it's easy.
I've made considerable changes in my life more times than I can count. And whether I was changing my perspective, career, or the state I lived in, I learned one thing over and over again:
To truly change my life I first needed to change myself.
Easier said than done, right?
Still, whether you want to get motivated, become your own boss, or move to Italy, learn Italian, fall in love, and open a restaurant, this is the guide for you.
Here are 4 steps showing you how to change your life for the better:
Step 1. Decide to Change Your Life
It may sound obvious, but this is perhaps the most difficult part of changing your life.
During my travels, I've had many conversations with people who've told me that they want to make significant changes in life, but they never seem to happen – why is that?
Because it's tough to change your life. Really tough.
In fact, changing your life may be the most challenging and uncomfortable thing you ever do.
In a moment of enlightenment, a client of mine said, "Oh my God – if I want to change my life, I have to change my life."
At first, this can be very scary.
Depending on why you want to change your life, your dreams may lead you to move to a city or country where you don't know anyone. You may need to let go of friendships you've had for years to create space for new ones. Or perhaps you'll need to swap a steady career for the roller-coaster ride of entrepreneurship.
In other words, changing your life means making some tough decisions. So, how badly do you want to change your life? And what are you willing to do – and to give up – to make it happen?
Once you decide to change your life come hell or high water, suddenly, almost anything is possible.
Step 2. Learn to Embrace Discomfort
If you want to learn how to change your life completely, be prepared to say goodbye to your comfort zone. The very essence of growth is to move beyond what you've experienced before.
You have to break new ground.
Billy Cox, Jimi Hendrix's bass guitarist, once said, "Life will only change when you become more committed to your dreams than you are to your comfort zone."
He's right.
So, get into the habit of stepping out of your comfort zone at every opportunity.
For example:
Don’t order the same food twice*
Listen to different genres of music*
Watch eye-opening documentaries*
Sign up for a fitness challenge*
Take a different route home*
Text someone you haven't spoken to in years*
Embrace change at every turn.
Step 3. Identify Why You Want to Change Your Life
When working out how to change your life, it’s often easier to start by determining what you don't want before exploring what you do want.
So, write down the aspects of your life that you don't like.
Do you hate your job? Do you dislike where you live, your social life, or how you feel most of the time? Are there destructive habits or circumstances that you want to overcome?
Don't dwell on these things or get sucked into negativity. Just write them down and move on to the next step quickly.
Step 4. Define the Changes You Want to Make
Now it's time to get creative: How do you want to transform your life? Perhaps you'd like to:
Start a business*
Move to a new location*
Change careers*
Go traveling*
Make new friends*
Take up a new hobby*
Let go of the past*
Stop procrastinating*
Grow your confidence*
Stick to a morning routine*
Whatever it is, as soon as you think of an idea, there may be a voice in your head that tells you all the reasons why your idea is 'stupid,' 'unrealistic,' or 'will never work.'
Don't listen to that voice.
That voice is afraid of change.
Anything is possible.
Take it from Madonna who once said, "No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you've come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself."
