The fact that you have come to read this article shows that you are interested in how to change your life for better and more so are inquisitive about how to turn your life around in 30 days. I was stuck in a place where everything was against me – finances, relationships, career, etc. After being in this period for a considerable amount of time, I thought that something needs to change in my life.
Mindset Is Key
1. Letting Go of the Victim Mindset
When I started thinking about how to turn my life around, I understood that first I have to change my victim mindset. I have to stop saying, “Oh, the world is only for rich and powerful people”, “I can’t grow in life because my parents did not send me to a good institution”, “I did not pass the exam as my teacher did not give me good marks”, etc. I made myself understand that all the powers to change my life rests in me. It is not with other people, it is not with my parents, teachers, spouse, friends or mentors. The most important thing you can do to change your life around is turn the victim mindset into a winning and a positive mindset. Stay tuned to know how to turn your life around for the better.
2. Leaving the Fear of Society Behind
Once you have already decided to turn your life around, you have accomplished fifty percent of the task. The second most important thing that I did was not caring what other people say about me. The thing that stops people from changing most of the time is the fear of society and what people would think about them. If you have to say ‘no’ to a friend who wants your company to go to a movie because you have to go to the gym, then say it politely. Being decisive and assertive are important keys to self-growth.
If you want to pursue an unconventional career then do not think of what people would say. As time passed by, I started giving a damn to what people think when it came to myself. However, eventually, I realized they have not been thinking about me at all. Everybody is busy in their own lives. Making decisions that will help me in the long term was a priority that I created.
3. Expressing Gratitude
Another aspect of mindset shift is focusing on what you have and not what you do not have. Things that you focus on grows. Gratitude actually helps in making changes in your life. You can start this by writing in your notebook things that you are grateful for. It can be the smallest of things like – I have my own room in the house which gives me privacy, I am grateful for the rain that came after a hot day, I am so grateful to God for such loving parents who take care of my every need, etc.
4. Changing Your Life Does Not Require Money
Also, a lot of people think how do I change my life with no money? The money will help me with things that I would need. Well, in fact, you do not need money at all to change your life. You just need the mindset and a decision saying – today onwards, I will start changing my life. Even if the change in life that you are expecting is to do with money. Once you change your view towards life, money will automatically follow.
What to do next
Make a Plan (Day 1-3)
Once you have taken care of the mindset then it is easy to focus on what are the top things that you can do to change your life for better. Is it health, career, relationship, finance, self-growth/confidence or everything? I would like to point out at this stage that writing these down on a notebook is super important. Also, if you want to take this to the next level then you can make a vision board. This is where you put pictures and quotations that support your future life. This board can then be displayed in front of your desk or on your bathroom door, etc.
Set Your Goals (Day 4-5)
The next step would be to set your goals. Please write what you want to achieve and by how much time. Something like, “I want to lose weight” is vague. Whereas, “I want to lose 5 kilos in 2 months” is specific. “I want to save x amount of money by the end of this year” versus “I want to save more money”. “I will say two positive things to my mom everyday” versus “I want to improve the relationship with my mom”. Also, you have to make sure that your goal is achievable. Once you have set your goals then write down the steps that you would be taking daily.
For example – I would exercise every day for 30 minutes, I will follow a diet chart, I will prepare my food in advance, I would keep aside x amount of money every 1st of the month, I will manage my savings on an excel sheet, I would take at least one vacation in a quarter, etc. These are just examples that can be personalized according to your goal.
While you plan your goals and the steps you would take to achieve them, it is important that you also schedule a time to do that. Will it be in the morning? Will it be when you come back from college or work? Scheduling the best time to do it plays an important factor in accomplishing the goals. Another very important thing that can be done is to make a list of the three most important things that you want to accomplish on a given week related to your goals. Example: 1 – Creating/Updating a profile on LinkedIn, 2 – Opening a savings account, 3 – Enrolling for yoga classes, etc.
Execution (Day 6-27)
Now that your plan is all set, it is time for execution. Discipline of staying consistent and doing this regularly is something that you have to take care of. You have to ensure that you stick to the plan and work accordingly. Now your skills to say “no” to people politely will come into picture if anybody demands your time which could hamper the schedule of your actionable items. Do not let yourself go into the no-control zone again.
The first few days would be difficult as for your subconscious mind this would be new. Slowly these to-do items will become your habit. Take small steps. Refrain from overdoing as well because this could exhaust you soon. Turn your mobile off or close the doors of your room while you are executing your tasks. It becomes important that there are no interruptions or distractions. If it is something that you are doing in the house like exercising, studying, working on your computer then let your family members know beforehand that you would not be available for some time. However, keep room for something which might come up that you were not expecting but would be important for you to address.
Conduct A Review (Day 28-30)
Once you have gained the momentum of accomplishing your weekly tasks, as you close your month, you would have come a long way. Once you finish your month, you may like to do a review by checking what were your accomplishments, things that went as per plan, what did you miss out on and also plan your calendar for the next month. This will give you a bird’s eye view of how your first month went. When you plan your activities for the next month it is important that you learn from the key findings of your last month’s review and plan your tasks and time accordingly this month.
For example, you realize that task A takes more than one hour as opposed to half an hour that you have set, task B should have been done before task A, your mornings were more productive than evenings, etc. These are just some examples. You could have a completely different outcome of your monthly review. The importance of the review is to assess how well were you able to stick to your plan. It is also a good time to take this to the next level by scheduling time to read books and also to watch motivational Youtube videos in the areas you want to improve.
Life Turnaround Story
You must have heard a lot of life turn around stories. I will tell you mine. Post the day I decided to make positive changes in life, I started improving all the aspects of my life slowly and with one step at a time. Gradually, I started seeing the results and realized that all this time everything was in my hand. I attracted the spouse of my choice into my life, I bought a new house, I made awesome friends with whom I share a relationship of fulfillment and I have also finally started the career of my dreams. These are some examples of changes in my life. Initially, my financial status was a mess, I was lonely and did not have friends, was still looking for Mr. Right, had loans on my head, the situation at my work was also hopeless, etc. What I have put here were tips based on the practical experiments I made and would be helpful for you in case you are trying to figure out how to completely change your life.
It’s Your Time Now to Take Charge
It really amazes me to see people going with the flow. They just make life happen to them rather than taking charge and creating their dream life. In case, you are thinking about how can I motivate myself to change my life then the biggest motivation will be the new and more confident “you” that you will get. So, think no more. It is high time that you have been in your comfort zone. Instead of being afraid of the unknown about what your new life has in store for you, be curious.
