Familiarity is one of the main reasons why people do not develop their own personal gifts fully. It can be so easy to stay in a rut, whether it is a rut of career choice, of relationship habits, or an aversion to physical fitness. It can be difficult to make changes to get oneself out of a rut, even if leaving that rut will lead to an improved life. We just like the fact that we are used to what happens to us, and the possibility of risk associated with change is intimidating. These tips will help you overcome those fears and hop out of that rut.
Take out a sheet of paper and draw a line down the center of it. On one side of the line, write all of the things that you like about yourself, your life, and your current situation. On the other side, write all of the things that you want to change. Look at the positives first, and be thorough, because even if you are unhappy with your life, taking the time to look at what is positive will help give you the strength to tackle the negative. If you only have negative items on your list, you will feel too much despair to take charge of your life. Focus on the positives first.
You are not going to be able to change all of your problems in life at once. Pick one or two of them to start with. That way, you will not feel like the process is impossible. Pick one that you think will be fairly easy, and one that you think will be fairly hard, for your first pair of objectives.
For each of these objectives, come up with a specific action plan. This involves a list of steps that you will take in order to make a solid plan. Establish a timetable for accomplishing your entire action plan. For example, if you want to change careers, the action plan should include researching options, as well as coming up with ways to prepare for a career change. It may be that you already have that second career in mind, but you just do not know how to get started in that career. In that case, give yourself one week to research all of the things that you would need to do to transition into that career, as a first step. The more you learn about that process, the more complete your action plan for that step will be.
As you learn more about the ways to best accomplish your goals, you can put together a list of intermediate steps that you can take toward finishing your action plan. For example, if you decide that you want to lose 50 pounds, some intermediate goals could including joining a gym, throwing out the junk food in your pantry, finding a friend to help keep you accountable, and running a mile without stopping. As you cross these smaller goals off your list, your action plan will look more and more doable.
It’s hard to make changes in life. However, these tips can make personal change a less onerous process for you. Use them to see what benefits are out there for you.