How to Change Your Life?

Today I’m changing myself and I encourage you to do the same. Yes, it is October. You don’t need to wait until the New Year to change. Why would you waist three months till the New Year when you can start now? It’s time to start leaving the lives of our dreams. That time is now. Not tomorrow, not next week and not next year. I know you may have questions so I will explain everything in the following paragraphs.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram or know me in real life, you may wonder why do I want to change my life. I travel to stunning destinations, have great academic achievements and amazing friends. I take care of myself and have a positive mindset. While all of this is true, there are still so many things I would like to accomplish. I know that in order to achieve those goals and start being the best version of myself I need to alter some of my habits and thoughts. I say alter cause I don’t think that we need to go through tremendous changes to see the difference. Most of the time biting more than you can chew will only lead you to quit. Since this time I’m going in this full force and for real, I don’t want to make the same mistakes as before.

A few months ago I saw a Pinterest pin about a changing plan that someone shared with their followers. I tried to find it but I couldn’t. I don’t remember who did it or what steps were in that plan. However, the idea of dedicating my time and energy into finally changing some things and sharing that with others, stick with me.

My goal is to inspire and motivate myself to take the steps I’ve been delegating for such a long time. If I’ll be able to motivate some of you to do the same, there will be no one happier than me! I would love to see us grow together and prove that we can be the best versions of ourselves. In this blog post, I will share with you an action plan that I will incorporate into my life as well as the one you can alter to fit with your goals and schedule. Before we get into details, I want to emphasize one thing. I’m not any better, smarter or more capable than you are! I get so many comments about how I can’t compare myself to others cause I’m just different. That is simply not the truth! We can all take action and accomplish whatever we want. You are intelligent enough and talented enough to make your dreams a reality. All you need is to decide that you are enough and that you will start now! Take this as a challenge you’ll play with yourself.

When we sorted all of that, we can finally get to the point. Challenge is three weeks long. It’s not even a month, just three weeks! It will consist of one key ingredient, doing everything the best we can and with the most love, we can. This is not just another dreading challenge which will make you want to stay in bed all they. The goal of this challenge is to make you feel happy, content, excited and accomplished. Throughout the following three weeks we will build habits that will improve our lives for better. Most importantly we will work towards long term changes and bettering the overall satisfaction with life.

So are you ready to finally become the best version of yourself?

First, you’ll need to identify your three main goals. From the way you want to feel, behave to the things you want to accomplish. Most of you already know what they want. Either way, write it down.

My top three goals are the following:

1) Be light, kind and loving

Meaning to accept and let go of each negative thought and emotion that comes. I will monitor my behavior and make sure to approach every situation and living being with love and understanding.

2) Be consistent

This one is huge for me since I tend to go in and out of periods of intense work and then complete rest. As much as I function well like that, it comes with a cost of stress. So this time, I want to be consistent in:
- academic tasks ( Instead of cramming two days before and putting everything in one week, I want to be ahead of the game )
- social media ( How many times I haven’t posted anything for a week or longer? Oh yes, that’s right, many times!! Things just get in the way. I have studying to do or I’m traveling and because I’m not consistent in other areas, I’m falling behind in this one as well)
- health ( For once I want to stick to moving my body and eating healthy for a couple of weeks! )

3) Make every minute count

One of the hardest things for me is simply getting up from the couch or stop staring trough the window. I sound a little bit nuts but it’s the reality. I can lose so many hours this way. Ten minutes here, five minutes there and the day has gone. So in the following weeks, I’m planning to constantly ask myself whether I’m spending every single minute in a meaningful way. If I work I will do my best to be focused and productive and if I rest than I want to do it properly as well.

Whether your goals are the same as mine or different, you’ll be able to make your own action plan with the schedule below. Just make sure not to make the same mistakes again. You know that each time you try to workout seven days in the week for an hour, you quit after a few days. So this time make an obligation to workout five to ten minutes for five days per week. Yes, it sounds easy and small but think about how you’ll feel after three weeks of consistent workout. First, it will become a habit. Second, you’ll get stronger. Ten minutes per day is better than zero minutes per day and you will see it. You can apply this mindset to every goal you have. Take it slow and easy and you’ll be amazed by the results you get when you are consistent.

So here is the action plan that we can all adjust to our own goals and priorities. Key factors are:

taking care of yourself
doing your best
being consistent
balancing obligations and fun

This is how our days will look like for the following three weeks:

1) Wake up on time!!! (2 hours before you need to live the house)

This is one of the most crucial parts! No more stress in the mornings. Wake up time is very individual to your own life. You don’t need to wake up at 5 AM if you start work at 10 AM. It’s not about how early it is. It’s about how much time it gives you before heading to your school or work.
my version: I usually wake up early. However, this time I will stick to a consistent routine. I will wake up every day at 6 AM.

2) Take 15 minutes for nurturing your soul

What I mean by this is to take time to be still and present. You don’t need to meditate or do yoga if that is not your thing. You can pray, sing, visualize or walk outside. Whatever makes you calm and happy. However, it shouldn’t be something that involves information from other people. Meaning that this is not the time to watch YouTube, read a book or listen to a podcast. This is the time for you and your relationship with something greater than you.
my version: before I do anything else, I will sit down and think about what I’m grateful for, pray about it and then visualize the best possible day and the things I want to accomplish. I will focus on filling like it already happened and transferring that energy into the day. Each time I used this technique I saw tremendous shifts in my life!

3) 5-minute workout

I know I don’t like working out in the morning either but it’s only five minutes! I think that we can all agree that taking five minutes in the morning to workout is really not that hard. You may think that since it is only five minutes, why even bother. But that is wrong. Five minutes per day is better than 30 minutes every ten days. Consistency is what makes progress and with this amount of time, you are sure that you won’t have a reason to procrastinate.

4) Get ready with care

Whether you like to dress up and put makeup on is up to you. Take the time to shower, brush your hair, moisturize and then, if that is what makes you happy, put makeup on and pick out the clothes that make you feel good. You know that feeling when you are really happy with your appearance and it instantly makes your whole day better. Each day can be like that!
my version: I’m someone who loves getting ready. I enjoy makeup and fashion so this is the part I rarely struggled with. Although there was a time when I went to school in sweatpants (which I rarely even wear around my house), I didn’t wash my hair and didn’t put makeup on. It was a very low period and my physical appearance was a great representation of it.

5) An hour for a passion project

We all have projects and side hustles that we love yet struggle to find time for. Scheduling the time for your hobbies in the morning makes it so that you can’t procrastinate with it. Many times we skip working on our hobbies cause we push it for the evenings or later times in the day. But life comes in the way and we never get it done. Don’t make the same mistake again and make the time in the morning when you know that nothing can stop you from working on your hobby. You will be amazed by the progress you’ll make in three weeks!
my version: I will take an hour to write blog posts and captions, send emails and brainstorm ideas.

6) Transportation as a personal growth time

Most of us travel to school or work and we tend to spend that time listening to music or staring out of the window. While there is nothing wrong with that, there is a way to use this time to make us feel happy and motivated. If you are the one driving, use this time to listen to an audiobook, a podcast or prayer. If you are for example driving with someone you love you can also use this as quality time with that person. On the contrary, if you are using public transportation, you can read a physical book or again listen to it. You will be amazed by how much exciting informations you’ll read or hear.
my version: I’ve been using this technique for months last year and I was amazed by how many books I read. I was happy and excited since I finally had the time to read without feeling like I could do something that is more urgent. However, it’s very easy to drop this habit. Therefore, I will be taking a book with me every day. I’m currently reading Power vs. Force by David Hawkins and next on my reading list is Chaos Theory.

7) Do your best at school or work

Since you need to spend your time at school or work, you can spend it efficiently. If you are going to lectures, listen, engage and take notes. Make friends and expand your horizons. The same goes for work. You will feel tremendously better when you know that you did everything you could. Also, pay attention to your coworkers and friends. Be that person that makes others feel good. We all have our own problems but you can be the light that will make others feel better despite their own obstacles.

8) Spend some time with your family upon arriving home

Whether you live with your family or not, make sure to hang out with them or call them once a day. We tend to forget those people who were always with us and we prioritize friends and other obligations over our families. But your parents, siblings or grandparents won’t always be here. So make sure to value them and love them while they are still with you.
my version: An important part of spending time with your family is also the way you feel and act while you are with them. It’s so easy to snap on the ones that are closest to you. So the part that I’m going to be focusing the most is sharing appreciation and love with them instead of stress and frustration.

9) Stay on top of your work or school tasks

You know how stressed you feel when everything piles up and you have exams, papers and homework to get done in a few days. Why would you make yourself stressed like that again? Work and studying can be enjoyable! You can read more about how to enjoy studying here.
my version: sometimes I study in the mornings and sometimes later in the day. On both occasions, I make sure that I’m well-rested so I usually take a nap after coming home and I make sure that I’m doing my best. I actively engage in the material and I focus on understanding it and finding passion in what I’m studying.

10) Fuel your body

In order to achieve your goals, you will need to eat properly and enough. Don’t starve yourself and choose food which will give you energy and nutrients. In other words, eat what makes you feel good long term. If eating pizza makes you feel guilty and irritated than don’t do it. You should have an occasional cheat day, just make sure that not every day is a cheat day 🙂
my version: I will try to eat as much organic and whole foods as I can. I won’t stop eating sweets cause I love them, but I will eat only the ones I make. It will stop me from binge eating the whole jar of Nutella while steal enjoying my favorite cookies.

11) Take some time for leisure

There is nothing wrong with resting and watching TV. However, if you decide to watch TV then choose a show or movie that makes you feel good. Afterward, you should feel even better and happier than before. You can also use this time to draw, hang out with friends or cook. Whatever makes you feel happy.
my version: I don’t like watching TV. I tend to argue with every show and movie which makes me irritated and not relaxed. However, I love watching YouTube, socializing or working on my social media. Those are all the things that make me feel inspired and content.

12) Prepare clothes and food the night before

You heard this a million times and you know how important it is. Picking out clothes in the morning makes me stressed out. Also, I usually don’t have time to prepare the food in the morning so I end up eating donuts later in the day. However, at night it takes just a few minutes and you can start your night routine knowing that you won’t have stress in the morning.

13) Take care of yourself before sleep

You can do something special for yourself each night. From having a bath, a warm shower or putting on a face mask. I know how good I feel when I take at least half an hour each night to pamper myself. Those things shouldn’t be reserved for weekends and vacations.

14) Final soul work

In the end, instead of scrolling through your phone, do some reflection work. You’ll need around 15 minutes in which you can meditate, do yoga, pray and acknowledge all the amazing things that happened to you that day.
my version: I get the best sleep when I put my phone away. I do yoga, pray and meditate. Afterward, I feel calm, sleepy and content.

15) Prioritize your sleep!!

This is just as important as getting up early. You can’t pure from an empty cup. When you don’t get enough sleep, you feel irritated, unfocused and tired. You know the best how much sleep you need to make those hours of sleep your main priority.
my version: I need at least 9 hours of sleep to feel good. I used to be so upset with the fact that I need more sleep but I came to accept that it’s simply a way my body works. This means that I’m either in bed by nine or by ten/ eleven if it’s a day in which I can take a nap.

That’s it! As you can see, it’s nothing crazy. Those are all the things you’ve done before and know are good for you. However, it is so hard to stay consistent with them. Although those steps are small, they will produce great results in the end.

This is the sign you’ve been waiting for. Don’t wait any longer! Three weeks are going to pass anyway. However, you can make it one of the best three weeks you have ever had!

I will be sharing my journey, obstacles, and achievements here on the blog as well on my Instagram. So make sure you are subscribed and that you follow me on Instagram so we can do this together!

I know we will be amazed by the results. We can do this!

Good luck!

With love,

Lara 🙂