Sometimes in life, we feel stuck. Not so much physically, but mentally. Almost as if we’re caught up in a routine that we don’t want to be anymore. Other times, we simply just recognize that we want to change our life. Perhaps we’re in a relationship that we no longer feel is healthy. The job we have is no longer for us. Or even that we just are ready to try living a little differently. These are all perfectly natural feelings that we can and often do, face in our lives. Perhaps it’s time to start over.
Starting over doesn’t always mean we have to completely uproot our lives and start anew. It can mean simply taking the bad parts of our current life and replacing them with new things, experiences, habits, etc. To start over, it simply means you’re looking for a change in your life. But starting over isn’t always easy to do. This is why we created this list of how to properly hit the reset button and letting yourself start over.
Accept your past:
You don’t have to like your past, but you do have to accept it for what it is. This is almost always the first step to making healthy life changes. That is no different when you want to start over with your life. Understand that your past does not and never will define your future. Every day you have a chance to build a better future for yourself. However, doing so means coming to terms with your past first. You don’t need to like your past or hate it. You simply just need to accept your past and prove to yourself that you’re ready to move on from it.
What are your values?
Before you decide to hit that reset button and start your life over, ask yourself one question, “What values are important to me?” It may take some time to think about. Try writing out a list of values you have that are important to you. You don’t have to put them in order at first; a simple list is a good start. After you’ve completed the list, then try to rank them in order of most important to least important. Sometimes just writing out your values is a great experience that allows someone to visually see what is important to them. Perhaps your values are family, faith, honesty, being kind, showing love, etc. These are just a few examples. Just remember, your values are going to be the building blocks to the new life you live, so make sure they’re truly what you value in life.
Set an overall goal:
You’ve accepted your past, you’ve recognized your values, and now it’s time to set your goal. The question is simple: what is the overarching goal of starting your life over? The answer is not always quite as easy and that’s okay. Only you can answer this question, but you need to set an overarching goal before you can truly start over. A good way to help yourself find the answer is to ask yourself, “Why do I want to start over anyway?” This is generally a great way to find your goal because it helps you understand more of why you want to change, to begin with.
Go to work:
Your past? Accepted. Your values? Recognized. Your goal? Set. Now it’s time to go to work. This means to start putting your plan for change into action. Start making small changes to your habits. Do this one at a time, too many changes at once can burns someone out before they even get going. Start with something easy. Maybe it’s eating one healthy meal a day. Or starting your mornings with a self-love routine. As you continue to make these changes, one by one, you will start to see your life truly begin to start over and you will know then that you’re on your way.
Final Reminder:
Remember, take your time. Change doesn’t happen overnight. Take things one step at a time and understand it’s okay to have setbacks. Learn from the mistakes as you go and keep striving for the best new you possible. You’ve got this!