How To Start Afresh In Life - 12 Steps To Follow To Start Over

Last updated by Katie M.

If you’re here reading this article, you’ve no doubt recently made a literal life-changing decision. Realizing you want to change paths and take on new challenges is definitely admirable and very brave, but how can you make your wishes come true? The desire to start over is often motivated by an uncomfortable situation or disappointing realizations that can be difficult to bear. Suffering isn’t the solution, and we can to help you turn things around, which is why we’re about to give you our precious advice on turning things around. Who needs a magic wand when you have us?!

How To Start Afresh In Life - 12 Steps To Follow To Start Over

Hiding behind the need for a fresh start often lies pain and dissatisfaction, whether it be in your professional life or in your love life. Lots of us often go through pivotal moments in life where we dream of turning the page and doing something totally different. The idea of upping sticks and following our dreams sure seems easy, but in reality, the doubts, anxiety, and hesitation linked to letting go can be too intimidating.

How to start life afresh? 12 Tips to restart 💪

1. You have to know what you want from life

Perhaps as you jumped out of bed this morning, you said to yourself; ‘I've had enough of the status quo and need something different’. If you are in this case, you need to ask yourself the right questions. You must take stock of the negative and positive points related to your current life, and weigh up what you have to lose and gain in implementing change. Do you want different surroundings? A new relationship, perhaps? Or, do you hate working and are you tempted to quit your job? The choice is yours, although you must be sure of it.

➡ By defining what you really want, you will be able to determine what you are capable of.

2. Be sure of yourself

This decision belongs to you and nobody else. Starting out again is the result of a well-considered choice and much reflection. You need to be confident in yourself and your future prospects, after all, you are the best person to decide what’s right for you. Here, it’s essential to believe in your projects so that they succeed. Don't forget that you are your own boss in life!

Start again

We have all made mistakes in the past, but don't underestimate yourself. Don't let anything or anyone turn you away from your new path.

3.  Listen to your heart

Listening to your heart is the best way to avoid making mistakes. Follow your intuition and don't be deterred by what people around you might think. If you want to go and live in Argentina to work on a ranch, who's going to stop you? No one will! The key here is to follow the path that your heart desires. If you think your happiness lies there, then go for it!

4.  Become a forward thinker

Put all the chances on your side and learn to ANTICIPATE! Following your dreams involves lots of planning and reflection when it comes to eventualities. Organization will be the key to your success, so give yourself the means to overcome the obstacles you may encounter. Also, be sure to have a plan B to deal with the unexpected.

5. Get the support you need

Are you feeling lost? Is the direction you want to take still unclear? If so, don't give in to the urge to panic! Lots of people decide to start again and turn their lives around, so you’re not alone. You need to take advantage of this opportunity to get advice and answers to your questions. It's normal to be afraid to take the plunge, so don't hesitate to turn to people you trust if you need reassuring.

6. Retrace your steps

Making a new start does not mean giving up on the past! You’ll soon see that if you look back at all the things you've accomplished, you may feel pride or even disappointment. The main thing is to remember what you have learned from it, and to come out stronger. Of course, we have all experienced ups and downs in our lives, but the important thing is to learn from them.

Doubts

It would be a big mistake to deny your past for good. On the other hand, questioning certain elements of it, will allow you to build a new, sensible start.

7. Incorporate new habits

Changing your life means changing your habits and reviewing your routine. However, don't fall into the trap of wanting to change radically, to disrupt all your rituals. Instead, make a list of your habits, list the ones you need to get rid of and replace them with more effective ones that will allow you to move forward.

8.  Be patient

Everything comes to him who waits, as they say, starting from scratch requires time and patience. A new life cannot be built overnight, time is a key factor in your new life. Our advice: don't rush! Each step is important, but that being said, it's best to take it one step at a time.

9. Be realistic with your goals

There is no point in aiming for the impossible and wanting to make a radical change. Instead, keep things realistic and approach change slowly but surely. It's great to have a lot of plans, but considering crazy ones could soon make you regret your old life.  

10. Take risks and roll the dice

Taking on something new can be scary, but don't let that stop you. Our fears are often completely disproportionate to reality. Seize every opportunity, we only have one life, so live yours in such a way that you will never regret the chances you have had. Be bold!

11.  Move forwards not backwards

Leave the past where it is, don't think about that old friend or your ex who has started calling you again. You are planning to give your life a new turn, aren't you? So, instead of dwelling on the past, project yourself and imagine what could be.

12. Get rid of toxic relationships

As the famous saying goes; it's better to be alone than to be in bad company… if people bring you more drama than happiness, it’s probably time to cut them out of your life. Feeling better in your skin will benefit your well-being and show you what you are capable of achieving. After all, you are the one who makes your own decisions and to feel confident, you need to be surrounded by positive people.

💡 Practical tip time 💡 Use the SMART goals method to change your life


SMART objectives and indicators are used to define the most appropriate objectives for completing a project or goals successfully. These objectives must be clear and easily understood by all concerned. This speeds up project completion and improves the chances of success. In fact, SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

S as in Specific
When you set a smart goal, it has to be specific, i.e. clearly defined. The more specific you are, the more effort you'll be able to put into achieving it.

M as in Measurable
The second criterion suggests measurable objectives, which can be quantified! Without them, you won't know whether you've achieved your objectives, whether the results are insufficient or beyond your expectations.

A is for Attainable
How do you reach a smart goal? There's no point in reaching for the moon if you don't have the means to get there. Are your means equal to your ambitions? If you don't have the resources to carry out the project, it's best to stop setting goals and call it a day.

R for Realistic
This criterion is often confused with the A for achievable, because "realistic" and "achievable" mean much the same thing. The point here is to assess the relevance of your objectives. You may have the means and the time, but is it worth it? Won't it drain your resources?

T for Temporally defined
Setting a deadline for a project is essential to its usefulness! Most objectives have to be achieved within a certain timeframe to qualify as a successful project.

How to start over without money - It's not easy, but it's possible! 🚀

How to change your life without money? This is the real question. In theory, the problem is quickly solved. But in practice, it will take a process. You have nothing, but you still want to leave everything you have now and go. After you've made your decision, you need to think about the strategy you'll need to put in place to achieve your dream life. Sit down, and take a piece of paper and a pen. Write down the goals of your new life and for each goal, associate ways to achieve them.

Since you don't have anything, you might ask how this is possible. But let me tell you, there are many things you could do without having any money when it comes to change. If I'm just a pizza delivery boy right now, and I want to change my life, do you think I can't? Well, yes, it is possible. By following the process, determine already what you want and in the rest of this paragraph, I will tell you how to achieve the goal. Now let's focus on the concrete action to get there.

It is by implementing a strategy that you will achieve great results. Strategy is very important. I come back to my example of the pizza delivery man who after thinking about it decided to be an artist. Well, he puts down the pizza, and he starts singing in the street. Courageous, isn't it? This is the courage I was talking about at the beginning of this article. There was no guarantee that by singing in the street he would succeed. But, he dropped everything.  While singing from street to street, a producer spotted him one day and signed him a contract. Did he reach his goal or not? If you are in the same situation as this pizza delivery man, take courage and go for it.

Editor’s opinion: Many dream, but only few succeed!

Our surroundings, anxieties, limiting thoughts often lead us to putting our dreams on the back foot. This transition period isn’t easy, so, take the time to ask yourself the right questions: what elements of your current life do you want to get rid of? Are you losing your bearings? What emotions are you experiencing? What’s driving this need for change? Etc… Being accompanied by a coach during this transition period allows you to live approach these changes with more serenity.

🤗 Understand yourself, accept yourself, be happy... Let’s do it here and now!

#BornToBeMe

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