“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
The more we see people succeed, break out of the norm, pursue their passions, and make life happen, the more we realize we are not alone. They're not special, they don't have super powers, they just dared to dream... and go for it.
So maybe it's time you started changing habits, dreaming bigger, and believing that you can do whatever you want. Reinventing your life comes in all shapes and sizes, but all Reinventions, no matter the size, start with a dream and are brought to fruition through action.
If you want to start working out, pick something that works for you and start small. Start out slowly and take it easy so that you're not in pain for a week and never want to do it again. You want to learn a language? Go on Groupon and download a language program - it's right there! Don't have time to do it? How about waking up 30 minutes earlier, taking a walk, and tackling those Reinvention action items that you “never have time for”?
Can you imagine how you would feel after just 10 days? Do it for your own Joy, not to share or show to anyone, not to exhibit or post online, just do it for your passion, joy, and to stretch your creativity!
If you actually spent just one week changing your habits, you would be on your way to your Reinvention. Just one week! Maybe put off watching your favorite TV shows or cut down on your social media use. Maybe wake up earlier and cancel your lunch plans to spend time doing something that you'd like to try - writing, listening to language lessons, planning a trip, researching a new career, exploring your community in a new way, etc...
Just like that!
I meet people every day from so many different walks of life and at so many levels of their careers - from 19-year-olds, just starting out to 72-year-olds - all talking from a different perspective about what they wish they could do with their lives. What I find fascinating are the older folks who haven't fulfilled their dreams. These individuals look at their lives and wish they could've done so many other things and question whether or not it's too late to tackle it now. This perspective on life should be what inspires us to never stop Reinventing and manifest the life we want for ourselves.
I have a friend who used a family tragedy as a catalyst to start checking off things on her bucket list. Confronted with the reality that our lives could be taken from us at any point, she realized that she wasn't going to sit around and be one of those people that said “I wish I had done this or that.” She's taking life by the horns and looking at how to conquer every fear and every dream, small, large, and most certainly way out of her comfort zone.
So what does it take? Anything you do that adjusts your daily habits and routines to create a new focus and a new direction in your life is an amazing moment of Reinvention. One small change can create such a huge shift in your energy, your surroundings, the way you connect with other people. You're sending a signal to those around you and to the universe that you are open and interested in creating the best possible life for yourself.
You will no longer have to say “I wish I could…” Rather, you will be saying “look what I did!”
Want to break old habits and create new ones? Start small and gain confidence with that feeling, letting it snowball into new habits and positive momentum. These mini-Reinventions can shake up your norm. Changing your routine can remind you how exciting new and different experiences and habits can be.
Try the simplest of things for starters, like:
Drive to a different Starbucks in your neighborhood
Order an Iced Tea vs Iced Latte
Put on shoes you have in the back of your closet, rather than the ones you wear all the time
Wear a colored shirt vs black or white shirt with your suit
Walk vs drive to the close grocery store
Exercise in the morning vs evening
Read a book vs watching a TV show
Call an old friend for dinner
Cook vs ordering in
Change your shampoo brand
Getting the picture? We take for granted the daily habits that have become our routine. Try getting comfortable with change. Embrace it with excitement and courage. Minimize the fear and let inspiration and curiosity take over. Have faith in who you'd like to be.
Believe it's in there. Go for it. Create it.
Life won't just happen to you, so make life happen on your own terms!