How to Change Your Life Completely: 57 Powerful Tips to Inspire You

Are you where you want to be in life? Think emotionally, physically, financially, professionally, spiritually, and so on. 

It’s totally okay if you’re not. There are so many moving parts to life, that to have everything aligned is really tricky. 

If you’re not happy with your life in some way, you’re in the right place. In this post, I’ll cover how to change your life completely by adding in small changes daily.

You’ll learn how to add small habits, tasks, and mindsets into your life that will initiate small changes for the better which will allow you to become more content with your life and bring you closer to where you want to be and how you want to feel.

This post may contain affiliate links which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

HABITS to Adopt to Change Your Life for the Better

There are dozens of small habits you can adopt that will change your life for the better. If you’ve been wondering how to completely change your life, try incorporating a few small habits into your life that bring you closer to your ideal self. Think about who she is, and start acting like her!

Below is a list of life-changing habits you can incorporate.

1. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for What You Want (bonus if you reach out to successful folks)

Whether you’re at a restaurant or in a job negotiation, you can make a positive impact on your life by simply asking for what you want. Be direct and kind.

Extra credit if you reach out to people who are successful and embody who you want to be. Have a conversation with them. Ask them to chat on the phone or give you guidance if that’s what you want. Don’t be shy, people love to talk about themselves and act as an expert.

(Read more about the value of mentors.)

2. Do the Work Today that Future You Will Thank You For

Get in the habit of doing one small thing every day that your future self will thank you for. Don’t let a day go by where you don’t incorporate an action or task that will be beneficial for you later on.

What are you willing to suffer for today so you can have it later down the line? Every outcome has an opportunity cost. Give up sweets now, be fitter months down the line. Spend time writing your book, a page a day now, be a best-selling author in 3 years.

3. Open Your Mobile Banking App At Least 3 Times Per Week

One small way you can change your life is to simply be aware of your finances. Know what’s coming in and what’s going out. Watch for questionable charges and spending habits that don’t honor your financial goals.

I adopted Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University plan and whipped my finances into shape for real. I paid off all my debt and started seriously saving!

Attach the habit of opening your mobile banking app to something else (habit stacking). Maybe whenever you open a certain social media app, you first check your bank app. Tracking your spending and saving habits can help you make informed financial decisions to get you where you want to be financially.

| Related Reading: How to Manage Your Money and Create a Monthly Budget Now: Money Made Simple

4. Reply To Texts, Emails, Calls ASAP

Ever have like 47 unread texts,12 missed calls, and 1,639 unopened emails? It’s crazy overwhelming. If you want to change your life completely, it’s time to get organized. One way to do this is to address needs as they come in. 

Maybe you set aside a half hour each morning to go through all emails and texts. Batch work is your friend! Or, if you’re like me, just open mail as it comes. It only takes 30 seconds to address the message and move on. 

5. Make Maintenance A Regular Staple In Your Life

Wondering how to change your life in 30 days? Stay on top of all of the things that require maintenance in your life. In just a month, if you manage your life accordingly, you could have what feels like a very different life. 

Imagine you regularly maintain your home by having a cleaning schedule. Or you regularly maintain your health and your body by taking vitamins daily, exfoliating weekly, hydrating often, and so on. Don’t let the mail pile up on the counter, maintain it by opening it daily and having a system for organizing. Maintenance is key.

6. Build Momentum Toward What You Want

If you want to change your life overnight, you have to make daily choices in the right direction. Building momentum toward what you want out of life is the way you change your life. 

If you want to improve your mental health, maybe you start incorporating a 3-minute daily meditation. If you want to be a dog trainer, maybe you start volunteering weekly at the animal shelter. Consistently build momentum toward the life you want by getting actively engaged in activities that bring you closer to it.

Pro tip: Each month, I outline my main big goals. Then I fill out my monthly calendar in my planner and outline what tasks and activities I need to do each day to bring me closer to my goals. It really keeps me on track and builds momentum.

7. Respond, Don’t React

Change your life completely by learning to respond instead of react. Responding is a slower, more thoughtful process, as opposed to reacting which is a quick, sometimes rash process.

If somebody wrongs you, you can quickly react out of anger or hurt. Or you can take a beat and think through an adaptive, healthy way to respond. When you learn to respond instead of react, your mindset and emotions are helpful instead of hurtful, and this drastically changes your mood and how you move throughout the rest of your day.

8. Give Your Body What It Needs Daily- A Healthy And Balanced Lifestyle

Add movement, water, and balanced meals into your daily life and you’ll be shocked how your life seems to completely change. When you feel good physically, so much more is possible.

Nutrition and health is NOT as complicated as people make it out to be. Here’s how to change your life completely: move your body daily, eat more whole foods, and drink half your weight in ounces each day.

| Related Reading: How to Eat Healthy Without Going on a Diet: The Ultimate Guide

| Related Reading: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Exercising- 13 Tips to Get Started

9. Be Selective With Your Circle Of People 

A simple habit you can adopt to change your life is to be selective of who you let in your close-knit circle. 

It’s okay to remove yourself from some relationships that aren’t serving you well. It’s natural for some relationships to change and shift over the years, so don’t feel like you have to hang on for dear life if the relationship is draining you, or negatively impacting you.

Let in and nurture the relationships that challenge you and cause you to grow. Lean into the friendships that cause you to feel uplifted.

| Related Reading: How to Be a Good Friend When They’re Hurting: What to Say and How to Act

10. When In Doubt, Take Tiny Action

I love love love tiny action! Baby steps toward your goals are the way to go! 

I’ve created an action plan for this very purpose! Go check it out!

Bonus: Action Plan for Stellar Goal Setting

Snatch this free downloadable action plan that will totally simplify exactly what steps you need to take to move forward toward what you want!

Be sure to check your promotional and junk folders for the email with the download!

11. Read 15 Minutes a Day

Reading is a small habit you can incorporate daily by doing it in small chunks. I was never a reader until I started setting a timer and reading for just 15 minutes. I usually ended up reading for longer anyway.

You can change your perspective and grow in knowledge with just a little reading each day. Don’t forget about audiobooks if that’s more your speed.

12. Use Screentime Limits 

Change your life immediately by limiting how much you’re on your phone. You’ll be shocked how much time you open up in your day when you set screen time limits. 

You can also try putting your phone “to bed” at 8pm and waking it up 10am. In other words, just don’t use it or look at it during those times. Maybe consider not even bringing it into your bedroom at night.

You’ll feel clearer and freer as you start to use your phone less.

13. Recognize The Reason Behind Your Patterns

Make a habit of noticing your patterns instead of criticizing your patterns. When you notice instead of criticize, you are better able to understand the reason behind your patterns.

Understanding why you do things is helpful because then you can address the deeper issue.

Maybe you have a pattern of ignoring your friend’s calls. Instead of talking down to yourself for being “rude” or “inconsiderate,” try to just notice your tendency without being harsh with yourself. When you’re more gentle with yourself, you’ll be able to better understand the reason you’re ignoring the calls. 

Maybe you notice that you haven’t fully forgiven her for your fight 3 months ago, or maybe you just realize you’re too burnt out after your workday to chat, or maybe you start to realize the conversations with her are not beneficial and too heavily focused on gossip. With that understanding, you can address the deeper issue.

14. Say Yes Where It Matters And No (or Not Now) The Rest Of The Time

Get in the habit of saying no. You don’t have to respond to every request with a yes.

| Related Reading: 4 Important Questions you Should be Asking Yourself Before Taking a New Opportunity

You are allowed to say no or not yet to anything that’s asked if you. Don’t overextend yourself or overbook yourself. Remember to leave time for rest in your schedule.

15. Challenge Negative Thoughts And Beliefs Immediately

You know those thoughts that hound you. They seem to be almost ever-present and get you down. A lot of this comes down to self-talk. 

Create a habit where every time you notice a negative thought, you question if it’s true right away. 

| Related Reading: How to Overcome Limiting Beliefs and Gain Confidence Now

Limit the Negativity You Allow In

The second part of challenging negative thoughts and beliefs is purposely limiting what you let in. 

If you notice the shows you watch cause you to consume too much negativity, limit how much you watch. Instead of binging, try just one episode a night.

If your friend group has taken a negative, gossipy turn, limit the time you spend with them, or remove yourself completely (and gracefully).

Your day-to-day life IS your life. So if your day-to-day is super negative, your life will in turn be characterized by negativity.

16. Be Clear and Concise in Your Communication

To change your life and the way you communicate, be sure that you get in the habit of being clear and concise in your communication.

Say what you want to say in the fewest words possible. Don’t try to sound smart and fancy. Speak with brevity and authenticity.

You’ll change the way people perceive you, and you’ll be better able to communicate and get your point across if you speak clearly and concisely.

17. Be Resourceful (It Saves Money)

Use what you have. Period, end of story. Change your life overnight by using what’s in your pantry, wearing what’s in your closet, and not giving into the consumerism that is marketed to you.

You don’t need 4 of everything you buy, and you don’t need to buy every color of your favorite product. Odds are, you don’t have to buy that thing at all. You’ll save a heck of a lot of money, and feel more empowered the more resourceful you are.

18. Focus On Adding In Good Instead Of Restricting Bad- Crowding Out

I love the concept of crowding out, and I believe you can make this into a powerful habit. If you’re wondering how to change your life completely, this is one of my best suggestions.

Add in good, positive things (in any area of life) to crowd out the “bad,” negative things. Do this instead of restricting the “bad.”

Here’s an example: Instead of restricting your food intake of processed sweets, start adding in more healthy foods into your day. This allows you to have an abundance mindset instead of a deprivation mindset.

You can apply the same concept with positive habits. Change your life by slowly incorporating better, more adaptive habits to crowd out some of the negative ones. (This is not to negate the possibly necessary work you may need to do to nip bad habits in the bud. It’s just a helpful tool to use alongside of breaking bad habits.)

(I read Atomic Habits, and this book covers, from soup to nuts, how to create better habits and break bad habits, and I highly recommend it!)

19. Move One Small Step Closer To Who You Want To Be Each Day

Picture your ideal self. Who is she? What would her daily routine be? Make it a habit to do one thing every single day that brings you closer to being that girl. (Note: there’s no finish line to this, you’re constantly growing in life.)

This is the best small way to change your life. Overnight successes aren’t made over night, they’re made through small daily choices in the right direction.

20. Journal To Find Meaning & Journal Your Daily/Weekly Intentions

A super simple habit you can use to change your life in 30 days (and beyond) is to begin a journaling practice. You can find so much meaning and purpose in journaling. 

Try out a few of these simple prompts to get you started:

• What makes you happy?
• What are your dreams for your life?
• Describe a day in your life 5 years from now.

Another journaling habit you can get into to change your life is to journal your daily or weekly intentions. You can write out your intentions for the day as you sip coffee in the morning. Or you can find a quite 5 minutes before bed on Sunday night to outline what you want to see in the upcoming week.

These intentions can be more than just goals. They can be focused on how you want to feel, too.

21. Do Uncomfortable Things Regularly

Oooo, yep, I went there. Get in the habit of being uncomfortable if you want to change your life. Go out on a limb, take a chance, do something that scares you. Change only really comes through getting uncomfy! If you never step out of your comfort zone, it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll see much growth in your life.

Let’s get personal. Here are 2 examples from my own life of when getting uncomfortable paid off.

• When I visited Hawaii, I decided to do everything that scared me. I crawled into a pitch-black lava tube (that boars on the island often use to get around!) only to come out on the other side to a stunning view! I also jumped right into a crazy cold and deep mountain lake and swam straight to the waterfall despite being totally freaked out. The experience was SO worth it.
• I went out on a limb and signed up for a free online workshop. It was like nothing I’d ever done before, but WOW was I surprised. I absolutely loved the content. It was about praciticing Council- intentional storytelling for the sake of growth and connection. I now attend regular meetings and incorporate Council into my own endeavors.

Again, do something that scares you. That’s where change happens.

22. Become A Lifelong Learner- Courses, Books, Podcasts, Webinars

If you want to completely change your life, you have to work for it. One way to do this is to be actively consuming helpful information. Learn things! 

Get a book on a topic that interests you (or my fave- go to the library!) or take a free workshop or affordable course on something you want to learn more about. The goal is to better yourself. Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself.

Aside from books, courses, podcasts, and webinars, you can get in the habit of being a lifelong learner by simply looking up questions you have as they come up. Always be actively casually “researching.” 

Check out some of my book recommendations.

Consider A Podcast Schedule

I’ve implemented a podcast routine. Each day of the week, I listen to a different podcast. Some are for pure entertainment and fun, and others are to help me learn in an area I want to grow. 

23. Try New Things and Do Things You’ve Always Wanted To Do

Make a habit of taking action on the things that call to you. Put something on the calendar! Formulate concrete plans. Don’t sit on your desires. Don’t ignore what pulls you. Lean into what interests you. 

Again, your day-to-day life IS your life. So you can change your life by doing more of what you love.

24. Be Selective with What You Allow In Information Wise

If consuming consuming consuming content causes you stress, consume more responsibility. You don’t have to take in multiple outlets and channels of information. 

You can change your life quickly by limiting how much information you let in. Your brain has a limited capacity! Don’t waste it by taking in unhelpful or unnecessary information. Free up some headspace by consuming only what’s helpful and useful.

The book, The Four Hour Work Week discusses how to effectively obtain important news information without overwhelming yourself with every news outlet. It’s an interesting concept!

25. Serve Others And Give

If you want to know how to change your life completely, spend more time serving others. When you give, you feel a whole new level of gratitude. It feels so good to give, often better than receiving.

It’s really fulfilling to shift the focus off of yourself sometimes, and onto others. Get tuned into the needs of those around you and act on them! Bake cookies for your hurting friend. Pick up your parents’ Walmart order on your way home. Help your neighbor weed her garden.

26. Get More Social

Get your booty out there. Plan something with your girls, your sister, or your mom. Go out with coworkers after work. 

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own daily schedules, we forget to shake things up. Social connection is a key part of our overall wellness!

There are actual health benefits of being social!

27. Eliminate Your Bad Habits One By One

Make a list of the habits you want to get rid of, like smoking, eating a doughnut for breakfast every morning, binging Netflix for 3 hours each night, and so on.

Then tackle your bad habits one at a time using this method.

28. Your Daily To-Do Lists Should Only Have A Few Non-Negotiable Items

You can totally change your life by adjusting the way you create your To-Do list. If you make a To-Do list each day, odds are, you’ve loaded tons of tasks on there. Change your life completely by only adding a small amount of very non-negotiable tasks onto your list for the day.

Shoot for just 3-5 tasks you absolutely want to get done, focus on those, and anything else you get done is a bonus! You’ll be much more focused and much less overwhelmed if you have clarity and direction for your day.

29. Wake Up 20 Minutes Before You Really Have To

This habit seriously changed the course of my days. I wake up 20 minutes earlier than I have to. I use these 20 minutes to ensure I have a slow-paced morning. 

I brew coffee and sip it slowly on the couch. I spend a short time reading and doing my language learning app.

You can dramatically change the course of your day by starting it off slowly. Rushing around only creates stress. Slow down to change your day.

30. Establish A Good Morning And Evening Routine

If you don’t have an established routine, I highly recommend it! I’ve already written about the value of routines on the blog.

You can slowly build a morning and night routine by starting with just one task added onto something you already do. 

Let’s say you want to journal at night. Attach journaling to something you already do, like brushing your teeth. Brushing your teeth becomes the cue to journal. Once you are consistently journaling, attach something to journaling, and so on.

Routines are truly what can change your life completely. It’s these small habits that compound to create the life you want.

31. Go Through Your Home and All Your Belongings to Toss and Donate

Get in the habit of consistently sifting through your belongings in your home. It’s so easy to accumulate items you don’t need or want. 

Monthly, quarterly, or yearly, set a day on your calendar to sort through your home. You can go room by room, and do a room a day. Or you could do the whole house in one day. Or even just one closet a week. Schedule decluttering how it works for you, but make it a habit. 

Another option is to be constantly editing the items in your home. Have a box or big garbage bag in a closet somewhere that’s the designated donate area. Any time you come across something you don’t need or want, walk it to the donation area. Before you know it, that box will be filled and ready for a Good Will drop-off.

It sounds silly, but living in a clutter-free, organized home will change the way you feel. Our environment plays a big role in our mental health and clarity. This small habit can change your life in 30 days.

32. Do A Nightly Tidy and Prioritize Organization

This simple habit honestly transformed my home. I do a nightly tidy up session before bed. It takes me just 5 minutes or so to put the living room and kitchen back together. Going to bed with a clean home makes waking up easier and more enjoyable.

If you get in the habit of tidying up as you go, your home will always be clean! This is one super simple way to change your life. Organization is key to motivation.

33. Follow A Cleaning Schedule

If you want to change your life completely and quickly, have a cleaning schedule. Post it on your refrigerator and have designated cleaning tasks for each day of the week.

Breaking up the household chores by day is a quick and simple way to stay on top of the mess. 

Here’s my cleaning schedule:

34. Get a Mentor

Meeting with someone regularly that can guide you along in a certain area, whether it’s professionally, financially, physically, or emotionally is a beneficial habit that will change your life for the better.

Here are tips to find a mentor (specifically in the education/career realm).

35. Time Block For Deep Work

I was able to change the way I get things done by incorporating time blocking. Making a habit of incorporating time blocking can seriously change your life, especially in terms of productivity and getting things done.

Schedule your day in block increments. These time blocks can be in hour chunks. 

For example, you could use a morning block of time, from 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM to do your deep work if you function best in the morning. Then maybe you use an afternoon time block from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM to engage in creative work, or relationship building work. Whatever your jam is.

During each of the blocks of time, you are committed to doing only the schedule task. You do not engage in any other type of work or any distractions. Keep this time sacred and strict. You’ll be amazed how much you get done.

36. Schedule Joy Time and Relax Nights

Do yourself the favor of scheduling fun “me” time or as I call it JOY into your calendar as well as complete “relax nights” where you focus solely on relaxing. Set aside the chores and normal responsibilities of life as much as you can and have at least one night a week designated for relaxing.

This night will look different for everyone depending on what season of life you’re in, and whether you have young kids, but the goal is to just do less on these relax nights.

This habit changed my life, and if you want to know how to change your life completely, this is one of my favorite ways. Take back the power over how you spend your time. 

37. Schedule Time for Your Passion/Craft

If you love crocheting or fishing or something else, lean into it! This habit of leaning into your passions will absolutely change your life. 

When you make time for the things you’re passionate about and hone your craft, you create a narrative that you are worthy of investing in, that you are multifaceted and multipassionate. And that is life-changing.

38. Hot Girl Walks

This is a fun one. Make a habit of going on walks. It’s simple. And it’s proven that getting out into nature is good for your wellbeing.

It’s called a “hot girl walk” because it’s about getting outside, feeling good, feeling empowered and free. Call it whatever you want, but change your mindset and mood by going for a walk a day, no matter the weather. There’s something about bundling up when it’s cold that’s so fun!

Listen to a podcast or playlist, go with a friend or alone (be safe, please!), or walk in silence. Breathe in the fresh air and let your walk transform how you feel. Bonus points if you walk after dinner, it feels so good and helps with digestion.

39. Get Sunlight In Your Eyes In The Morning And Spend More Time Outside

I learned about the value of getting sunlight in your eyes from the Huberman Lab Podcast. It’s a great listen!

The goal is to get bright light (ideally from the sun, but you can also use a therapy lamp– I absolutely love mine and use it every morning!) in your eyes first thing in the morning for a small chunk of time, about 15 minutes or more if time allows.

This habit will help with both your mood and your sleep! I’ll let the Humberman Lab explain it to you, it’s a bit sciencey! But this simple habit has the potential to change your health for the better.

40. Incorporate More Stillness And Slowness

A few years ago, I made a commitment to meditate 3 times a week, for just 3-5 minutes at a time. And let me tell you something, the stillness was SUCH a breath of fresh air. I found myself looking forward to the stillness.

Adding in this time of slowness and stillness seemed to transform my days. I actually found myself moving slower throughout my days and taking more deep, calming breaths. I think you can change your life too with this simple habit.

41. Don’t Miss More Than One Day in a Row of a Good Habit

This concept comes again from the book Atomic Habits. The author advises, very wisely, that it’s not the end of the world if you miss a day of a good habit. But whatever you do, don’t miss two days in a row. That’s when you lose momentum.

TASKS You Can Do That Will Change Your Life

Now that we’ve covered a ton of habits you can incorporate into your daily life that will change your life completely, let’s cover some one-off tasks and activities that you can try that will also help you change your life.

42. Create a Vision Board

You can create a vision board any time of year! And it will give you a great boost of inspiration to change your life in the direction you want to go.

You can make a vision board virtually in Canva or physically by printing out Pinterest pictures and gluing them on a small poster board.

Add images and phrases that have meaning for where you want to be in a year or 5 years, or whatever timeline your choose. 

Here’s my 2023 vision board:

43. Set Meaningful, Quarterly Life Goals

At the beginning of every year, or each quarter, set some goals that you feel would change your life if you accomplished them.

Find a system that works for you. I set my goals, then break up my goals into daily tasks that will move me closer to them.

44. Fear Setting Exercise (to Tackle What You’re Scared of to Take Back Your Power)

The concept of fear-setting comes from the author Tim Ferris, from the book The Four Hour Work Week.

Take 20-30 minutes and grab a few journal pages, then separate the first page into 3 columns.

• Column 1: Define what you’re scared of. List what could go wrong and worst case scenarios
• Column 2: List all the possible actions you can take to mitigate those worst case scenarios
• Column 3: List actions that would fix the damage if the worst possible thing did happen

After that, rate each scenario on a scale of 1-10 (1 being little impact to your life and 10 being life-altering impact).

On the second page, write down the benefits of taking action despite your fear and rate the positive benefit using the same scale as before.

On the third page, divide your page into 3 columns again and label the columns: 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years. Under each label, jot down the costs of inaction within that timeframe. Be detailed here. Think about the emotional, physical, and even financial consequences of inaction.

This exercise will help you understand if you’ve been procrastination on taking action because you’re worried about what will happen.

45. Explore a New Place this Year (If You Can, Travel More)

This “task” that can change your life is a fun one! Get out and explore! Whether you explore the town next to you or even just play tourist in your own town, get out and adventure a bit. If you have the means, take a long weekend trip to a place you’ve never been!

Exposing yourself to new experiences and cultures is a wonderful way to gain a richer perspective and become even more well-rounded. Who said changing your life has to be hard?! Change your life by changing your scenery and perspective!

MINDSETS You Can Adopt To Change Your Life Completely

You can implement daily habits to change your life, as well as individual, one-off tasks to change your life completely, but we haven’t covered mindsets you can adopt to change your life yet. There are a handful of adaptive, helpful, healthy mindsets that will totally change your perspective in life.

46. Understand What You Value so You’re Working Toward Something that is Meaningful to You

If you’re just floating through life with no clear idea of what you value, you’ll never change your life in order to get where you want to be. 

Keep your values at the forefront of your mind. Let your values be your mindset. Maybe you value flexibility in your schedule and time. Let everything you do be aligned with that value, then!

47. Habits are Better Than Goals

My perspective on goals changed a bit when I read this quote:

48. Act Like The Person You Want To Be

Operate with the mindset that you are the person you want to become. Think like her, act like her, talk like her, do the things she would do. This is a sure fire way to change your life completely.

| Related Reading: 17 Ways to Visualize Your Highest Self and Start Showing Up as Her

49. “You Can Do Anything. But Not Everything” -David Allen 

I love this quote because it’s a good reminder to focus in on just a few small things. You are capable of a lot, but you cannot sustainably do a lot. Live from the mindset of getting good at a few things and focusing on less.

50. Be Grateful for What You Have as You Work Toward What You Want

Operating from an abundance mindset is key to changing your life completely, and pretty quickly. 

As soon as you’re able to shift your focus toward what you have instead of what you don’t have, you’ll be a lot more content. You can still be working toward where you want to be in life while being thankful for where you’re at currently.

Try writing in a gratitude journal daily to shift your focus. Even when you think you had a bad day, when you operate from an abundance mindset, you are able to pull out positive aspects of your day to be grateful for.

51. Live In the Present

Don’t allow your headspace to be bogged down by the past. You can choose to be focused on the present. This is the backbone of mindfulness. Instead of harping on the past or worrying about the future, do your very best to be as present as possible in the current moment. 

How? Every time you notice your mind wandering away from the present, gently guide it back. Mindfullness is all about gently guiding your attention back to the present.

This mindset will take time to achieve, and for me, it’s a constant battle to stay mindful and present. But operating from a present-focused mindset will completely change your life because you’ll be able to better enjoy the life you’re living, even if it’s not completely ideal.

52. Part of Changing Your Life for the Better is Accepting Who You Are 

This mindset may be a bit counterintuitive at face value, but I want you to know that you don’t need a total revamp of your life. Your life isn’t a total wash, and not everything about you needs to be changed in order to see growth.

There are tons of aspects of you and your life that are good and positive already! Try to adopt the mindset of accepting who you are and that where you’re at is a great starting place for change and growth. You’re not behind.

53. Trust Yourself a Little More and Be Kind to Yourself 

Have a mindset that allows you to trust yourself, your abilities, and your strengths. You are allowed to (and should!) be kind to yourself. A lot of this comes down to your self-talk.

Ultimately, here’s how to change your life immediately: don’t be so hard on yourself. Stop speaking harshly to yourself, stop hating on yourself, stop looking down on your body, your abilities, and your skills. Bottom line- be nicer to yourself.

54. Focus on People’s Intentions Not Their Words

If you are one to get offended easily (like me), you need to adopt this mindset: people are not out to get you. If you are hurt by anything and everything, remember that usually, peoples’ intentions are much better than you think, even if their words don’t always align. 

Be open to giving others a second chance when they say or do something that you think is hurtful. I’d be willing to bet that they didn’t have ill intentions, and that they just didn’t use the right words to express themselves.

55. Obstacles Are Opportunities

If you want to know how to change your life completely and significantly, start to view obstacles as opportunities. 

Every time you come across something challenging, say to yourself, “How can I grow from this?” Reframe your trials and challenges as chances to grow.

56. Work Toward Financial Freedom

I want to shout this from the rooftop. Let every decision you make, every purchase, every move be based on how it impacts you financially. I’m not saying to be obsessive. But question your spending habits, consume a little less, be resourceful, and save save save.

| Related Reading: How to Manage Your Money and Create a Monthly Budget Now: Money Made Simple

57. Be More Lighthearted and Silly

Here’s how to effectively change your life overnight: understand that it’s not that deep. Most things are, in fact, just not that deep! Live with a little more lightheartedness. Don’t take everything so seriously. 

Even if it’s just one decision a day that you take less seriously, or one time a day that you get a good belly laugh in, do it. Sure we’re here on this earth to grow, and do good, and serve, and accomplish, and so on, but we’re also here to enjoy.

I’ve incorporated a weekly dance break. Every Wednesday evening when I come home, I ask Alexa to play something upbeat, and I dance with Mona-Lisa (that’s my pup). I let my moves be wild and silly and I laugh alone in my living room with my dog. It’s fun and it lifts my mood, and I don’t care how silly you think I am. 😉

A Step-by-Step: How to Change Your Life for the Better

Changing your life can feel overwhelming. But it can be broken down into just 7 steps. Here’s a simple outline for how to change your life completely.

Step 1: Decide you even want to change something about your life

Step 2: Understand WHY you want to change- dig deep for a reason

Step 3: Get comfy with discomfort- it will be a challenge to change

Step 4: Outline specifically what you want to change

Step 5: Define your obstacles or barriers- be specific

Step 6: Set goals and make habits

Step 7: Commit long-term to the change- make it a lifestyle

FAQs for How to Change Your Life

How do I start changing my life?

You have to want the change. The desire can’t come from somewhere external. Your parent or partner or friend can’t decide you need to change- it just doesn’t work that way. YOU have to be ready and committed in order for any change to occur.

So start by officially deciding you want to change. Maybe you want to become healthier, or get more serious about your grades, or stop procrastinating, or limit toxins coming into your body. Whatever the change is that you want to make, internally, you need to be ready.

Why is it important to change your life?

Change and growth are important because without it, you remain stagnant. You have goals you want to accomplish and you certainly can’t accomplish them if you’re not willing to budge or change. 

There’s no growth without change. Get comfortable with stretching your abilities and you’ll be astounded with where you end up.

How long does it take to change your life completely?

It’s natural to wonder what kind of timeline you’re committing to when you attempt to change some aspect of your life, whether it’s your health, your job, your relationships, or something else.

I wish I could give you a hard and fast answer, but ultimately, the timeline to change your life compmletley is dependent on your goals and how hard and fast you work toward them.

What I do know is that we allow a task to fill up the time we set for it. So be sure you’re setting realistic timelines for change. Challenge yourself here. 

Also remember that in some cases, “change” doens’t necessarily have a finish line. Health for example, doesn’t have an end point. You can always be engaging in a healthy lifestyle to work toward optimal health.

How do I change myself permanently?

I think it’s important to remember that once you are on a journey toward change, you’re kind of on that journey indefinitely because the “change” requires maintenance.

Let’s use smoking as an example. You want to change your life by quitting smoking. You will eventually arrive at the change. After lots of hard work, you will no longer be a smoker. But that state (being a non-smoker) requires maintenance. 

So the key to “permanently” changing yourself is in the maintenance. Every aspect of your wellbeing requires maintenance. Your finances, your physical health, your mental health, your relationships, your spirituality, your occupational wellness. All of it requires attentiveness and work to maintain the change.

How do I restart my life and be happy?

I have a perspective here that you might not be expecting. And I got this encouragement from the book Embrace Your Almost by Jordan Lee Dooley. 

Plot twist: you can be happy right where you’re at. You can be happy in the midst, in the middle, when your life isn’t exactly the way you want it.

I highly recommend reading Embrace Your Almost for a very fresh and enlightening perspective, plus the how-to on how to adopt this mindset.

Let’s Bring it Home

Yay, you now have an extra long list of habits, tasks, and mindsets that you can incorporate into your life to help you change your life completely. Everything in this post will help you initiate very small changes so you can be more content with your life AND get closer to where you want to be in life. 

If you’re feeling unhappy with your current state, you now have tons of tools to help you grow and become the woman you want to be!

Related Reading:

17 Ways to Visualize Your Highest Self and Start Showing Up as Her

6 Personal Development Books that will Totally Change You (in a seriously good way!)

6 Must-Have Tips to Find Balance in Your Life and Manage All Your Responsibilities