Hey You! This is Anna. In this post, I’m going to share with you five steps to change your life (the same ones that changed mine). Before diving in, I’m going to share my story.
Storytime
My parents moved here for the American Dream. Both my mom and my dad were successful. My dad owned a BOMB restaurant while my mom ROCKED corporate.
But in 2007, my dad was suddenly diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Ultimately, our family then had to make a choice. Either one, to not proceed with chemotherapy and let nature take its course. Or two, to proceed with it and fight but with a .01% chance of survival.
Our family chose to fight.
However, after six months of chemotherapy, radiation, and hospital visits, our good fight came to a close. When my dad passed away, he left me an important lesson.
Regardless of how slim chances are, fight for what you want.
You only have one life. Why not go all out?
Now, it’s important to note I didn’t realize that in the beginning lol…it was quite the opposite. I went down a negative path afterward in an attempt to fill the void with partying but, to no avail.
Finally, I hit rock bottom. I was a broke college student with not only failing grades but also loads of emotional baggage.
I still remember the night I got on my knees and prayed to God for change. That night I wrote a two paged letter to myself documenting where I was, which leads me to the first step to change your life..
STEP 1. CHANGE YOUR LIFE BY DETERMINING YOUR WHY
Until the pain of staying the same becomes GREATER than the pain of change, you will never change
First, you have to determine your WHY in order to change. This is important, especially if you want a big change. When your why is big enough, the how becomes easy.
For example:
If I offered you $10,000 to walk across a thin plank of wood propped up 2 feet off the ground, I’m sure you’d take my offer.
But, what if I offered you $10,000 to walk across that same plank of wood, now propped up on top of two 88-story buildings? Would you still take my offer?
All of a sudden, ten grand don’t look that sexy anymore. Your life costs more than that.
Now, let’s take it a step further.
Imagine you’re standing up there (88 stories in the air), and you’re looking across the wood plank to the other building. But, instead of seeing a briefcase of money, you see your child/parent/spouse.
The catch is the building is on fire. The only way your child/parent/spouse will survive is if you run across that plank and bring them back. What will you do now?
All of a sudden, you have a different response. Why? Because your reason WHY to get uncomfortable changed. If your WHY is big enough, then the how becomes easy.
So, what is YOUR why? What will fire you up so much that you will do what’s uncomfortable?
Is it to retire your parents/spouse? Or take care of your kids? Do you want to give more to your church? Or do you want to be financially free?
At that time, my WHY was to turn my life around. Similarly, I wanted to become someone I would be proud of being. I was sick and tired of going to bed every night disappointed and disgusted at myself. “This is NOT who my parents raised me to be” would echo in my mind.
STEP 2. CHANGE YOUR LIFE BY MAKING A DECISION
Secondly, you have to make a DECISION to change. After you determine your why you then have to make a DECISION to achieve it.
Successful people make decisions quickly and seldom change it, while unsuccessful people make decisions slowly and change them often. Hence, the root word of decision means to cut off. Therefore, making a decision means cutting off all other options (in other words, achieving your why no matter what).
Achievements are not born of indifference, laziness, or lack of ambition. But of, DESIRE, COMMITMENT, and WORK ETHIC.
As soon as I finished writing that letter, I DECIDED to get off my butt and look for opportunities.
DESIRE
DESIRE is the starting point of all achievements
You are moved by two powerful emotions, either by inspiration or by disgust.
What shifted me from ‘I want to change’ to ‘I MUST change’ was DISGUST.
Indeed, the fuel for your why is your desire.
COMMITMENT
Commitment is doing what you said you would do long after the feeling you set it in has passed you
There are going days you don’t feel like showing up. But, it’s not about how you start. It’s about how you FINISH. You have to do what is required to turn your WHY into a reality. Whether you feel like it or not.
If you need help pulling through difficult days, then go back to your reason why.
WORK ETHIC
Work ethic beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard
Basically, anything worth ANYTHING took work. You can think positively and pray all you want, but you can’t expect things to fall in your lap if you don’t first make a MOVE.
Regardless of how positive you are, faith without works is dead.
So, once you’ve made a DECISION to achieve your why your DESIRE will be the fuel, your COMMITMENT will keep you on track, and your WORK ETHIC will bring it to life.
STEP 3. CHANGE YOUR LIFE BY FINDING A MENTOR
Be careful who you take advice from, because if you take their advice, you take their lifestyle.
Thirdly, find a mentor in the area you want to be successful in.
Would you take health advice from someone who is unhealthy? No, that’s crazy.
Would you take relationship advice from someone who has never been in a relationship? No, that’s ridiculous.
Would you take financial advice from someone who has never made money? No, that’s dumb.
That’s why opinions are free, and consultations cost money. The beautiful thing about our era is if you don’t have a personal mentor, there are MANY well-qualified people online you can learn from for free. Just hop on YouTube and utilize the resources we have.
ONE month after I wrote that letter to myself, I was introduced to my first mentor. He helped me see things from a different perspective and specifically challenged me to think bigger.
My thinking at that time brought me to where I was, which was obviously not a good place. I was a broke college student with no direction, struggling financially, with a victim-mindset (aka, I was a mess). If I wanted to change my life, I needed to change my thinking.
STEP 4. CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
If you want to change your life, change your thinking
Fourthly, begin to grow your mind daily.
If you want to achieve a level of success you’ve never achieved before, then you’re going to have to THINK thoughts you’ve never thought before & DO things you’ve never done before.
I never studied in college, but when it came to success, I became a STUDENT and worked on growing my mind DAILY. Particularly in the area of personal development. Every morning, for 30 minutes, I put on audios. I began my personal development journey listening to people like Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, and John C. Maxwell.
Not only did I listen to audios, but I also read books. LEADERS are READERS. Here are the books that jumpstart my journey:
- “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill | buy on Amazon
- “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie | buy on Amazon
- “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki | buy on Amazon
- “5 Levels of Leadership” by John C Maxwell | buy on Amazon
Over time my thinking changed, and so did my life. With new thinking, came new habits.
STEP 5. CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH GOAL SETTING
Your habits are stronger than your written intentions
Finally, the last step to change your life is to set goals.
I got into the habit of setting goals because it helped me stay proactive in achieving my why.
You can’t hit a target you don’t see. That is why there is power in goal setting. Most people set their goals too low and hit them versus setting their goals high and leveling up. Set goals that will force you to GROW.
Eventually, you’ll achieve your why. Then, you’ll develop a new one. Undeniably when you’re on the journey to becoming a better you and living a successful life, your why will continue to change and get bigger.
IN CLOSING
Those are the five steps that changed my life and I know will change yours. As a result, I’ve been blessed in many areas. Today, I have multiple streams of income and the freedom to travel and invest. Also, I’ve been able to develop deep, meaningful relationships along the way. In addition, this journey allowed me to heal from many past wounds. Most importantly, I’m grateful for the gift of life and a chance to fight for that .01%.
If I can do it, then you can too. I believe in you! My goal for this blog is to take what I’ve experienced and translate it into something simple & tangible for you to use on your journey to LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE too.
I’d love to know what YOUR thoughts are and what YOUR why is? If this post helped you, I encourage you to like, comment & share!
Much love, AK
p.s. I created multiple downloadable resources you can use on your journey. Transformation takes WORK & ACTION, not just reading about it. Let’s get TRANSFORMING! Check out Downloadables HERE
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