The short answer to this question is because we keep repeating the same habits in our lives. People are creatures of habit. We also know that we cannot expect to do the same thing and also expect a different result.
Changing your life can feel almost impossible when you have lived the same way for a very long period of time and then decide that you no longer want to live that way. Besides habits, there are many other reasons that change is hard. The human brain is wired to fight against change, which means humans just don’t like it. Change requires lots of work, as well. All of this does not even include the things that happened in your life that just make you well… you.
All of these make it extremely hard for a person to change their life; however, they do not make it impossible. How taking all of this into account, is it possible for you to change your life?
Step 1: Take Responsibility
You have to begin by taking responsibility for the life that you have created. You cannot blame your life on your parents, the things that have happened to you, those around you, or anything else. You also have to take responsibility for your habits. Most people can accept taking responsibility for their habits. However, habits are more than just your actions. Habits include your thoughts, your beliefs, and your expectations as well. You have to take responsibility for all of that. When you take responsibility for something, it will give you a sense of empowerment because if you take responsibility for something, it means that you can change it.
Step 2: Believing It Is Possible
Whenever you feel like you are not taking action that you want to take in your life, you should look at your beliefs and ask yourself if you actually believe that it is possible. If you are honest with yourself, chances are that you will find that you need to strengthen your belief that it is possible for you to change what you want to change.
We all find ourselves in situations where we know what we want to do. We know what actions we need to take, and yet we are still not doing what we need to do. When this happens, we find ourselves wondering why. Why is this happening? This is usually because we do not have a strong belief that it is possible for us to make this specific change. We just don’t think that it is possible. If you don’t have the confidence that you can make that change, what incentive for you have to engage in the new behavior?
If you already think that you are going to fail, you have no incentive at all to even try. There is nothing to motivate you unless you change the way that you believe. Motivation is having the belief that you can make the change, and it will be good.
Step 3: Staying Consistent
Consistency is the key, and it is also where most people get in a lot of trouble. When you go through the process of change, you are going to find yourself motivated to make a change. Then you are going to start making those changes, but you will begin moving back toward your old habits. That is where most people get frustrated and give up. However, it is part of the process. Instead of giving up, you need to accept that it is part of the process. When you notice yourself going back to your old habits, take a breath and refocus. Staying consistent will help you to ensure that you do not fall back into your old habits.
For example, if you want to live a healthier life and you have been exercising every day for the past month but fail to do so for three days in a row, you have a choice. You can stop. You can let the three days cause you to fall back into your old life and your old ways. Or you can take a breath and remain consistent, accept that this will occasionally happen, pick yourself up, and start again.
Step 4: Stop Judging Yourself
All of us make mistakes in life. You are not a failure, and you are not a loser. No matter how many times you make mistakes in life, those mistakes do not define you. As long as you pick yourself up and start over again.
Be mindful of those negative thoughts and words that you say to yourself and stop them in their tracks. Resist the urge of putting yourself down, calling yourself names, or judging yourself negatively. The only way that you will ever be able to change your life is if you change the way that you treat yourself. You should treat yourself the way that you treat other people. Chances are that you are not mean and judgmental toward other people. You are probably kind, forgiving, and gentle when it comes to others, so you should be that way with yourself as well.
Try being your own best friend. Even if you don’t have a single friend in the world, there is always one person that you can count on. You! You are the only person who is guaranteed to be there through thick and thin. You are the only person who will be with you all the way to the end. So, treat yourself with some love and respect.
Conclusion
Changing your life can seem like a daunting task; however, it is not as hard as many people would like to make it out to be. There are speakers who make millions of dollars a year to perform at seminars all across the country, teaching people how to change their lives, but the only lives that seem to be changing are those of the speakers. They are getting rich while the audience is left out in the cold. Yet, there is a way for you to change your life. You can start as soon as right now. Nothing is standing in your way.
