To Get Something You've Never Had, You Have To Do Something You've Never Done

    

{Photo by Brooke Cagle}

 The day after Christmas, I was struck with a sort of hopelessness about the coming new year. “What if nothing changes?” I thought. The truth is, encountering the same problems, resistances, and fears year after year is extremely boring. 

     The fact is, there’s a fundamental problem with the question I asked myself. Asking a question like that, or thinking it, implies that whether things change is not up to us. It implies that we are not in control of whether things change in our lives. When, in fact, we are the only ones responsible for making changes in our lives. 

You don’t have to fear that you’ll continue experiencing problems you’re over and done with, if you accept your role in creating your everyday life. 

     Studies have shown that most of our actions and behaviors are repeated day after day. In fact, many scientists agree that 95% of our thoughts are repeated every day. And we wonder why our patterns aren’t quick to change! Knowledge is power, however, and this information can help us learn how to change our lives by changing our habits. 

     As the saying goes, “To get something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” It is as simple as that! Nothing is going to change in your life if you keep doing what you’re doing. Your habits are the recipe for your life. If you want a different outcome, you’ve gotta change the ingredients!

     Dedicate this coming month to analyzing what does and doesn’t serve you in your life: what you want more of, and what you’re ready to let go of. To decide what changes you want to make, you have to gain clarity about what’s no longer working for you. Examine your patterns, and decide what you could do without. Declare yourself done with them once and for all! 

Then, brainstorm new, different ways that you could approach those problems. You don’t have to deal with those old issues anymore. You can decide to live a different way, think a differently, and feel a different way. You are completely in control. 

      Pretend you’re a designer with an unlimited budget, charged with designing the best possible life for yourself! Don’t edit your dreams. Once you know what you want, break it down into steps that you can start taking today. All that’s left is to take the steps. Over and over, every day. That is what will change your life. 

Good Luck!

~Tess