Are you determined to improve your life in 2019?

Are you at a loss about how to get started even though your Pinterest and Facebook feeds are flooded with posts on how to reset your life in X days?

If you’re anything like me, resistance sets in and you refuse to be part of the herd setting resolutions and goals that barely survive into February.

But one thing you’re sure of – it’s a new year and you want to challenge yourself but you need some hand-holding to get started.

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This post is for you if you’re in need of help to embrace change and improve your life.

In order to map out the new route you want to take by growing better
habits, here are a few inspiring books to read:

Reflect on the previous year by making a simple list. Assess what worked well and what didn’t.

Tailor-make your list to suit your life. A few aspects to get started are:

–  Health
–  Diet
–  Work and career
–  Personal growth
–  Finance
–  Spiritual growth
–  Family
–  Relationships
–  Vacations and travel

Do not rush this step as it is the key to self-improvement. Be honest about your findings.

The notes you come up with is for your eyes only so feel free to tell it like it is.

I advise you to record your findings in a diary or planner so you can track your progress during the year.

Here are the most amazing planners to help you with making the plan to improve your life.

Now that you’ve done the hard work, the exciting part awaits you. It’s time to map out the action steps to change and make your dream life a reality.

7 SIMPLE WAYS TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

Here is a list of good habits to adopt to change your life for the better.
Each habit is broken down into bite-sized steps for you to take action and grow right away.

1. EAT HEALTHILY

Wouldn’t you love to end the exhaustion and lethargy that marks your days?

One of the best things to do to change this is to improve your diet.

According to the  NHS in Eight tips for healthy eating, you should do the following to eat healthily:

•  Avoid skipping meals
•  Observe the 5 a day rule – 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day
•  Eat more fish especially oily fish like salmon
•  Reduce your intake of salt and sugar
•  Increase your water intake
•  Eat high fiber/ multigrain carbs
•  Avoid processed food

You can find more detailed information on how to eat a healthy diet in this post – Healthy Living Series # 6 Eat the Rainbow.

A healthy diet helps to stabilize your blood sugar all day long so those bouts of lethargy in your day will be a thing of the past.

You will have less risk of cancer, strokes and heart disease. supercharged. The result of eating healthily will be feeling more energetic

2.  REGULAR EXERCISE

Check out this YouTube video about the powerful benefits of exercise:

According to WebMD in Top 10 Fitness Facts, regular exercise helps to reduce stress, strengthens your heart and even improves your social life.

Exercise can be fun. If you love to dance, find a dance class to join. It can be as simple as a daily walk with the dogs or a walk around the neighborhood.

We just have to muster up the willpower to embrace change and get off the cushy couch and do it. The endorphins released will put you in a good mood immediately.

So, why not give it a try?

RELATED: 25 POWERFUL NEW BEGINNING QUOTES TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

3. START A MORNING ROUTINE

The best advocate for starting the day with a morning routine is Hal Elrod who wrote Miracle Morning.

He created time every morning and used it to work on his personal development. This resulted in tremendous spiritual, professional, financial and personal growth for him.

To have a great day, you must start it off by taking time out for yourself. Some good habits to include are:

•  Light stretching
•  Meditation
•  Affirmations
•  Spiritual /inspirational reading

Get more targeted info about setting up your own morning routine in Jessica’s post MY MORNING SELF-CARE ROUTINE.

4.   THE BENEFITS OF JOURNALING

Journaling is much more than a creative outlet.

6 Ways Keeping A Journal Can Make You A Better Person clearly shows the multiple benefits of journaling. It is a good practice to write in your journal twice a day – as part of your morning and evening routines.

At first, your attempts may be very basic and may read like a daily TO Do List.

But persevere and it will serve as a powerful self-improvement tool. There is no doubt that the simple act of putting pen to paper is a character-building exercise.

Journalling is a quiet reflection and brings with it a few essential values:

•  Understanding what is important in your life
•  allows you to mentally declutter
•  Acceptance of painful situations you have no control over 
•  Catharsis if you have experienced trauma
•  Forgiveness as you reflect on past experiences

RELATED: WHY A GOOD HABITS LIST IS VITAL FOR EVERY FAMILY

5.  EMBRACE PODCASTS TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

Podcasts are a great way to work on your personal goals. There are podcasts on just about everything today from home decor to digital marketing to parenting.

So, be assured that there is one to cater for anything you want to improve to live your best life.

Here are 2 really great podcasts to tune into:

1. Just Keep Blogging with Kim Anderson

As a blogger, I have a vested interest in this podcast. It has helped steady me when I was drowning in overwhelm and encouraged me to blog on in the face of dismal stats.

I love this podcast because Kim really gets the struggle that many have to make the time to blog. She knows, too the awfulness of overwhelm at the numerous blogging tasks to just to keep the blog afloat.

She inspires you to do more, be more and try more with every single episode.  Although this podcast is about blogging, Kim’s messages often relate to real-life issues as well.

Ditching the “I Can’t” Mindset is my favourite episode. Kim shows how this mindset imprisons you and prevents you from taking action.

She goes one step further and illustrates with examples how to get rid of this ‘ I can’t mindset’.

For example, if you can’t buy a blogging course because you cannot afford it, Kim advises you to make a plan to get the money to buy it so that you can enjoy the benefits of the course.

I applied this principle to get Tailwind to free up more time to blog.

So check out the Just Keep Blogging podcast. You will be richer for having experienced it.

2. Optimal Living Daily with Justin Malik

According to Justin Malik, this podcast was started to inspire people
to work on their personal growth.

The best blog posts to inspire your personal development are selected and readout. Justin’s reading is exceptional – his authoritative tone makes for compelling listening.

Life in the 21st century is stressful. One of my favourite podcasts is the one below in which Ramith shows his 3 step formula for reducing stress. Easy, actionable advice to eliminate stress once and for all.

Three Easy Steps You Can Take to Dramatically Reduce Your Stress by Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich

We all feel lazy from time to time. But we fail to understand the negative impact this has on our lives.

The episode below shows you how being lazy traps you and forces you to procrastinate and become overwhelmed.

5 Ways to Get Energized and Motivated When You Feel Lazy by Chantalle Blikman with Tiny Buddha on Inspiration.

Check out the Optimal Living Daily podcast to give your personal growth a giant boost.

6. TED TALKS TO EMBRACE CHANGE

How can watching TED talks help you?

They are like brain exercise – they challenge your views of the world and inspire you to defy stereotypes.

Here are 2 short TED talks handpicked to help you take your life up a notch this year.

Train your brain with these life-changing TED Talks.

1.  Do you want to be successful in 2019?

Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes by Richard St. John will inspire you to reach this goal:

2.  Feel like you’re becoming dull and boring because you do the same thing day in and day out?

Take Matt Cutt’s advice and use the next 30 days to introduce some fun and adventure into your life.

Try something new for 30 days – Matt Cutts

7.   ADOPT AN ADVENTUROUS MINDSET

As you reflect on your life, answer these questions:

Do you thrive and flourish from one day to the next?
What self – improvement activities do you do regularly that encourage you to thrive and flourish?

Let’s examine the word ‘ thrive’.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means to:
 –  grow vigorously: flourish
 –  gain in wealth or possessions, prosper.
 – progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of                circumstances

So for the purposes of self-growth, to thrive refers to any activity that excites, challenges, stimulates and fulfils you. It could be financial, social, emotional or psychological.

There are multiple benefits to the habit of eating healthily - weight loss, improved mental capacity, more energy, and quality sleep. Click To Tweet

Take a class that excites you – cooking, painting, life coaching – whatever to get that adrenaline rush again.

Go on a spiritual retreat or take a road trip

Take up yoga or TaiChi

Take a vacation to China or India and experience another culture.

YOUR TURN

This quotation sums up why you should get out there and make your dreams a reality.

You can’t just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You’ve got to get out there and make it happen for yourself.
Diana Ross

Let’s recap on the steps to take to improve your life:
–  Begin eating healthily
–  Exercise regularly
–  Start a morning routine
–  Keep a journal
–  Listen to podcasts
–  Listen to Ted Talks
–  Develop a thirst for adventure

So take that first step to live the life you really want.

Do you have any tips for self – improvement? Please share them in the comments below.

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