Five Simple Things That Will Change Your Life

“You change your life by changing your heart.”

– Max Lucado

Human conditioning

You can be forgiven for thinking that life involves navigating your way through a mysterious and complex minefield that is the world we live in; that the best you can hope for is to remain relatively unscathed by the many human dramas, disorders and afflictions that beset us day to day.

We humans have been conditioned to believe that life happens around us and to us and that we are pretty much powerless to do anything much about it.

Some resign themselves to this fact and diminish the pain of their powerlessness by resolving to simply ‘go with the flow’ and see where it takes them.

Some seek the protection and solace of others, their communities or higher powers.

Others spend their whole lives focusing on building wealth and status in the hope that this will offer them an advantage over others when it comes to life’s next ‘roll of the dice’.

Fact is that there are all manner of vested interests in this world that would benefit from having us believe that we are not the creators of our own realities.

But in truth, the real power to shape our individual lives lies within each and every one of us. Those that are able to come to terms with that truth find their lives changed for the better in almost every way.

Here are five simple, yet challenging, ways to change how you feel about shaping your own life – from powerless to powerful: 

1. Commit to take action

Newton\’s first law of motion states that a body will remain at rest or in uniform motion in the same direction unless acted upon.

The same holds true for humans. We cannot expect to change who we are unless we are prepared to take the action necessary to bring about that change.

But taking action often requires a little courage at first. It’s often necessary to step out of line with what others may advise, or expect or want of us. We have to put our own interests first and learn to trust our own inner voices.

Becoming an action taker takes a little practice.

Start small but develop a habit of taking prompt and decisive action whenever you are confronted with a decision, issue or problem. After a while it will become quite natural and very rewarding. 

2. Take full responsibility for your actions

It is much easier and less painful, at least in the short term, to find someone or something else to blame when things don’t turn out the way you want them to.

Some people are masters of the art of justifying their misguided actions (or lack of action) to try and save face and satisfy their egos.

But those who are prepared to take responsibility for the outcome of their actions are able to enjoy the feeling of freedom that comes from living authentically. 

3. Believe in yourself

An effect of the human ‘conditioning’ that I referred to earlier is a widespread lack of self belief.

An important step in helping to cure the self belief affliction is to start to monitor – and then address – your own self talk.

Are you deprecating or derisive in the way you talk to, or think about yourself? Why? Where did you learn that habit from. Learn to be kind to yourself. Treat yourself as your best friend. You’re special and, deep down, no-one knows that better than you. 

4. Learn to love the differences in others

Another effect of our conditioning is the development of a healthy scepticism about – and lack of tolerance towards – people who don’t fit with our view of the ’norm’.

It’s a fact that there are well over seven billion people on this planet. It’s a wonder that every person is uniquely different and yet we are all connected.

Yet, isn’t it surprising then how many of us hold negative beliefs about people who may speak a different language or talk with a different accent, drive on a different side of the road, live in a specific area, associate with a different religion, hold different political views or eat different foods?

Such ‘global’ beliefs about different groups of people are the cause of much of the conflict and animosity we experience in the world.

How would it be if we were to treat those who are different from us with kindness, respect and a healthy curiosity instead?

Next time you find yourself silently condemning someone because they don’t fit the mould you feel most comfortable with, challenge yourself to adopt a different, more positive perspective. Try putting yourself in their shoes. 

5. Get a life coach

At New Insights, our mission is to bring personal freedom, self confidence and growth to people from all walks of life through the efforts of the many coaches we train.

Seriously, if you have never tried life coaching before, you are missing out on one of the most powerful and exciting ways to bring about lasting change in your life.

I have presented, above, four simple ways to bring about change. Simple, yes, but that doesn’t mean easy to apply.

When you have lived life a certain way for more years than you can remember, changing your thinking patterns or habits doesn’t happen overnight.

However, with the help and assistance of a well trained life coach it can happen a lot sooner and a lot easier than if you try to go it alone.

Good luck!