Source: tinybuddha.com via Larry on Pinterest
There is nothing wrong with making a decision to make a change in your life – whether it’s a resolution for the new year or just a random decision. The key to making any changes in your life is to make it a meaningful change. It’s easy to get frustrated when you feel yourself stuck in rut or not going where you want to in life. In other words, you need to have a solid plan and the intent to follow through with it.
Keep a Journal
A journal isn’t just a diary of what you do everyday. It’s a way to keep track of your thoughts and can also offer a look at where you are in life – and a hint at what you need to do to make meaningful changes. It’s hard to be reflective when you are going through the motions of your daily routine. Write down your random thoughts and take some time to go back and read it at the end of every month. You just might be surprised at what you can learn about yourself and your goals. Avoid the temptation to make your journal social, unless you are ready to accept unsolicited advice and random comments. You can always make it a blog once you start to make progress.
Set Small Goals
“I’m going to lose fifty pounds.” “I’m going to go the gym every single day.” “I’m going to leave half of each of my paychecks in the bank to boost my savings.” The problem with big goals like this is that you are setting yourself up for failure from the start. Set small goals that you can accomplish. The good thing about small goals is that once you achieve one, you can set a new goal. You’ll feel good because you achieved your first goal and this will give you confidence to go for another goal. Using this logic, smaller goals could include losing five pounds the first month of your diet, going to the gym at least twice a week, and setting aside ten percent of every other paycheck to add to your savings account.
Do Something for Others
Doing something for someone else is an excellent way to make a meaningful change in your life. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. Even doing something small like offering to take a co-worker to lunch when they are short of money before payday can give you a good feeling. Consider coaching a local softball team or volunteering at a senior center. There are many ways to do something for others. This gives you a sense of purpose and those you help – even in small ways – will certainly appreciate your efforts.
Finally, follow your own aspirations. Staying within your budget is certainly understandable, but there is no reason why you can’t follow your own aspirations or dreams. Consider taking online classes to either help earn a promotion at your current job or to venture into a new line of work. If you want to eventually have a house of your own, make an effort to save as much money as you can so that you can afford the initial costs associated with a new home. Meaningful changes in your life start with you.
Ready To Start Creating Meaningful Change In Your Finances?
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really don’t know setting up small goals can achieve me something but you are right when come to joy of achieving something so it might work. thanks for sharing the tip.
Doing small acts of goodness and taking small decisions that could make everyone happy gives me immense satisfaction. A very inspirational share I must say.
Hey Larry,
A truly motivational share. I personally don’t believe in setting resolutions on the new year’s eve, but yes, I do believe in making the life of other individuals happy through some deeds. When you make somebody known as well as unknown happy, through your acts, the level of satisfaction the doer achieves is beyond words. Thanks for sharing these warm words.
Awesome article. I already did started my journal for this year. Good luck to our goals.
I’m with Gareth. I think there’s an unfortunate and narrow interpretation of the word “happiness” that often makes people think of self-centeredness, hedonism and an avoidance of It’s easy to see why this happens but that think it deprives us of really good resources if we let it get in the way. Positive psychology seems to me to be setting itself up in opposition to mental-illness-focused psychology, not in opposition to hard work, struggle, altruism or even pain. I think real happiness IS a result of all of those things. It’s hard to find meaning and satisfaction if life consists solely of the things that are perhaps the most obvious sources (i.e. hedonism). We do a disservice to the word “happiness” and to positive psychology if we reduce them to the smiley face and ignore what a striving for happiness might have to offer if we allow it to have a richer meaning.
Hi Larry…to make a meaningful change, one needs to have a lot of perseverance…it takes time and continuous effort to keep on taking small steps towards the envisioned change!
Thank you for helping us making meaningful changes in life. Indeed, how we feel about ourselves and others is the most meaningful thing to consider if we want to find happiness. Setting small attainable goals will help improve our self confidence and keep us motivated. And doing something small for others – like holding the door for someone, or smile to a stranger – is like magic. When we feel good about ourselves, this positive feeling will spread to all areas in our lives. Great article!