Last Updated on March 11, 2024 by Angela Vaz
You feel stuck and overwhelmed with life.
You don’t know how you got here and why you feel this way, but you can’t seem to feel productive or happy no matter what you do.
You’re craving change.
You’re craving to feel alive and make whatever you do matter.
You want a fresh start.
You want to take control of your life.
And the new year is the best time to reset your life!
This is the best opportunity to leave the past behind, unlearn toxic habits, and set new and inspiring goals for yourself so that you can become a better version of yourself.
Let’s begin!
But before that really quick, get my free guide on how to really reset your life.
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Is there a way to reset your life?
Yes!
Your life is what you make of it.
No one has the power to dictate what your life should be like. And if you are unhappy with how your life is going or what you’re doing career-wise, or relationship-wise you have the power to change it.
Figure out what exactly makes you happy, what makes you tick, and then start creating personal goals to achieve what you want.
How do I completely reset myself?
Understand that you cannot erase your memories or your mistakes.
These are definitely in the past, but they will remain with you for a long time because they have played an essential role in shaping your beliefs and your character.
You can attribute your beliefs and how you think and feel to the hardships that have made you who you are.
However, when we talk about resetting our lives, we mean identifying what we want to change and then changing those areas of our lives.
For instance, if we are unhappy with our finances, we start making plans to save, earn, and invest better to build up that area of our lives.
Here are my top tips on how to reset your life so that you can start a new chapter in your life!
How to reset your life – 17 easy ways for a fresh start
1. Accept your past
If you constantly ruminate over your past mistakes or agonize over what you’ve lost or who’s hurt you, you can never move on.
And you will never be able to live a good moment in your life.
Let go of the past.
Stop crying over spilled milk.
Forgive others for what they’ve done to you.
Not because it’s the right thing to do, but because you have only one life, and you deserve to live it happily without obsessing over the hurt and misfortune others have caused you.
Live and let live so that you can be happy.
More than forgiving others, learn to forgive yourself.
We all make mistakes because we are human. And it’s only natural for us to slip up once in a while.
Let go of the past so that you can start living in the moment and make each day count.
2. Let go of toxic people
People will come and go in our lives.
Sometimes, it will be easy to let them go. But sometimes, we may find it hard to accept that a particular person was not meant to be in our lives.
Whether it comes to dealing with a breakup or letting go of a toxic friend, it may be something that will take some time to get used to because the pain can feel so real and raw.
However, it is essential to note that people who are meant to stay in our lives will never leave.
They will always find their way back to us because it is meant to be, and they genuinely value us as people.
So, when a person comes and leaves, learn to accept it and let them go gracefully.
They have played the necessary role in your life, and they have helped you become a better person in some way or another.
Please take it as an important life lesson, and learn to let go.
Here are some posts to help you with this:
- 12 genuine reasons to let go of a friend
- 13 signs of unrequited love
- How to be happy again after a devastating breakup over someone you love
- How to patiently wait for love
3. Identify your core beliefs
A huge part of living a stress-free and beautiful life is to understand what your core beliefs are.
So, on a large sheet of paper, ask yourself, “What are my core beliefs?”
It could be anything that you stand by and anything close to your heart.
For me, it would be “Honesty, love, loyalty, and heart-to-heart communication.”
Once you have your core beliefs written down, ask yourself if your roles as a parent or teacher, sister, or anything else abide by your core beliefs.
Do you live each day aligning your thoughts, words, and actions with your core beliefs?
Are there areas in your life that could do with some adjustments to become more aligned to your core beliefs?
4. Find out what makes you happy
Take a large sheet of paper and write down what truly makes you happy. Write down anything that would make you happy if money were not concerned. Don’t inhibit yourself. Just shoot!
Is it:
- Spending more time with your pets or family?
- Creating something like music, art?
- Moving your body?
- Writing stories or poetry?
- Travelling to small towns and discovering the local customs and cuisine?
- Living minimalistially?
Make a list of everything that makes you happy and makes your heart sing.
Once you have your list, try to make more time for the things on your list.
If some of the items are inconceivable, start making goals to work toward them.
Make more time for the things that bring joy to your life, and you will find your life-changing for the better.
5. Do it now
Don’t wait.
Life is short.
If you’ve wanted to do something, stop dilly-dallying.
Stop delaying your happiness and just go for it.
Have you wanted to start an online business? Start one now.
Have you wanted to travel the world? Do it now!
There will never be a perfect moment to start something, so quit postponing it and get started right now!
You have the energy; you have the mind space; you have what it takes. Make your dreams a reality!
6. Find out what is bringing you down
Now that you’ve made a list of what makes you happy, you can start a new list of what brings you down.
It may be friends that don’t bring you good vibes. Or habits you’ve been meaning to give up for a long time.
Write them down.
Once you have your list, slowly work through it and try to give up each toxic habit so that you can make more room for the things that bring you eternal joy.
7. Get rid of things that don’t make you happy
Are there things in your home that you don’t use or just don’t like?
It may be time to adopt minimalism and start decluttering.
Decluttering will make you feel so much better because when you start clearing out the things you don’t need by donating, disposing, or selling them, you start making room for things that make you happy and content.
8. Become self-aware
Take some time to breathe every single day.
We are all busy human beings. And it’s easy to get caught up in life and not have time for ourselves.
But those few sparring moments a day will make a huge difference to your life.
Use that time for yourself – to wind down, to catch up with your thoughts, to breathe.
There are loads of activities you can do to become more self-aware:
- Journal
- Meditate
- Take a 30 minute walk outside on your own
- Read some self-care and self-love books
Doing one or all of these activities every day will help you clear your thoughts and understand yourself better.
Reading books will help you understand where you fall short to work on yourself to become a better and stronger person.
Try to meditate 2-5 times a week to clear your head and note your thoughts and feelings.
9. Craft your ideal morning routine
If your morning is perfect, there is a bloody good chance that your whole day will go along brilliantly.
Once you know how your body works and when your energy levels are really high, you can wake up feeling energized and peppy.
Spend the early morning hours doing something that brings you to a place of calm and peace.
This will set you up for a beautiful and productive day!
10. Prioritize your physical health
Life is short.
Wouldn’t you rather live it in the pink of health? And be fit, hale, and hearty so you can enjoy life’s pleasures pain-free?
Your physical health will determine the quality of the life you lead.
And if you make a few changes to your diet and your fitness regime, you can live a beautiful and bright life.
Ask yourself if your current diet leaves you feeling full and energized or bloated and hungry after a few hours.
See how you can start making changes to your meals to feel better after eating.
Move your body.
It doesn’t matter how, but find ways to move.
Play a game you really like in your local community – be it basketball or football.
Go dancing on the weekends or take up Zumba classes if you really enjoy dancing.
Go for walks around the block every day for 30 minutes to get some steps on your pedometer.
11. Do a digital detox
I find myself with more hours in the day if I spend less time on Instagram or binging Netflix.
I suddenly have hours to practice the piano or play with my pups outside when I spend less time on my phone.
Most of us work on the computer for a living.
And if we’re going to spend more time on screens, that takes time away from our families, hobbies, and the things we love.
So, try to spend less time on social media or watching TV, and you’ll notice your life change for the better.
12. Get out of your comfort zone
If you’re constantly living within the rules you’ve set for yourself, you’re never going to learn what’s out there or discover something that will truly make you happy.
Push yourself to try new things or go out and socialize with people every week.
Talk to people every chance you get.
Pay a compliment to someone at the grocery store.
Help an older adult with their bags or help them cross the street.
Join local cooking or painting classes to meet new people and learn something fun and exciting!
Initially, it may feel awkward or scary to do this.
But as you keep pushing yourself, you’ll find life fascinating because, at the end of the day, we are all social creatures who get a lovely sense of satisfaction from connecting with other human beings.
13. Embrace the concept of starting from scratch
It is hard to learn new things. No doubt.
But it is even harder to unlearn things we’ve been doing all our lives.
In the last few years, I realized that my habits and character traits really tore me apart.
I knew I had to unlearn many of them, which meant starting from scratch and accepting that I had failed.
It wasn’t easy, but it was humbling.
We all make mistakes. And we all have some pretty harsh lessons that we will learn in this lifetime.
The idea behind life is to take it in our stride and look on the positive side.
It’s okay to fail.
It’s alright to start from square 1.
It’s perfectly okay to admit we’ve been doing certain things wrong and start learning something brand new.
And we can do it at any age.
There is no fixed predicament.
So, learn to unlearn things and take pride in starting from scratch!
Conclusion on pressing the reset button on life
It isn’t easy to reset your life.
It involves accepting that something is not quite right and then taking the necessary steps to make changes to help you enjoy your life more.
So, be patient with yourself because these changes will take some time to implement.
Treat yourself with the same kindness that you would show to a child.
And start working on the changes slowly.
I wish you nothing but the best!
Here are a few more posts you may enjoy!
- How to stick to your routine even when you lose interest
- 35 ways to get your life together
- How to enjoy the simple things in life
- 17 small things successful people do everyday
- How to prepare yourself for success in the future
- The 1% rule: How to improve yourself every single day
- 7 quick hacks to 10X your productivity
- 13 easy ways to feel energized in the morning (without caffeine)
- 25 personal goal examples t0 become 10X better!