A New Beginning: Change Your Life by Changing Your Mind
Spring is upon us here in the northern hemisphere of planet earth. To me it is always one of those “new beginning”-type of moments. Something new and exciting is coming!
It’s always been my absolute favourite time of the year. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I was born in late February, so my first weeks on this planet have been at springtime.
Or perhaps it’s just because the winters are so dark and cold here in Finland; Seeing sunlight and feeling the warmth again after a cold, dark, winter, is like being born again.
Speaking of a new beginning: This is exactly how I use my elevated energy levels during the first warm and sunny spring days. Mentally, I frame spring as an opportunity to “be born again”, to imagine a new and better me and start living according to that vision.
Spring is a time of new beginning in nature, why not use it as an opportunity to “begin anew” yourself?
New beginnings Are Opportunities For Growth
As the sun starts to shine for longer periods of time, melting the snow and ice that have been covering everything for the past couple of months, nature, metaphorically but oh so descriptively, springs to life.
Leaves start to grow on trees, flowers start to bloom, plants rise their stalks from the earth, animals make nests. It truly is a time of new beginnings. Amidst all this it’s hard not to feel like something new has started.
Maybe you even feel spring as a sensation within you. A rush of energy, an urge to clean and make room for new things, a desire to rejuvenate your body by going out for a walk or run.
Just like nature uses the sun’s energy for growth, you can harness the newfound energy within you for personal growth.
Make A Conscious Decision To Grow
I suggest taking some time and thinking about your goals. Enjoy the warmth of the sun and think about what you want experience in the coming months and years.
If you already have goals, that’s great! Just see if they still match your vision of yourself. Also make sure your goals cover multiple areas of your life, not just wealth.
Remember, you have different needs to fulfil as a human being and physical, emotional and spiritual needs must all be addressed if you truly want to live a happy life.
Making a conscious decision to grow into the best version of you is a good way to address your spiritual needs.
In any case, write down your goals. If you write them down on paper, they are good instructions for your subconscious mind. Remember, you live your life based on your subconscious beliefs that dictate how you think, say and do things.
But you can also reverse the process! Do something you haven’t done before (like write down your goals) and, before long, you will start to say and think things based on what you did.
Eventually you will form new beliefs based on your thoughts, words and actions – circling once again back to you thinking, saying and doing things based on these newly formed beliefs.
Pro tip: Dream big! You may not achieve all your goals in full, but making the goal big allows for more opportunities to fulfil them.
Starting Anew Holds Tremendous Power For Personal Growth
Getting back to the subject, anything you perceive as a fresh start can be used as a new beginning for you.
Examples of new beginnings:
- Birthday – the end of one year in your life and the beginning of another
- New Year’s Eve – the end of the calendar year and beginning of a new year
- Recovering from illness – a fresh start for your body and mind
- Starting a new job
- Graduating from school
Heck, even just waking up in the morning can be a fresh start!
I first realised the power of new beginnings back in the late years of secondary school.
When I was a teenager, I wasn’t that outgoing and social. Even though I had friends and went to parties, I liked to stick to my own company if possible. I had a hard time fitting in at school, because I wanted to be myself, not dress and act how everybody else did. So I wasn’t the most popular kid, nor the most social.
When it was time to go to high school, I decided that I’m going to change. It was a conscious decision empowered by the change, the beginning, of a new level of school. It was “a new beginning” in a very literal sense. I took the opportunity to create myself anew.
I started to socialise more, go out more. I became outspoken and confident. Just like that, almost overnight.
You Can Change Any Time You Want
After my decision to change, I still wasn’t the most popular kid at school and most definitely not the trendiest. Yet I was happy with myself and my social life. Most importantly, that’s how I felt inside.
I didn’t care how others perceived me, it only mattered that I knew who and what I was and acted accordingly.
That’s a change I still remember to this day and my years in high school were some of the happiest years of my life.
This is an example of how you can use new beginnings to your advantage. Any new beginning can be a kickstart to a new you.
Imagine all the people who have suffered an accident, only to come out of the experience even stronger. I bet that most of them have thought “if I make it through this, I will live my life differently, never taking things for granted”.
Maybe you have had similar thoughts at some point in your life as well?
The point is this: You don’t have to go through a life changing accident or any other event to start thinking and living differently.
You can consciously make a decision any time you want to change yourself and change your life.
The events discussed here, like spring or new year’s eve, are excellent moments to use as a stepping stone to a new, better you.
Use those moments like you would use a major life changing moment.
Think new thoughts, speak new words, do new things. Just like you would if you had just had a second chance in life.
Motivation Comes From Who You Think You Are
Of course we all know how it’s easier said than done. The perfect example are new year’s resolutions. One of the most common resolutions is to go to the gym. People pay for the membership, start going to the gym, but by the end of January they drop out and revert back to their old habits.
What gives? You’d think that paying for something is motivation enough to keep doing a thing. Well, it’s not, but the whole thing boils down to a matter of motivation. What motivates you to make changes?
I can’t answer that for you, but what I can tell you is that it comes down to who you believe you are. In order to make a lasting change, you must change your beliefs about yourself. That’s “the easy way out”.
You can brute force your way to a new you just by using your willpower, to push yourself to do something you haven’t done before. This may or may not work.
It’s much easier to start changing your beliefs about yourself. Your changed perception of yourself will then cause you to think and act in a way that is in line with your new beliefs. Then, no extra motivation is needed, because you are already acting in a way you wanted to.
How To Start Changing Yourself?
First, decide who and what you want to be. What is your grandest vision of yourself? Use the list of your goals as a guideline.
Based on your goals, write down a list of things describing who you want to be, but use the present tense and preferably the words “I am”.
If, for example your goal is to lose weight, or just go to the gym to keep in shape, you might write down something like:
- I am athletic
- I am energetic
- I look and feel young
- I am enjoying every exercise I do
- I am reaching my goals
Once you’ve written your goals and the “I am” statements down, put them in a place where you can see them. On the fridge, on top of your TV, take a picture and use it as your desktop background etc. Every time you see the list, repeat the statements in your mind or out loud. They will start to catch on.
But there’s an even more efficient way to work on “your best version of you”. Visualise your ideal life and who you want to be. Check out my tips on visualisation here.
I’ve also written a whole lot more about beliefs and how to change them, you can learn more here.
Conclusion
Just like the nature uses the sun’s energy for growth, you can harness any newfound energy within you for personal growth.
I suggest taking some time and thinking about your goals. Think about what you want to experience in the coming months and years and who and what you must become in order to have those experiences.
Dream big! You may not achieve all your goals in full, but making the goal big enough leaves room for many opportunities.
Spring is only one of many events you can use as a new beginning, there are plenty more, like:
- Birthday – the end of one year in your life and the beginning of another
- New Year’s Eve – the end of the calendar year and beginning of a new year
- Recovering from illness – a fresh start for your body and mind
- Starting a new job
- Graduating from school
If you want lasting change, learn to change your beliefs.
Disclaimer
The entire contents of this blog are based upon the opinions of the author. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The information in this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care professional before trying any of the products or methods based on this content. I cannot guarantee that you will be free of stress, anxiety or depression, or that you will be happy. I simply want to share with you what I have discovered during my twenty years of seeking happiness and what has worked for me may not work for you.
