I’ve written a lot on the subject of starting fresh; I think that we, as humans, far too often let ourselves continue to be bogged down by mistakes we’ve made in the past to a point where it holds us back from being our best selves. Fresh starts are important because they let us wipe away the the decisions and mistakes that have held us back and grow towards becoming who we want to be. Fresh starts don’t have to be these giant, life-altering decisions we make that for certain will impact our lives, though; fresh starts can be small things we do every day to help mold ourselves into the people we want to be. For little ways to give yourself a reset in life, consider these simple ways to start fresh.
Get rid of everything you don’t need
It’s important to take the time every so often to declutter and purge your life of everything that is just taking up space. If you’re looking to make a fresh start and want to take it a step further, consider doing a deep clean and getting rid of your possessions until you’ve gotten rid of everything that causes you more stress in managing than it does bring you joy. Just because you needed an item at one point in your life doesn’t mean you’ll need it forever.
Break a bad habit
We all have habits in our lives that we consider breaking on a regular basis but never commit to because it’s just plain easier not to. One of the small ways you can start fresh is by breaking some of these bad habits and freeing yourself from their clutches. This could be anything as small as biting your nails or drinking soda to something big like quitting smoking. Identify a change you’d like to make within yourself and work on it.
Create a new habit
The word ‘habit’ has a negative connotation, but the habits we have in our lives don’t have necessarily have to be bad ones. Look for ways that you can introduce positive, beneficial habits into your life. Maybe you want to start going for a morning walk; maybe you want to read the local newspaper every day. Find something you’d like to do more often and make it a habit in your life.
Do something risky (within reason)
Sometimes in life you just need to step outside of your comfort zone and do something a little, well, crazy. I’m not talking about breaking the law or putting yourself in harm’s way, but constantly looking for little ways to pull yourself out of your comfort zone can help you grow and develop as a person. Scared of public speaking? Stand up at the next town hall meeting. Afraid of heights? Climb that mountain you see every day or plan a trip to go skydiving. Confronting fears that you embody can help you overcome them and put you one step closer to that fresh start you’ve been craving.