There often comes the point in your life when you feel like you want to start over. This could be because you’re tired of the chapter you’re currently at or because growth has pushed you to a new level. Whatever the case, starting afresh is something that you willingly or unwillingly end up doing at different points in your life. No matter what the reason is, starting over can be good in many cases as it gives you the chance to hit the reset button and do things differently. It also creates the opportunity for you to experience life in a new way whether it’s by moving to a new place, mingling with different people, or spending more time getting to know yourself. In light of this, you will find five ways to turn over a new leaf in the following article.
Make Peace with Your Past
One of the first steps that you should take when turning over a new leaf is making peace with your past. Sometimes you can find it difficult to move on because you’re still holding on to things that have happened to you and may have had a major impact in your life. Some of these things may include heartbreaks, losing a friend, death, or other disappointments. They could even be things that you’ve done wrong to others or mistakes that you’ve made that you can’t seem to forgive yourself for. However, if you truly want to move on, letting it go and moving forward is key. Some ways to let go of the past include picking up the habit of meditating, understanding your past so that it becomes easier to move on and then accepting your past. Some other things that may help are loving the process, being grateful, and believing in yourself. You should try and always remember that you are not your past and the future has many beautiful things in store for you.
Set New Goals
Another important way to turn over a new leaf and start afresh is by setting yourself new goals. Sometimes this gives you the motivation and stamina you need to start over and soar higher. Setting goals should be about first evaluating where you are and then determining where you want to go from there. You may decide that you want to set new targets for some long-time dreams and aspirations that you’ve had. On the other hand, it may be that you have a new-found passion that you want to pursue and map out how you’re going to go about it. You should also note that setting new goals don’t have to be career-related. You could resolve to start eating better, work on improving your relationships, or set targets for any other aspect of your life that you’d like to improve. When setting goals, some steps you can take include writing down your goal, making sure it is realistic, and achievable, developing an action plan that tells you how you’re going to achieve it, then following it up. This should help you feel positive about your fresh start and give you a little more motivation along the way.
Let go of Bad Habits
Turning over a new leaf often means letting go of the past as mentioned above. Sometimes this also implies letting go of bad habits that may keep you from moving forward. Some that you may want to leave behind is bad eating habits and not getting enough exercise. This is because when starting over, you want to feel both mentally and physically intact. Some ideas for a healthy diet change if you aren’t already doing them are eating more goat cheese, trying to snack on popcorn, eating more coconut, grass-fed beef, and canned salmon in case you don’t have the time to cook it from scratch. Some other things you can eat are tofu, purple potato, oysters, blackberries, and spaghetti squash. In addition to changing your diet and staying active, you should also try and get rid of any habits that may be damaging your health like drug and alcohol abuse. You can do this by looking for some of the best rehab centers in your local area and seeing how they can help you recover. Looking for ways to replace bad habits with good ones should be your ultimate goal when turning over a new leaf.
Get a New Look
When starting afresh, it may be time to change your physical look as well. It might imply getting a new hair-cut, changing your style of dressing, or just adding something new to your overall look. Doing this can make you feel like a new person as well as make you feel like you’re entering a new phase. It is also a way of self-expressing and depicting how you feel outwardly. Some ideas for new looks may be going short if your hair is long, trying a new color, or a completely different style than what you’re used to. Regarding clothing, if you’re a safe dresser, why not think of something a little more daring and edgy. You can look for ways to make statements with your clothing and try different color combinations than what you’re typically used to. It is important that your look makes you feel comfortable but pushing your boundaries a little could prepare you for a fresh start.
Improve Your Inner Circle
The people that you spend the most time with can significantly impact your ability to move forward with your life. For this reason, it is imperative that you choose to spend time with people who push you to be better and have a positive influence on you. If you already have such people around you, then you should look for ways to nurture those relationships. On the other hand, if you find such relationships are lacking in your life, consider looking for mentors that are where you would want to be as well as networking and forging natural friendships with people that you admire.
Change is inevitable in most cases, so changing on your terms could be a good decision to make. There are always opportunities to right your wrongs and retrace your steps to navigate your life in the direction you want it to go. Turning over a new leaf and starting afresh is just one of many ways to do it.
