Hi, my loves!
Welcome back to Lavendaire.
2019 is coming to an end
and that means we’re beginning a new chapter in 2020.
It’s a chance for us to reflect and consider how we want to evolve
or reinvent ourselves in the new year.
Today, I’m sharing 10 ways you can change your life for the better,
as well as tips on how to actually make that change happen.
The first step is awareness of what needs to be changed.
Second is the inspiration to change.
And third is the commitment to change.
This video is part of my New Year series
so make sure you subscribe for more videos on
personal growth and designing your dream life.
The first way to change for the better is to
adopt a healthier diet by including more plant-based whole foods into your meals.
Think of the foods that come from the earth and are closest to their original form.
Those whole foods tend to be much better for our bodies.
Basically, eat more fruits and veggies, healthy grains, and nuts.
Eat less processed foods, junk food, refined sugar, and meat.
Plan your grocery shopping in advance with a list of healthy foods you like to eat.
Always be prepared with healthy food options
so you don’t succumb to the convenience of unhealthy foods.
A good tip is to shop on the outer perimeter of the market—
where the fresh, whole foods are.
The inner aisles of the market are usually where you find the processed foods.
Don’t worry about being perfect.
Ease into your new diet at your own pace.
For example, try committing to one day a week of no meat.
It’s better for your health and the environment.
If you want some inspiration on healthy eating,
check out some documentaries on Netflix,
like Gamechangers, What the Health?, and Heal.
The second thing you can do to change your life is to design a better morning routine.
Your morning routine sets the tone for your day,
so why not start each morning feeling your best?
Are you waking up each day with positive energy and intention?
Are you motivated and excited for your day?
Or are you dreading or stressed out about the day ahead?
Design your ideal morning routine around the activities that make you feel amazing,
and begin to implement that for the new year.
Ask yourself: How do I want to feel every morning?
Happy, empowered, excited, energetic?
And then ask: What can I do to promote that each morning?
It could be good music, meditation, gratitude,
a healthy breakfast, yoga, jogging, journaling,
or any activity that help evoke how you want to feel each day.
By the way, I know some of us are overambitious
and want to choose 10 habits for our morning routine,
which is not realistic.
Don’t overcomplicate it.
Pick the top 3 that are most important to you and stick to that.
Remember, it’s the tiny habits each day
that compound over time to make great change.
The third thing you can do is to travel to a place you’ve never been before.
It doesn’t have to be that far or costly
– just someplace you’ve never been.
To me, travel is money well spent.
Experiences are more valuable than any material thing,
because they’re truly priceless.
When you travel to a new place,
you expose yourself to new worlds,
new cultures, new people, new ideas.
You might notice that time feels longer during your first days of travel.
Because everything is so new,
your brain is taking longer to process everything and take it all in.
When you’ve been in one place for too long,
your brain is comfortable with your environment
so you slip into autopilot much easier.
When everything is brand new, your brain is like, “Whoa!”
You’re alert, you’re amazed, you’re in awe – and it’s life-changing.
Let’s get the conversation started:
Comment below: Where do you want to travel this year?
The fourth way to change your life is to commit to reading daily.
Like planting seeds for your growth,
reading – even a small amount daily –
will amount to a surprising amount of knowledge
that will change you as a person, for the better.
You’ll open up your mind to new ideas, concepts, and stories.
And also: Think about all the effort that goes into writing a book.
If you think about it, books are basically a collection
of the author’s best knowledge, research, or wisdom—
it’s their life’s work.
And you, the reader, get to absorb all of that well-organized, well-thought-out
condensed information in a much shorter time
than it took for the author to create or live all of that,
and you do that at an affordable cost.
Because of that, books are one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to learn.
The fifth idea to change your life this year is to declutter your life.
If you've been following me, you know all about decluttering and minimalism.
Basically, minimalism has become more and more mainstream and for good reason:
because it feels so good to purge your things.
It’s like you’re lifting off a heavy burden
that’s been weighing on you this whole time,
releasing old energy to make room for the new.
I feel like your old self is tied to old belongings that don’t serve you anymore.
So, when you let those things go,
you’re allowing yourself to grow into
a new and improved version of yourself.
Don’t underestimate the power of decluttering.
It really works wonders for your life, especially if you’ve been feeling stuck.
If you haven’t looked into it already,
I recommend tidying your life with the KonMari method,
from the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
I have a playlist that you can watch right here in the card above.
The basic idea is to go through each item you own
and ask yourself: “Does this spark joy?”
If it no longer sparks joy, then thank the item and let it go.
Donate it so that someone else can truly appreciate it.
The sixth way to change for the better is to deepen your relationships.
The truth is: We all need human connection.
And in an era where we’re so digitally connected, it’s easy to feel lonely.
Even if you’re a big introvert,
push yourself to reach out to the people you love,
make a new friend or reconnect with an old friend,
because connecting with people you vibe with is, first of all, fun and fulfilling,
but it’s also a way for us to learn more about the world,
about human beings, and about ourselves.
To make a friend, you have to first be a friend.
Be the one to take initiative
and show that you care about this person enough to make time for them.
Here’s a first step you can take today:
Share this video with someone in your life who would appreciate it.
Use that as a chance to start up a new conversation
about the new year or whatever you want.
The next tip that will help with your relationships is to be vulnerable.
Instead of making small talk about surface level topics,
go deeper in your conversations.
Allow yourself to be vulnerable and open up about
your feelings, your fears, your honest experiences.
You opening up and being vulnerable will give
the other person permission to be vulnerable as well.
Sharing at that deeper level will bring you two closer
and the connection will feel more meaningful.
The magic of this is realizing that when you’re vulnerable,
people feel more connected to you.
We usually put up walls and a facade
because we’re protecting ourselves,
and we’re afraid to be rejected for who we truly are deep down.
But when we show who we really are,
not only is it freeing, but people are attracted to it as well.
The eighth way to change your life is to commit to cutting one bad habit from your life.
And you can do this by disassociating that habit with your identity.
Pick one bad habit that negatively impacts you
and holds you back from who you want to be.
How do you identify with this habit now?
How do you believe this habit defines who you are?
Do you believe that it’s a part of you?
You have to start to unravel your identity with that habit,
and then choose a new identity that doesn’t include that habit.
Whether your habit is negative thinking, a limiting belief,
smoking, drinking, sleeping late, something else,
You have to redefine your idea of yourself in your mind
and decide that you’re no longer the person who engages in that kind of habit.
For example: If you want to quit smoking
and someone offers you a cigarette,
instead of saying “Sorry, I’m trying to quit smoking,”
say “No thanks, I’m not a smoker.”
The distinction there is that you're associating yourself with a new identity,
the identity of a non-smoker, instead of who you used to be.
This is a perfect time to decide to adopt a new identity
and remove, unravel this bad habit that
you thought was a part of who you were.
The book, “Atomic Habits” goes much deeper into this topic.
If it doesn't make sense, definitely read that book on how to change your identity
and why what you believe about yourself
is the foundation to changing your habits in your life.
The ninth way to change this year is to make peace with your past.
This can be extremely powerful and healing, and it may take some time.
Start with forgiveness.
Forgive anyone who might have hurt you in the past.
Forgive yourself for being hard on yourself.
Accept the past and acknowledge that you can simply choose to let go.
You can’t change the past.
All you can do is acknowledge how it shaped you
and empower yourself to choose your present and your future.
Don’t let the past determine how you feel about yourself now and moving forward.
Remember: You get to choose how you feel about yourself.
You get to choose how you deal with your life.
You get to choose where you want to take it.
The power lies within you.
And that power is exercised only in the present moment.
So stop living in the past. Stop worrying.
Stop wondering "what if", "I should've/could've/would've" –
and just let it go, be grateful for where it brought you,
what it's taught you, and just move forward.
The final idea I’ll share today is to be more present in your life.
Being present is being mindful of the present moment,
being aware of your thoughts, your words, and actions in the now.
Being aware of the people and the environments that surround you in the now.
Committing to being more present can mean:
social media or digital detoxes,
not giving into distractions,
going into nature more often,
and playing more often.
Ultimately it will help you cultivate greater awareness of the moment,
and thus: greater self awareness – which we all know is so important.
It’ll also help you get out of your head
and actually notice your surroundings more,
and be more considerate and aware of the people around you –
much of which you might not have noticed
when you were too distracted with yourself.
You’re able to feel more joy, more gratitude,
and more peace when you’re more present.
Detach yourself from the daily distractions of the world, or your mind –
and truly learn to live in the present moment,
feeling it for all that it is.
The key word for all of these life-changing ideas is: Commitment.
None of them will work unless you decide to commit
to taking action and making real change in your life.
So I'm here wishing you good luck and sending you all my love.
If you want a refresher on how to have the right mindset
to succeed with making these changes,
watch this video on the 23 Habits of Highly Successful People.
Alright, love you guys so much.
Enjoy your holiday season, and I will talk to you next time!