life design Archives | The Aligned Life

40 Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life

by: Jenn

Obviously, I’m a huge fan of the art of self-transformation.

There are few things that excite me more than the idea of consciously deciding on what you want your life to look like and then making it happen!

Of course, we all love a good transformation story: weight loss journeys, quitting jobs, finding relationships etc.

But admittedly those very big goals in life can seem awfully intimidating at first. So maybe we start to talk ourselves out of those things just because they’re hard or will take a lot of work or time.

So in today’s post, I just want to remind you of the power of small steps for your transformation!

It’s easy to see those big obvious steps and to think you’re not capable of them.

But actually the fastest and easiest way to transform your life is not to do something really big.

It’s really all about taking small, baby steps consistently.

What you do every day matters way more than what you do only once in a while!

Which means your habits and routines contain real potential to massively shift whatever it is that you want to shift.

So if you’re looking for a manageable first step to take, today I’ve got you covered! Here are forty small yet powerful habits that truly have the potential to flip your life into the next level.

40 Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life

Mindset

1. Name one big fear that you have right now and start making a plan to overcome it.

2. Start your day with enthusiasm, no matter what’s on your agenda.

3. Spend less time deliberating and make your decisions fast.

4. When you find yourself in reaction mode, remember to look at your thoughts for something you can shift.

5. Write out a gratitude list daily. (just 3-5 items is enough!)

Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life:

Manifestation

6. Write down one big juicy manifestation goal for yourself and decide that you’re going to achieve it.

7. Start acting “as if” in all senses and challenge yourself to think, feel and act as if your goal was a certainty.

8. Do a quick manifestation meditation to start your day! (You can check out mine over on Insight Timer!)

9. Practice detaching from your goal: keep them in mind but don’t make them mean something bad about you if you don’t achieve them.

10. Go bigger than your goal! Ask yourself: who do you really want to be? How can you start being that person now?

Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life:

Intentional Living

11. Start setting three intentions throughout your day for how you want things to go. (ie. “I’m going to have a great workout”, “This meeting is going to go well for me” etc.)

12. Spend time daily connecting to your big vision for your life.

13. Deliberately choose how you want to feel in any situation. (Easier said than done!)

14. Carve out time to spend on personal projects that are important to you. Even small bits of effort add up big over time!

15. Come back to mindfulness regularly. Notice how your body feels in this moment and what’s going on around you. Don’t get overly wrapped up in what’s next.

Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life:

Spirituality

16. Set aside time daily to connect with a higher power (aka the Universe etc.)

17. Meditate for five minutes.

18. Pay it forward, by donating money to a worthy cause or just treating a friend.

19. Practice non-judgement: don’t make any assumptions about your fellow harried commuters, people on the street, in the mall etc.

20. Choose the loving choice. Always.

Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life:

Health

21. Drink more water.

22. You can’t eat enough fruit and veg! How can you start adding more throughout your daily routine?

23. Monitor your nightly sleep routine with an app on your phone (and get more if you’re not getting enough!)

24. Make your bedroom a no-device zone.

25. It’s simple but it works! Move your body every day by walking, running, yoga, or whatever feels good to you.

Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life:

Money

26. Start a savings fund so you can eventually leave the job you hate so much.

27. Set a regular money date with yourself, so you can pay bills and track your accounts with a glass of bubbly (or kombucha).

28. Keep a shopping list so you cut-down on impulse spending.

29. Focus on paying off any credit card debt.

30. Get in the habit of paying cash (or debit) wherever possible.

Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life:

Relationships

26. Take a friendship inventory and notice which friendships might have hit their expiration date. If spending time with someone is leaving you feeling more drained and stressed out than everyone else, it might be time to limit your interactions.

27. Share the love! Remind someone close to you exactly what they mean to you.

28. Set up a coffee date with someone you haven’t seen in a while.

29. Set a reminder to talk to a friend you haven’t heard from in a while.

30. Phone your mom. ????

Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life:

Productivity

31. Plan out your week in advance.

32. Start using the Pomodoro Method to get more done in less time.

33. Make notes about any systems or ongoing projects you could delegate or outsource.

34. Don’t check your email first thing in the morning.

35. Tackle your most dreaded habit first.

Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life:

Happiness

36. Start planning a trip somewhere (even if you don’t know when you can actually take it!)

37. Go beyond surface interactions! Make a point to create a personal connection with someone.

38. Give yourself some time to totally unplug. No podcasts, books, TV shows etc! We seldom give ourselves time to think but it’s so important.

39. Spend some time in nature (or in a park in the city if need be!)

40. Energy is contagious so surround yourself with happy people!

So tell me: what tiny action steps are you going to take? What area(s) of your life need a little work?

The big results you want are never as far away as you think! All you need to do to create a new reality for yourself is to start walking your talk and make the things that are truly important to you a priority.

PS Looking for more? You might also want to check out this post about what to do when you don’t know what to manifest or this one about what does 1111 mean.

Love This Post? Then Pin It For Later!

Become The Person You Really Want to Be

by: Jenn

No matter what you’re manifesting goals are–big or small–there’s one thing that’s always true about the process.

Getting new results always equals being different, in one way or another.

Think about it: being who you’ve always been is what created your life now. So achieving new results will also mean changing some of your habits, behaviors and beliefs.

The good news is it’s not actually that difficult to become who you want to be. All it really takes is a willingness to see the world differently.

FYI, this is less about becoming better (because you’re not good enough the way you are) and more about unlearning all the bad mental habits that you’ve picked up over a lifetime. You’ve been deserving and capable this entire time. But it’s those negative stories, beliefs and thought patterns that are getting your way!

The truth is you’ve had the capacity to be your best self this entire time! But when we default to fear, our worries and insecurities will always bubble up and get in the way.

It’s not enough to simply think about the habits and behaviors you would have as this new version of you. It’s also key that you internalize them. When things are just part of your identity, that’s when you’ll find the most success.

Excited to get started? This four-step process will help you transform into exactly who you really want to be!

How To Become Who You Want To Be

How To Become The Person You Really Want To Be Step #1:

Throw Away Your Ideas

Our attachment to current identity is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to change. When you ask someone why they haven’t created the million-dollar business of their dreams, they might answer: “I’m just not that good with money.” Or maybe the person who’s looking for love would say: “I’m just not good at relationships.”

But this way of thinking is just letting your past interfere with your future potential! Remember there was a time in your life when you didn’t know how to tie a shoelace or drive a car. But you learned–even though both of those things seemed difficult at the time. Imagine what would happen if a little kid told you “I’m just not the type to tie a shoelace!” That would be a ridiculous thing for them to say instead of just learning how to do it. But when it comes to adults, we do this all the time!

No matter how old you are, you get to learn new things. If you’re not good at something and you want to change, you can practice getting better! When you say “I’m just not good at money/love/public speaking” you’re only speaking a half-truth. That may have been your experience so far but you have the choice to keep believing that moving forward or not.

The bottom line is that being overly attached to your old ideas of you have created your results so far. If you want to try out being someone new, you’ve got to throw yourself off the deep end and get willing to discover your true potential! Dropping your old ideas about you might be the best possible for move for your future success!

How To Become The Person You Really Want To Be Step #2:

Focus On Who You Want To Be

So now that you’re willing to drop your old ideas about yourself, it’s time for the exciting part! Let’s design the person you want to be.

Yes, I said design. Because truthfully our personas are always our own creation in the end. So tell me: if you had the ability to choose whatever kind of persona you wanted and to start fresh, who would you want to create? Where do you want to go?

Please take your time answering this! I recommend that you to grab a piece of paper and spend 20 minutes writing out your ideas. What would you want to do with your time and career? What would you like other people to say about you? You might have a lot of ideas at first so look for the common threads. It might also help to think about people you admire and why you admire them. Typically, these people all have some things in common, even if they look very different at first glance.

Then sleep on your answers! Sometimes the first thing that pops to mind isn’t your real priority! Just be deliberate about what you choose, as this is the ultimate lesson in consciously creating your life.

How To Become The Person You Really Want To Be Step #3:

Look For Evidence

Ever wonder why you’re always right? Unfortunately, it’s not just your smarts and intuition! Your brain is incredibly talented at looking for evidence that supports your beliefs. It’s literally filtering the world to support your beliefs at every moment of the day.

Of course, this poses a great challenge when you set out to change your beliefs. Your brain is going to show you a pile of “evidence” to reinforce your old identity at first. But don’t take the bait! Instead, simply start looking for evidence of the thing you want to believe.

I’m not going to lie: this process is going to feel clunky and strange at first! It’s like the mental version of squeaky gears that need some oil and momentum to start going. So just keep going with it! On the plus side, your brain really loves this game. The more evidence for your new belief that you can find, the easier it will be for your brain to find more and more.

This is the most fool-proof way to lock in your new identity! When your brain believes you are who you desire to be, you’re not going to have to bother finding evidence and reframing your beliefs. That new version of you will actually just be you.

How To Become The Person You Really Want To Be Step #4:

Project Yourself

The final way to harness the energy of who you want to be is by acting like that person now. So don’t wait until you “feel like it”! Start choosing that new identity today and you’ll be surprised at just how fast your reality responds.

A good question to ask yourself is about this is: “If I were a ______ person already, how would I behave?”

For most of us, our future identity means a lot more than just one word! So experiment with this question and the qualities you want to embody: confidence, success, kindness etc.

Every time you go through this exercise, jot down your ideas on a piece of paper. When you’r finished look at what you’ve come up with. Now you get to start challenging yourself: how can you start acting like this today, tomorrow and every day going forward? What new habits do you need to create for yourself?

Maybe it’s getting up at 5 every day to go for a run. Maybe it’s putting on a full face of makeup for your stay-at-home job. Maybe it’s choosing a salad at lunch! We’re all different. But whatever actions come up for you, just be sure to truly enact those changes in your life starting now.

Adopting a new identity is something we truly have the power to do at any time! So whatever your old identity might be (wallflower, un-athletic, self-conscious) you really can throw that away and start all over again! We can learn new ways of being just like any other skill or habit. You’re truly only limited by your imagination and your belief in yourself.

Did you try out this process? What were your results?

As always I’d love to hear how this worked for you, so drop a comment below and let me know!

Good luck, much ???? & thanks for reading!

PS Looking for more? You might also want to check out this post about choose your words to change your life or this one about what to do if you feel broken.

Like This Post? Then Pin It!

Unf*ckwithable You Episode 6: Life Design

by: Jenn

This week we tackle the topic of life design: the basics of thinking about how you want your life to be so you can start taking action! Think of this like giving yourself a checkup! I give you a 10-step framework so you can start evaluating the various elements of your life to see where you need to put your attention next.

Thank you so much for listening!

You can subscribe to Unf*ckwithable You over on Soundcloud, iTunes or Stitcher.

40 Small Ways To Massively Transform Your Life