Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash
Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash
There seems to be this general understanding of the fresh start and how it equates to cutting out people from your life, moving to another city, and changing your look and maybe your entire name. There are times where you might feel that to start fresh, you must rebrand yourself to others around you, otherwise it doesn’t count. These options definitely can be super therapeutic and well-needed, and I’m not discounting them at all. In fact, they can work hand-in-hand with a new change in perspective.
But there is something you can never escape, and that is your own mind. And the most freeing feeling in the world is waking up with a fresh mindset that sees everything around you with immense clarity. You can still look the same, dress the same, act relatively the same, and think completely differently than you did yesterday.
A fresh mindset is being able to look at things more objectively, to welcome self-reflection instead of running away from it. And you well and truly can adapt it at any time. You can speak to the same people but look at the situation with a different pair of eyes. Everything has its limits, but you can definitely try.
You can take on this perspective in day-to-day life, and this doesn’t necessarily mean being mindlessly positive about everything because it can be difficult using a new approach when habitually, you have reacted a certain way over an extended period of time. But being able to steer your life in the direction you wish is an amazing part of being human. Life will change when you begin to look at things differently. Life will begin to change when you start appreciating what you have instead of focusing on what you’ve lost.
A change in thinking is the catalyst for progression—finding love, improving your wealth, indulging in your right to happiness. It’s the beginning of many beautiful gifts that await you. Being mindful of your thoughts up until this point is an important step in realizing what you do and do not want, what does and does not serve you, and how to react from now on to feel more at peace within yourself.
For those afraid of change, it can be quite overwhelming to think that to be this new person, you must adapt a completely new identity. What if you like the person you are but find yourself stuck in a rut? What if you’re attached to certain aspects of your life, but you still want to move forward and make a better life for yourself?
You shift your mindset. And it begins with the little things.
Are you shouting at the young trainee at the fast food chain because they got your order wrong? Are you finding yourself talking negatively about other people for extended periods of time? Are you finding faults within others to the point where it’s making you loathe them when they haven’t even deserved it? Begin emitting positive energy and thoughts one day at a time. Appreciate the sunshine on your morning walk. Smile at strangers more often, even if they don’t smile back. Sing as loudly as you can in your car on the way to work instead of hitting the steering wheel with anger because you’re in peak hour traffic. Look at the world differently, even if you just start small, and the other aspects will naturally follow.
You don’t need a plane ticket for your perspective to be shifted. I say this to those who might not be able to easily escape their current situation—to those who want a change of scenery but are struggling financially. For those that wish to cut a negative presence from their life but are struggling due to having commitments together. Your inability to do something drastic does not mean you cannot think of the situation in a different way. Your thoughts are fluid—they change every day. Position yourself accordingly and watch old situations unfold more favorably.