Okay friends, for today’s Thoughtful Thursday post I wanted to talk about making changes in life. Lately I have been thinking about this because I feel like I have not been as disciplined as I would like to be in several areas in life. Often I feel like once we start compromising in one area of life it seems to seep over into other areas. I am all for self care and rest, but lately I have had a lot on my plate emotionally and I think I have used that as an excuse to be more lax with myself. It’s never easy to change habits, but sometimes it’s necessary.

I think one of the most important life skills is to learn to intentionally challenge yourself. Intentionally find ways to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. It can be easy to fall into some lazy habits, and for me lately I feel like I’ve fallen into some lazy habits. Choosing to intentionally challenge yourself can get you out of that rut. Maybe there is some sort of morning routine challenge you could do, or diet challenge, or workout challenge. I’m going to be leaving soon to go on another trip and I have decided for the next 10 days I’m focusing on eating more whole foods, less processed food and sugar, and cutting alcohol out of my diet. My diet is one area where I do feel like I have become more lax, so this is a way to reset my habits. When we intentionally challenge ourselves it also keeps life more interesting and breaks up the mundane.

You might not even be aware of what needs to change in your life. That is why I find self awareness and self reflection to be such important habits to cultivate in your life. You don’t know what to change if you aren’t self aware. It can be easy to just go through the motions in life instead of being present and conscious of your habits. Set aside time in your day, even if it’s for 10 minutes, for self reflection. Journaling is a great practice to help facilitate self reflection. Self awareness is the first step towards making changes and becoming a better version of yourself!

We should want to continuously seek ways to become the best versions of ourselves. In this process, giving yourself grace is so important! When you are on a journey towards being the best person you can be, you need to accept that there are days where you will backslide. It is human nature to take two steps forward and one step back. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day or a few bad days, or even a few bad weeks! As long as you are slowly progressing towards better, that is all that matters. Every day is a new opportunity to do the next right thing!

In my opinion, we become our best selves by ever evolving and ever changing. We become our best selves through personal growth. Growth is not easy, but it is rewarding! We must continue to remind ourselves of that truth, and that will help us to keep pushing forward!