30 Times People’s Lives Did A Huge 180 And It Sent Shockwaves In Their Social Circle

If you’ve ever had to give up an unhealthy habit, alter a deeply ingrained behavior, or pick up something completely new to you, then you definitely know how hard change can be. Even though adaptability and flexibility are virtues, far from everyone embraces them. To put it bluntly, it’s nice to be in your comfort zone, even if your life is far from great. When you start taking steps outside of that zone, you feel vulnerable.

What’s more, it can be frustrating if you don’t immediately see any results. However, the small decisions you make every single day add up given enough time—for better or worse.

So, one tip that might help you is that you should have realistic expectations. Don’t believe your own hype that you’ll overhaul your life for the better in a few days. It can take months (or realistically—years) of small changes to get to where you need to be. For example, if you want to live a healthier, happier life but hate exercise, you won’t become an athlete overnight. It’ll take lots of dedication and perseverance to reach your goals.

A good rule of thumb is to make your goals as clear and specific as possible. According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Teaching and Learning, you can use the SMART framework to meet your objectives effectively. Each letter in the acronym stands for the following: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic (what some sources name as Relevant), Time-bound (or Trackable).

To elaborate, your goals must first be very concise and tangible. Next, you have to find a way to measure them so you know whether you’re progressing and can tell if you’ve reached them. Then, the goals should be attainable with the resources you have and the deadlines you’ve set yourself.

You should also consider whether your aims are realistic and relevant to your life. And finally, you have to set deadlines for when you should reach your goals.

Mayo Clinic suggests that if you have a general inclination to eat healthier, you should take the time to get very specific. What exactly does healthy eating look like for you as you get older? What are the unhealthy habits that you struggle with? It’s all very personal. Someone might aim to stop guzzling soda every day or to eat fewer sugary snacks. Another person might aim to eat at least five servings of fruits and veggies every day.

If you want to ‘walk more,’ you should first note how often you go for a walk, how many steps you do on average, and how much time you spend on the go. Then, you can come up with a very specific goal—e.g., doing 5% more steps every week for the next few months. The exacty numbers will depend entirely on your current lifestyle. Heck, it doesn’t even have to be walking that you focus on. Any activity that you enjoy and gets you moving will do.

Meanwhile, if you aim to lose a bit of weight, it’s far healthier to be realistic and aim for one or two pounds and celebrate those victories. The alternative is setting yourself an overly ambitious goal that you might fail to reach quickly, which will only demotivate you. If on top of everything else, you track your achievements (say, in a journal or by taking photos of yourself), you can keep a constant record of all the awesome progress you’ve made.

Do you know anyone who has completely changed their life, whether for good or for ill? Have you ever fundamentally overhauled your career, health, or relationships?

What advice would you give anyone who’s struggling to change for the better? Share your experience and wisdom in the comments, Pandas!