I didn’t have a single pivotal moment of realisation
I didn’t hate my life
I didn’t scream “There must be more to life than this” every two minutes
For me, the realisation that change was needed built over time and came from a common statement I was hearing from others regularly and I didn’t like it:
“Same shit, different day”
It became my most hated statement to hear.
I would twitch every time I heard it. Then one day those words came out of my mouth.
ENOUGH.
Change itself started slowly and within the safety of my journal. I started with where I was right at that moment. What did my life look like? I documented for a while and noticed I had created a run of the mill kinda existence. As I said I wasn’t unhappy with my life, but I knew there could be more to it.
Then I worked on isolating the things dragging me down that resulted in a “Same shit, different day”.
Initially, I started with the following wants:
- Enjoy time outside of work,
- To make more of that time,
- To have less cleaning and chores, I mean who doesn’t?
- I wanted more free time to relax, to read, to write – all guilt-free.
I started with a vision of what my weekday life would be like after work and what my weekends would look like. A simple vision for my home, and my environment.
- I journaled
- I made plans
- I took action
- I reviewed my progress
- I kept making small changes
I worked until I had exactly the day-to-day life I wanted, not a hint of “Same shit, different day”, though I couldn’t imagine what would follow this first step.
Changes could be seen in all areas of my life, my relationships, and my career/work. Some excellent changes, some disappointing (See article Journaling: the downside. Behaviour analysis has exposed me to some harsh realities and changed a relationship forever)
This first step of returning to an old love of journaling and penning my vision, my wants and my dreams for my environment led to more journaling.
It led to Purple Reset Journals and notebook systems. (check out my vision)
My journals led me to Linkedin and other platforms. Making so many friendships that made me feel less alone in life.
All I wanted, initially, was fewer chores and to do more with the free time I had.
Journaling not only gave me this to me, it gave me a whole lot more.
It’s funny what can come from something so small. My change all started with never wanting to utter that sentence again. I didn’t have all the answers right away – I worked at them, and on them. I challenged myself and asked so many questions.
I didn’t have an instant life-changing moment, I experienced change over time. It felt natural and more importantly sustainable.
❓ What was your “moment” of deciding that sh!t gotta change?