The beauty of a "Fresh Start" is that it can be anything you want it to be … from shaking up your old routines to celebrating a new career, or heading off in an entirely new direction for a complete reinvention. It doesn't mean you don't value the life you’ve created up to now, just that you are ready for the next phase in your natural evolution on your journey to living your life to the fullest.

1. 10 Surprising
Ways to Create a
Fresh Start

2. It’s natural to associate making a “Fresh
Start” with the beginning of a New Year, or
major life change, but consider this
definition of the term ...
“An opportunity to start over
without prejudice.”
A Fresh Start doesn’t have to be triggered
by a date on a calendar or external event,
you can create a fresh start at any time you
choose whether it’s the beginning of a new
month, your birthday, a move, a new job,
or simply deciding you are no longer
willing to tolerate certain circumstances
(or people) in your life.

4. While any one of the following strategies
can be used to ignite a “Fresh Start” in
your life, believing that you are capable
and deserving of better circumstances
will play a key role. If you doubt either,
any attempt to change will feel like trying
to drive with one foot on the gas and one
on the break.
It’s okay to start small, but challenge
yourself to celebrate whatever action you
choose to take as a turning point in which
you are consciously opening yourself to a
new opportunity for growth. This will
serve to create focus and fuel your
motivation.

5. Every time you choose to stay comfortable
instead of challenge yourself to try
something new, every time you avoid a
difficult conversation or agree to do
something you don’t want to do in order
to keep the peace, you are saying no to an
opportunity for growth.
So maybe you’re not ready to say “yes” to
bungee jumping off a bridge, but there are
plenty of other things you can say yes to.
#1 SAY “YES” TO YOU

6. How about saying yes to your own needs
by admitting you could use some help
instead of always shouldering burdens
yourself?
You could take a class, write that book
that's been rattling around in the back of
your mind, or commit to make self-care a
priority by setting aside just half an hour
or an hour each day to do whatever YOU
want to do.

8. The reasoning behind this twist on the
standard task list is simple … for
everything you choose to say “yes” to you
have to say “no” to something else.
No matter how hard you try, you can’t say
yes to everything or everyone, and if you
don’t identify the things that take instead
of add value to your life, they will be
relentlessly competing for your attention
with the things you DO want to do.
#2 CREATE A “STOP DOING” LIST

9. There will be things you have no control
over, but most you will, for example …
• Checking email 15 times a day.
• Endlessly rehashing past mistakes and
failed relationships.
• Setting the same goals again and again
(without ever actually doing anything
about them).
• Commitments (or relationships) that
drain your energy.
• Saying “yes” just to keep the peace.
• Waiting for the right time.

10. Some will be habits that need adjusting
or breaking, others strengthening or
setting boundaries, but all will require
you to do some internal work and be
honest with yourself about your needs
and wants, which is why it’s best to do
this in writing.
Writing your thoughts down clears your
mind so you can process your feelings
and emotions, helps you to think in
terms of possibilities, and gives you a
record to refer back to as you continue to
grow.

12. Many people will spend their entire lives
searching for happiness, without ever
taking the time to define what happiness
looks like for them. After all, there is no
such thing as a one-size-fits-all formula,
what makes you happy may be very
different from what makes me happy.
So if you desire to have a happy and
fulfilling life you must first define what
that will actually look and feel like for
you.
#3 DEFINE YOUR HAPPINESS

13. What activities, circumstances, and
people contribute to your state of
happiness and how can you begin today to
eliminate stressors and unwanted things
(see your “Stop Doing” list) to make way
for more of the things that contribute to
your happiness?
This is a great exercise to go through with
your significant other, because if your
respective definitions of happiness vary
widely, it may be time for a reality check
and a conversation.

15. The nature of clutter is that it has a way
of gradually building up over time which
is why it’s so easy to put off dealing with
it until you find yourself facing a pretty
grim mess.
This can be physical clutter, like in that
junk drawer or hall closet, but more
often than we realize it is mental clutter
created by limiting beliefs, personal
history, and unresolved emotional
issues.
#4 CLEAR THE CLUTTER

16. You can decide at any time to begin the
work to identify and release these
burdens once and for all. Yes, it will be
hard, but if you accept nothing else,
accept the truth that hanging on to
useless emotional clutter hurts no one
but YOU.
Each time you successfully clear some
hidden trove of accumulated emotional
sludge you eliminate unnecessary stress
and increase peace of mind, not to
mention your confidence and self-
esteem.

17. Naming and owning your fears is one of
the most powerful things you can do to
change your life for the better.
Fear has a way of turning into one excuse
after another, because no matter how
confident you may feel now, there will
always be fears in your life that are just
the right size. Not too big to completely
stall you, yet big enough to create
resistance that holds you back.
You may not be able to eliminate fear,
but you don’t have to let it define you.
#5 STOP USING FEAR AS AN EXCUSE

19. As comforting and efficient as they can
be, routines have a way of slipping into
unproductive ruts. You may not even
recognize you’re stuck in a rut because
it’s easy to become numbed by the habit
of repeatedly doing things the same way.
But if you find yourself inexplicably low
on energy or experiencing a vague sense
of unhappiness then it’s worth taking a
look at your routines. Sometimes all you
need is to shift some small behaviors and
throw in a few random moments here
and there.
#6 RECOGNIZE A RUT FOR WHAT IT IS

20. Many of us are masters at starting things,
but not so great when it comes to
finishing. Sometimes we get distracted;
other times we lose interest or momentum
or just try to do too many things at one
time.
Just like physical and mental clutter,
unresolved problems, unfulfilled
commitments, decisions or goals left
dangling in the wind take up space in your
mind and sap your energy, confidence, and
self-esteem.
#7 FINISH SOMETHING

21. Spend some time creating a personal
inventory of tasks, goals or decisions
awaiting your attention, then pick out
one of them, maybe it’s a problem you
need to solve or decision you’ve been
procrastinating on making, whatever it
is commit to either finish it or let it go
once and for all.
Repeat as necessary.

23. The great thing about removing useless
clutter is that it makes way for growth,
and every day is an opportunity to take
your world in whole new directions by
learning something new.
Cultivate a curious mind, play, go out on
a limb, let your imagination run wild
once in awhile, challenge yourself to see
the other side of the coin … keep
learning and growing. Read a book in a
genre you normally wouldn’t, take a
class, go someplace you’ve never been,
or start learning a foreign language.
#8 LEARN SOMETHING NEW

24. Trust involves vulnerability, and that is
something most work hard to protect,
especially once we realize that other
people are not always going to behave
the way we expect (or want) them to.
Developing trust is (or should be) a
gradual process of building relationships
that is based on a healthy sense of self-
trust. You may say it’s the other people
you don’t trust, but if you have trouble
making decisions, rehash old failures
and experience fear and worry, then you
are coming up short on self-trust.
#9 LEARN TO TRUST

25. For better or worse, this journey through
life involves some trial and error. There
are no perfect people in this world who
will never hurt or disappoint you, and
sometimes there will be no warning that
someone is about to let you down simply
because that person may not even realize
it themselves.
But if you are willing to do the work to
gradually build self-trust, and allow
others to earn your confidence, you will
find that your world will change for the
better in ways you may never have
imagined possible.

27. It could be that the most important gift
you can give in this life is not material
items at all, but a piece of yourself. You
may say you have nothing of value to give,
but you do, beginning with the example
you set by the way in which you live your
life.
Each time you share your knowledge or
reach out to help or inspire someone (or
don’t), you are building your legacy.
Becoming intentional about your legacy
can create a powerful sense of purpose for
what you choose to give your time and
energy to.
#10 BECOME AWARE OF YOUR LEGACY

28. The beauty of a "Fresh Start" is that
it can be anything you want it to be …
from just shaking up your old routines
to heading off in an entirely new
direction. It's up to you! It doesn't
mean you don't value the circumstances
and people in your life now, just that
you are ready to take the next step in
your natural evolution on your journey
to living your life to the fullest.

29. Marquita Herald
Independent writer, author, resilience coach, founder and chief evangelist at
Emotionally Resilient Living