2020 has not been kind to anybody, but it has undoubtedly been a year of change and opportunities. We have all been taken by surprise by the lockdowns and restrictions, and we had to quickly patch up the various aspects of our work and personal life. However, now, in light of all the changes that have taken over our lives over the past few months, we can start planning for a brighter year ahead.
And, with the new year just a few days away, it is the best time to visualize how you want your lifestyle to look like and what changes need to be made. So, why not making it your new year’s resolution to create an upgraded, more comfortable, and luxurious lifestyle for yourself? Regardless of what budget is available to you at the moment, there are a few simple changes to implement today to start living the life you have always dreamed of. Start from the ones below.
Work on Creating a Mindset of Abundance
Before getting started with strategies and plans to work more, make more money, and finally buy that house you have always wanted, it is crucial to create a drastic shift in your mindset. Indeed, many of us are trapped in a mindset of scarcity, where not much can be achieved, and change is not at our fingertips. This mentality has only be worsened by the difficulties we have gone through over the past months.
However, now you can do much more than just patch up things up and limit the damages caused by the past months. You can do so by working towards changing your mindset towards one of abundance and success.
Indeed, there are endless resources out there for you to use and create more richness for yourself and your community – in all aspects of life, not just financially!
Some of the strategies you might decide to use to tap into this powerful mindset include:
- Focus on what you have, including time, skills, a solid network, or other valuable resources. Think about how you can make the most of them.
- Create the right environment for success. Re-valuate your friendship and workplace environment and make sure the people around you can lift you and encourage you.
- Practice gratitude on a daily basis. Be thankful for the resources you have, and don’t fall for the trap of believing that you don’t have enough to create positive change.
- Introduce mindfulness practice into your life. Studies have seen that as little as 15 minutes of meditation a day can help you increase your self-awareness, reduce stress, and change some established pathways in the brain. It can be the best way to embrace a different outlook on life.
Understand Your Spendings
Preparing your mind to embrace change is undoubtedly a powerful process to go through. However, it is also important to re-evaluate your current lifestyle and identify those areas that are burning your resources. Usually, the way we spend our savings and make investments represent crucial aspects to consider.
Therefore, it is important to truly understand what consequences your spendings and purchases have on your lifestyle. This does not mean that you have to stop buying the things you need or can improve your lifestyle. Instead, you just need to be more mindful about how loans and payments can affect your lifestyle.
For example, if you are in the process of buying a home, but you are not clear on your future projects, you might consider saving up for a bigger deposit and committing to a shorter-term mortgage. This choice allows you to repay your property quickly and be free to make future choices.
Instead, if you are looking at treating yourself with a new car, make sure you know how repayments and loans will affect your lifestyle in future years. Tools such as a car loan calculator can help you understand what you can afford and what to plan for in the future.
Create a Healthier Environment in Your Home
Our homes’ environment often has a far greater influence on our health and lifestyle than we often realize. However, this is not difficult to understand, especially as we are all spending an increasing amount of time within our four walls. And, of course, over the past few months, our homes have also played the role of gyms, offices, cinemas, and restaurants.
With so much time to spend in your home, it is crucial to invest in creating a positive, healthy, and inspiring environment that can support your upcoming projects.
Some tips for creating a positive environment within your home include:
- Swap chemicals for all-natural products.
- Test the indoor air quality,
- Bring nature in with plants and natural materials.
- Fill your fridge with fresh and seasonal produce.
- Invest in long-lasting items and furniture that won’t require a replacement soon.
- Swap heavy curtains for lighter drapes or shutters to let fresh air and natural light in.
Lately, don’t forget to keep your home free of clutter. Indeed, clutter has been seen to be extremely influential on our mental and physical wellbeing. In a cluttered room or space, we feel more stressed, irritable, and tired. Additionally, the brain struggles more to focus and concentrate on a cluttered and disorganized space.
Don’t Be Afraid to Take a Risk.
Of course, hard work will pay off. However, not all hard work will help you achieve the type of lifestyle you have always dreamed of achieving. Indeed, working for hours without a plan or objective might slightly increase the amount in your savings account and keep you afloat, but it is not always the best way to achieve financial independence and comfort.
Therefore, sometimes, taking a risk and turn your passion or idea into a profitable business can help you change this situation around. Naturally, when taking a risk, it is crucial to have a safety net, which could be represented by extra help or consistent savings.
Nonetheless, if you have been thinking of giving your idea a try and finally pursue a specific objective, you should consider doing so. Especially if you are unhappy in your job position or you wish to increase your earnings, this choice might renew your motivation and help you thrive in the mentality of abundance.
Additionally, there are some aspects of taking on a new challenge that you should consider. A study shows how, when our brain focuses on a certain aspect or outcome, we only focus on that single aspect, cutting out from our vision other potential opportunities and chances.
When taking on a new challenge or deciding to pursue a new project, you are turning this mentality around and retraining your brain to see new ways out and opportunities. Therefore, even if your initial project does not yield the results you had hoped for, you can count on a powerful shift in mindset. So, when taking on your future projects, your brain can start to recognize new opportunities and solutions that were invisible to you before the mindset shift.
Cut on Unnecessary Expenses
While changing your mindset and taking on new challenges is at the core of conquering the lifestyle you have always wanted to live. It is also crucial to understand your spendings and cut down on unnecessary expenditures.
Of course, we all take pleasure in meeting our friends, going out, and treating ourselves to nice restaurant meals. And, there is nothing wrong with this when it happens occasionally! Make sure you are creating a healthy balance between living your life to the fullest and protecting the resources you have worked so hard to accumulate.
Look After Your Health
If you are looking at increasing your income, pursuing a passion, or undertake a complete transformation of lifestyle and habits, you will surely find someone in your community to support you and encourage you. However, the real change does happen within yourself, and nobody can motivate you so much to complete such changes for you.
Therefore, it is crucial for you to be at your best mentally and physically when undertaking such drastic changes in your life. Looking after your health should not be considered a luxury, and you should spend time truly understanding what gives you energy, clarity of mind, awareness, calm, and motivation. Changing your habits, exercising, meditating, reading, and paying attention to your nutrition are only some of the aspects to keep in mind.
Give Back to the Community
For many of us, volunteering and donating to a charity is something we plan to do once we are financially comfortable. Indeed, we all spend the majority of our time making money or trying to make more money than we already have. However, thriving without a supporting community can be difficult or, depending on the type of project or change you are taking on, impossible. Therefore, you should consider starting giving back to your community today. This does not have to imply monetary donations. However, you might consider spending time at an animal sanctuary or looking after others around you. While this might require you to dedicate some time and resources to a cause, it can help you discover some aspects of yourself that you had not thought of before and make you happier.
Thanks for reading and y’all stay dandy.
-Diego
Follow me on Instagram and Pinterest for more menswear inspiration.
(Some of these links contain affiliate links, so that means if you click and buy something, I get a cut. It helps keep the site going! Full Disclosure)