Do you feel ready to redesign your life, but aren’t sure how to get started?

Don’t worry, redesigning can be whatever you make it. It can be as easy as just tweaking or rearranging the pieces of your life; or you can go for a complete makeover.

Think about it in terms of redesigning one of the rooms of your house.

Imagine sitting in your living room and looking at all the pieces of furniture, the art work, the rug and the wall units.

You remember how well everything worked together and how much you liked it when you first decorated. You chose the pieces, the colors, where to put the couch, the TV and the photos for a reason: a reason that fit with who you were and what you wanted at that time.

Yet now, everything in the room feels “off.” It no longer fits You or the lifestyle you want today. So, you decide to redesign.

You could just change the colors and style of the throw pillows, the curtains and the rug. Or, you could choose to buy all new furniture and start with a clean slate.

Either way, you’re ready to make positive changes to create something new and different in your living room. The same process and thinking can relate to redesigning your life.

Our lives are constantly changing, evolving and transitioning from one season to another; whether we like it or not. We experience beginnings, endings, detours, twists and turns and surprises along the way.  

It would be nice if the different pieces of our lives just fell into the “right” place all by themselves, but that has not been my experience or the experience of my clients. Instead, I’ve had to redefine, realign and redesign my path countless times.

Here’s the truth: with every transition, new season or redirection, there’s change both inside ourselves and outside in our lives. We grow, we learn, we see things differently and we have new dreams and goals.

Many times, those shifts are subtle and still feel “right” in our current life. Yet, sometimes the inner shifts or outer circumstances are so great that our current lifestyle feels “off.” So, we need to change or adjust our life to “fit” who we are now, who we want to become or how we want to live.

That’s when it’s time to re-design!

Your kids have grown, and your weekends are now your own. Except, you don’t know what to do.  Rediscover your passions and redesign your life.

You’re stressed and completely out of balance. All you do is work and take care of everyone and everything else. Make your self-care a priority and redesign your life.

You’ve lost touch with your friends. Things change, they’ve moved on. You feel isolated and alone. Make new friends and redesign your life.

You’ve been living on auto-pilot doing all the right things. Yet, you’ve lost your way, direction, and sense of purpose. Reconnect with your authentic self and redesign your life.

Your plans didn’t work out. Your business failed. You made some mistakes and bad decisions. You’ve lost time, energy, motivation, and money. Forgive yourself and redesign your life.

You’ve gained weight. You’ve been eating junk and you’re too tired to exercise. You hate the way you look and feel. Take one tiny step in a healthier direction and redesign your life.

The foundation of your life is shaken. You get sick. A friend gets cancer. Your pet is aging. A parent dies. You question everything.  Be kind to yourself and redesign your life.

How To Start To Re-Design Your Life:

Step 1: Assess Your Here and Now

Before I move, I need to stop and be still. I need to know and accept where I am now. For me, that means spending some time in prayer and meditation to ask for guidance. For you, it might mean taking a walk, listening to music, or reading an uplifting message. Start with anything that calms your mind and lets you connect with your spirit. Then make a list of what is and isn’t working in your situation. I find that putting my thoughts on paper removes the emotional charge and gives me a more objective outlook.

Step 2: Evaluate Your Options

Review your list and symbolically cross out what isn’t working. You don’t want to continue that! Next create another list of possible solutions. Start by brainstorming your options without thinking, no matter how silly you think they might be.

This exercise opens your mind to the possibilities and adds a little levity to what maybe a very challenging situation. Next, ask yourself a series of questions to help narrow down your options to a few choices. The top three I start with are these.

1. Is this option realistic for my life today?
2. What would be involved in making this choice or change a reality?
3. Does anyone else in my family need to be on board for me to make this happen?

Step 3: Choose Your Destination and The Best Way to Get There.

Once you’ve narrowed your options to three or less, it’s time to pick the one that intuitively feels the best and commit. Remember, this does not have to be your forever decision. It’s just going to be your next best step. Now you’re ready. You know where you want to go, but how will you get there? This is where you gather the information you need to pick the best way of “travel” for your life, your personality and your desires. Remember, there is always more than one way to get to the same place and your best may not be someone else’s.

 Step 4: Create Your Roadmap & Time Table

You’re all set. You know where you want to go and how to get there, but what do you need to bring on your journey? What resources, tools and expertise already exists in your life and what do you need to add? Do you have a support system or a team of people that will encourage and support you as you make your changes? If not, where can you get additional support? Determine what you have or need in your life to make your transition as easy and effective as possible. Set yourself up for success as much as you can.

Step 5: Take Your First Step and Continue each Day

Now it’s time to act. You know where you want to go, how you are going to get there and have everything you need for your journey. That’s great if your journey is quick and simple, but what if it’s not?  What if your change or transition or redesign will take months or years before you reach your destination? What if you get tired or have another detour on this new adventure? What will keep you focused and moving forward?

I suggest breaking your overall journey into small, actionable steps that can be taken every day. This is something that has helped me stay on course repeatedly. Small daily doable actions make me feel more empowered to keep moving forward.  I focus on the daily tasks and before I know it, I’ve created the bigger change and arrived at my destination.

Some final thoughts on your journey to redesign your life….

Regardless of when, how, or why, it’s never too late. You can conquer a new challenge, redirect an existing focus, or come back to a passion that you abandoned years ago. It’s not always easy, sometimes a little scary; but always possible.

Remember that you get to define your own life redesign. It can be whatever you choose to make it. Whether it’s a little tweak or a massive makeover, be sure to celebrate every step along the way. Acknowledge your courage and boldness to walk down a new path. It takes faith and trust to step out into the unknown. Be proud of yourself! View the process as an adventure and have fun with it.

Once you’ve reached the other side — to the new you, the new home, the new job, the new dream — you’ll experience a sense of freedom, triumph and empowerment that will stay with you always.  You’ll understand how full of possibilities life is and how capable you are of reinventing, redirecting and redesigning, if you choose.

YOUR TURN……….

If you’re feeling up to it, I’d love to hear from YOU.

Are you ready to redesign in your life? What does it mean to you and what’s your first step?

Please share your experiences in the comments below.

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Remember, you were made to thrive,

Eleni

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