Yet sometimes, it’s not as easy to do as you might think. Sometimes, it can be really tough for you to create a life that you really love. For one reason or another, you may find yourself on the wrong path, for work or in life in general, and it can be soul destroying. And at this point, you need to make a change.

But what kind of change should you make? And how? If you know that you’re not perhaps where you want to be in life, or that you’re not happy, then you need to actively work on turning that around, because you're in control of your life and your happiness.

Nobody else is going to do this for you.

And while transforming your lifestyle for the better may seem scary, it really doesn’t have to be. Because you can do this with a series of small steps that collectively make a huge difference. So let’s take a look at 13 different ideas to inspire and guide you.

13 steps to transforming your lifestyle:

1. Understand yourself

The very first thing that you need to do, before you rush into making decisions to taking action, is to know yourself better. Because if you’re going to transform your lifestyle, you need to know what is going to make you happy. And to do that, you need to know yourself, what you love, what you don’t, and what will make you happy.

2. And where you are now

The next thing that you need to do is be very aware of where you are now, because it’s easy to kid yourself. But when you’re honest with yourself about where you are, how you got here, and why, you can then pinpoint exactly what you’re unhappy with in life and what needs to either change or go.

3. Identify what you want

And now, you’re in the perfect position to identify exactly what it is that you do want from life. Whether it’s travel or write, start a business or a family, to live organically or live big - it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you identify what you want out of life. Knowing what will feed your soul is the first step.

4. Face facts

Perhaps the hardest part of this entire process is being objective and, subsequently, honest with yourself. But we all need to face the facts at some point in our lives. When you’re looking to change your lifestyle, it’s crucial to face up to where you are and how you got here. So, ask yourself - are you in a toxic relationship? Are you pressured by your parents?  Have you made poor choices? The more honest you are, the easier it will feel to make changes that make you happier.

5. Make a small step

And then, you need to act. When you know roughly what you want or what your ideal lifestyle looks like, you need to stop dreaming and start doing. The first step is always the scariest - but it’s also the most empowering. Whether it’s to send an email or join a club or anything else, you’ll always remember this one action as the start of everything.

6. Focus on your health

Sometimes the easiest (and most effective) place to start is with your health, because other areas of your life can seem too intimidating. Plus, when you work on your health levels first, you’re always going to find that you have more energy and you’re in the best possible place to make other changes in your life too. So, work out what you need to do to be healthier. Then, make that a priority for now.  Once your body and mind is healthy then you can make clearer judgements.

7. Set goals

As a step on from that, it might also help you to set health goals. Because if you want to lose weight or change your figure, you need to commit to it. It may be that you want to turn to options such as supplements or hire a personal trainer. Either way, you’ll want to set that goal and commit to it if you’re going to see any change.

8. Look to your passions

Now you need to look at what you’re most passionate about. Whether it’s reading or helping others, travelling or a certain hobby - focus on it. Bring it into your life more. Because when you concentrate on your passions, life always feels more magical.

9. Concentrate on your career

Next up, you’re definitely going to want to take a look at your career. Because for most of us, a lot of time is spent at work - so don’t you want to make sure that you love your job? When this is the case, you need to build a career that you’re passionate about. Even if it means moving into a new field that you love - you need to have the confidence to do this if you’re serious about being happy.  Maybe you can start a new career from home, or combine your love for travelling with a new career?  Your options are endless.

10. Make connections

One of the biggest happiness boosters in life is relationships. We all need people in our lives that make us happy. From friends and colleagues to people with similar interests, family, and a love interest too - each kind of connection will change your life in different ways. So now it’s time to reach out, to make more connections, and boost the relationships in your life - new and old.  And if you're already married then check out these 10 secrets to a happy marriage!

11. Let go of baggage

Now, if you’re really serious about making a change and you want to move forward, then you have to let go of any baggage that you have. Whether this is letting go of a relationship and moving on, or bad friends, or even moving from a certain place and starting afresh! If it’s going to be the best for you, then you have to just let it all go.

12. Do something bold

It may even be that to get things started for you, you need to do something bold! Because sometimes, you can’t just make small changes and feel better. Sometimes, you just have to jump. And we’re not talking quit your job if you don’t have money saved up. But, maybe you need to go travelling? Or does a sky dive? Or quit eating a certain kind of food? Sometimes a bold move is what can really kick start the change in you.

13. Align every single day

Finally, you then also need to make sure that you’re aligning your actions to your mind-set each and every single day. So you want to be happy? Well, what can you do today to accomplish that? If you know what you want, then your actions have to match that. If you’re ambitious and want to climb the career ladder or wuit your job to start a wholesale clothing business, then your everyday activities have to align with that or to your life goals. When you align, you’ll find that you’re well on your way to making a transformation.

Final thoughts 

There you have it. While at first, the idea of changing your life, stepping out of your comfort zone, and trying new things can be terrifying, when you see what it actually takes, you’ll realise that it’s not so bad after all. All it takes is a few steps. A small change here, another change there, and finally, you’re your happiest and healthiest and most grateful self!