Simple life changes make a big difference

Sometimes making sweeping resolutions can prove fruitless in the long run, whilst taking smaller steps can prove more successful.

If you feel areas of your life could benefit from a drastic overhaul, you may want to consider making small, realistic changes rather than diving right in and setting one ultimate goal.

Whether you want to change careers, set up your own business, or reboot your relationship, transformation takes time and requires long-term commitment. To ensure you can make long-lasting changes, we advise on taking small, realistic steps.

Reboot your relationship 

If your relationship is making you unhappy, deciding to do something about the situation (particularly if children are involved) can be a very difficult change. Some people may feel breaking up is the only solution, although this can be a scary step for both parties involved.

It is important to remember that it is possible to save an unhealthy relationship, and to repair the cracks causing any unhappiness. If you are worried, spend some time engaging with your partner to discuss what has gone wrong in the relationship and how this can be resolved. Often lack of communication is a key factor in the breakdown of relationships so aim to reconnect before making a drastic decision.

Make dreams a reality

Many people will hold back from pursuing their dreams – often out of fear that they will fail – and so resign themselves to jobs or relationships that they don’t really enjoy.

Having concerns is natural, but in many cases people will let their fears drown out their dreams. Others will only take a leap of faith when they have no other option (i.e. following redundancy) or when a time of crisis triggers a decision to pursue something that really matters to them.

In order to achieve your dreams in a sensible and steady way that will help to relax your fears, take time to think about what you really want to do – even if it is only in one small area of your life. Map out your plans and deconstruct the dream in order to make it seem more achievable.

Crack down on your career 

According to a new study of 2,000 women, only a third were happy in their work, whilst three out of 10 admitted that work was severely impacting their personal life.

Shaking up your career can be a scary prospect, but just because you once enjoyed your job doesn’t mean you have to stick at it for the rest of your life. Before quitting your current role, take your time to figure out what you really want to do and how you’re going to do it. Do your research and speak to other people in your chosen field so you can learn from their mistakes.

Stay focused

Staying focused on your goals is important for keeping you committed to the cause. Write them down regularly to keep them in mind, and don’t feel like you have failed if you haven’t achieved one within the time frame that you set yourself.

Alternatively, don’t rush into another one to make up for this, for it can lead to a negative cycle that will leave you feeling disheartened time and time again. Achieving goals is a process of trying, and if you do not maintain optimism throughout, you are unlikely to succeed.

If you require extra support and advice in your relationships or career, you may want to consider coaching. Sessions with a life, career or relationships coach can be beneficial for helping to steer you in the right direction and for keeping you motivated. To find out more, please see our relationships, career and personal development pages.

View and comment on the original Daily Express article.