Feeling stuck or unhappy? You know something needs to change

Like you, I've been stuck. I've been stuck in a job I didn't like. It was paying the bills. I liked the people I worked with. I knew I wanted something else, but the thought of jumping out of my comfort zone terrified me. I stayed in the job for years. I decided I would sit there and stay comfortable.

But then I realised that I really was unhappy and life was passing me by. I saw a sign on the tube door saying "It is safer to stay on the train than attempting to get off." I suddenly had a realisation that I was staying safe on my 'train' and although it was dangerous to get off, I wanted the excitement of an unknown journey.

I know it's a cliché, but life is short, and if you don't make the most of it, it passes by far too quickly. So, after 5 years, I made the big decision to leave. I gave my notice and got very excited about planning my next adventure. It has been a long journey for me, but I am finally doing what I love and I am passionate about helping other people do the same.

I want to share with you some quick tips to making the change you want in your life. In just the space of a week, you can get well on the way to changing your life. Here's a guide of what to do each day to give your life a kick-start on the journey to getting what you want. What's a week in terms of the whole of your life? Don't worry if you can't do these things on consecutive days, take your time - but remember that you are investing time in creating more time doing what you want to do!

Day 1 - take a breather. Find some time to take away from the normal pace of life. Even if it's only for a half an hour or so. Go somewhere and really have a think about your life and how it is. How do you want it to be? What small thing could you change to make a difference to how you felt?

Day 2 - talk to someone about what you are thinking. Someone once said "I know myself best when I hear myself speak" - I think that is completely true. Find someone who'll listen and ask if they can help you find out what you want to change. Just ask them if they will listen - they don't need to give advice, just a space for you to talk through everything.

Day 3 - once you have identified what you want to change, make a list or vision board of all the things you could do that would be a great change. Imagine what your future would look like. Get clear on the detail of the wonderful future you want for yourself. How would it feel to be there - to be living in that great future?

Day 4 - work out the steps you need to take to get you there. Imagine that time travel was possible. Tomorrow, when you wake up, you could have a visit from your future self. This future you has come back in time to pay you a visit and help you work out how to get to the perfect life you want. They want to help you plan your actions so that you can get where you want to be. What would they say to you? Write down 5 things that they would say to you to get you started on your path to your ideal future.

Day 5 - start working through your action plan to get you there. Take the steps and celebrate each step you have taken in a way that is meaningful to you. Some people like to make a to-do list and tick off the actions when they have completed them. Others reward themselves with a treat when they have taken an action. Whatever works for you.

Day 6 - consolidate what you have done and make a plan to ensure that you keep going on this journey of change until you have reached your big future goal of a very happy life.

Good luck with this, and please let me know how you get on. What worked for you? Did you try something else that worked? I'd love to hear your successes and challenges.

Here's to your ideal future!