What You Can Change in Your Life in Four Weeks
“Sow an act and you reap a habit, sow a habit and you reap a character, sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
-Samuel Smiles-
It’s important to improve and advance in life and to challenge yourself. Otherwise, you’re likely to get stuck and become bored. However, it’s not always so easy to ‘get your act together’ and make changes, especially if you’ve been doing the same things for years, or even a lifetime.
One useful technique is to set aside four calendar weeks. Because in this time you can acquire a new habit. You might want to change one you don’t like or add a new one. Indeed, according to the latest studies, you don’t need more than 30 days to establish a new habit in your life.
In order to make it easier, define one challenge at a time. Write down your objective and the deadline (four weeks from today) on a piece of paper. In this time, integrate the new habit into your life. It could be anything you want to change that you think might be extremely difficult or impossible to do. For example, quitting smoking, signing up for the gym, starting a diet, or deciding what career to study.
What can you change in just four weeks?
According to research, you can change anything you want in four weeks. Depending on your own levels of perseverance, it may take less or more time, but 30 days is the average. Here are some examples of what you can change:
*Avoid unnecessary expenses. Say you’ve just been paid and have already spent your money on clothes, shoes, and things for the house. It’s another four weeks till you get paid again. During that time, if you find yourself tempted to buy something you don’t need, don’t. Alternatively, find a more affordable solution.
*Start running or exercising. Often, people say they’re going to take up exercise next week but next week never comes. That’s because starting something is so difficult. Spend the next few weeks telling yourself you’re going to do it and you won’t give up anymore. Then, make an effort to maintain the routine of going for a run or going to the gym for 30 days.
*Prepare your food. Make a promise to yourself that, in the next four weeks, you won’t eat fast food or take-out. The benefits for your health will be such that you’ll never want to eat junk food again. Consequently, you’ll always find the time to prepare your meals yourself.
*Improve your communication skills. If you have difficulty speaking in public, conversing without arguing with your partner, or being outgoing at work, you have four weeks to bring out your inner communicative skills.
*Look for a new job. This doesn’t only depend on you and your change of habits but on other factors such as the local economy, the economic crisis, etc. However, if you’re bored with your current job, need to change positions, want to earn more money, or a promotion, it’s always worth a try. Maybe you just need a change of scenery and to actively search for a new job.
*Pay your debts. If your credit card is in the red and you find you need more and more money to pay off your loans or credit but your salary just isn’t enough, put together a four-week plan to pay off your debts. As a matter of fact, you might even afford to save some money.
* Define your personal goals. How would you like to end this year? What goals do you want to accomplish? How can you make your dreams come true? You only need 30 days to decide, define, and refine your goals in the short, medium, or long term. Furthermore, if you still haven’t thought about how you want to see yourself in three months, two years, or even a decade, start imagining it right now.
* Investigate a career: For example, if you want to start studying at university or take a course, do it. In the next four weeks, you can analyze the possibilities available and discover the careers that suit your tastes.