Have you been fighting the urge to have a fresh start in life?
Maybe after facing the pandemic and seeing how it changes every aspect of our lives – How we work as people Is changing and more people are embracing working remotely.
It’s changing how we interact with others, and sometimes even how we rush to give others a simple warm hug.
Maybe you are going through a phase, and your heart is yearning for a fresh start in 2023.
I want to tell you that you are not alone, and sometimes wanting to start afresh doesn’t mean you need to change everything about yourself, your personality, your business, or your residence.
Starting afresh may mean that you have to tweak some things in your life.
Before we share steps and tips on starting over, let’s answer this question.
Is a Fresh Start a Good Thing?
A fresh start means an opportunity to start over or try again differently without judging yourself or holding back due to past experiences.
Although, many people fear starting afresh, like moving to get a fresh start, changing their business, and starting afresh, quitting their relationship, and hoping for a fresh start.
Starting afresh is good when we do it for the right reasons.
A little Personal Story:
When the new year began, I had this beautiful list of goals for my business as I began rebranding it in December 2021.
I was excited because, for the first time, I was writing a goal with a SMART plan to back it up.
However, right into February 2022, the feeling and need for a fresh start in business began kicking in, and I fought it off for a whole month.
During this period, I’d sit up all day and not be able to work until I took some time off and identify why I wanted a fresh start.
So, maybe if you feel unhappy about your life right now or a specific aspect of your life, have an honest conversation with yourself and decide if you want to have a fresh start in life or tweak some aspects of your life.
22 Ways to Have a Fresh Start in Life and Turn Your Life Around for Good
1 | Evaluate Your Life and Where you are at
Before you can change anything positively, you’ll need to first identify the cause of the need for a change.
Evaluating your life and where you are right now will give you an idea of why you want to have a fresh start.
Sit down with a paper or a journal, evaluate your life, and answer these questions honestly;
- Who am I? What is my true identity
- Where am I in life right now?
- How am I truly feeling about where I’m at in life?
- How am I validating how I feel? Is it based on how others feel about me or solely on my need for personal growth?
- What are my core values? Am I living and reflecting these values?
- What is important to me, and how can I manifest more of these essential things?
- Am I delighted? How can I be happier?
These are essential questions that can help you search and evaluate yourself on a deeper level and help you see what needs changing and what should remain as you begin a fresh start in life.
So, you have to sit and have this honest conversation with yourself because it will help you make changes and a fresh start in the right direction that aligns with your inner self.
2 | Permit Yourself to Change
Starting afresh is scary and takes a lot of courage, so congratulations on getting to this point.
However, after deciding on having a fresh start, you also need to permit yourself to change.
Accept that your personality is not permanent, and over time you will outgrow the things you were yearning for in the past.
And you speak to yourself about why you need this positive change and why you need a fresh start in life.
Because ultimately, choosing to start over is a huge step in personal growth and personal growth is a journey filled with intentional steps.
So, permit yourself to change those habits, let go of things that make you feel worthless or don’t bring you as much happiness, and your future self will applaud you for taking such giant steps.
3 | Make a New Plan and Set New Personal Goals
Making new plans and setting new personal goals will be your next step after evaluating your life and permitting yourself to change.
During your self-evaluation process, you will discover areas you lack or probably need to make a slight adjustment.
So, you need to set new SMART personal goals and a plan to achieve those goals right off the bat.
For instance, after evaluating your life, you discover you procrastinate a lot.
Maybe this could be why you are stuck at a point or not making so much progress in life.
While starting life afresh, you have to develop a plan to beat procrastination.
Example: create a sheet with all essential tasks and break them down into achievable bits of 5-60 minutes.
This encourages you to start achieving those small tasks around you because you’ll spend less time, and it will feel less overwhelming.
Additionally, when setting new goals, make these goals SMART – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely.
So when setting new goals, create a list of your specific goals and add a time frame for each goal.
Your new SMART personal goals when starting afresh could be something as simple;
- I want to journal for 5 minutes daily.
- I will switch from being a night owl to a morning person and wake up before 6 am daily.
- Avoid eating junk and eat healthily
- I want to start meditating for 45 minutes daily
- I will practice self-care twice a week (Fridays and Sundays).
When starting afresh, your new goals don’t have to be overwhelming.
The most important thing is that you evaluate where you are lacking, and you want to make conscience steps to start your life afresh.
4 | Start With Making One Small Habit Change
If you are still figuring out what it will take to start over or have a fresh start.
Then the thing you should be concerned with is the first small habit you want to change.
Accept it or not, one small change in habit can completely change your life.
Changing just one small habit is completely changing my productivity in 2022.
At the beginning of the new year, I decided I wanted to switch from being a Night Owl to a morning person.
Because I noticed that sleeping late at night was affecting my health and general productivity.
And I started going to bed early and rising before 6 am. Changing this habit is also making a positive change in my work life and health. I have enough time to finish my daily task, sleep, and rest.
So, if you want to have a fresh start before changing your life’s big goals and habits. Start with a minor change in a habit; this can change your life.
5 | Be More Positive and Optimistic
When making a fresh start, thinking positively and being optimistic will help you not feel the overwhelming fear of starting over.
Believe this, it takes a lot of courage to start afresh and more courage to smile through challenges, especially when dealing with the fear of the unknown.
Often, the negative thoughts you’ll experience as a result of starting afresh in life result from fear and usually the fear of the unknown.
The fear that comes with the “what if’s.”
But you can only suppress negative thoughts and fear with positive actions and affirmations.
So you need to keep speaking positive affirmations, and over time, your mind will accept that there will be good things installed for you as you start over.
6 | Stop Doing Things you Don’t Want to do
You know the famous saying that “actions have consequences? “Yeah, that’s right.
When starting afresh, consider yourself a baby trying to be reborn.
You intentionally need to take the right actions and feel you are your best self.
To achieve the state of being your best and happy self, you need to stop doing the things you don’t want to do.
When I stopped seeking other people’s validation, it helped me stop being a people pleaser, which changed how I do things and my aim.
Lately, I live a calm and straightforward life doing all things my future self will be proud of while maintaining positive energy around me.
But I was able to make these changes after evaluating myself, and I discovered some things in my life that need changing.
So, when making a fresh start, make the right decisions and do the right things that make you feel happy.
7 | Set New Boundaries
Setting boundaries can change the trajectory of your journey when making a fresh start.
Your new boundaries could be the kind of people you let into your life and the words you allow people to speak or say to you.
How do you relate with people socially and emotionally?
Setting new boundaries can help you block out negativity and noise when starting afresh in life.
In 2020 when I was moving to a new state on National service, I knew it was the right opportunity to start afresh.
The first thing I did is set a new boundary. I stopped allowing people with negative energy and vibes that leaves me drained around me.
I had this friend with who I had to have an honest conversation about how he triggers and gaslights me.
It wasn’t an easy conversation, but it has gone a long way as we have found better ways to be friends without affecting either of us negatively.
So, look around, and find a simple boundary you can set that will truly change your life.
8 | Journal Your Thoughts
When making a fresh start, you can feel vulnerable and even the rush of overwhelming feelings sipping all over your body and if this happens, consider it normal.
However, journaling your thoughts and practising intentional journaling can help you feel better.
There are different journaling prompts for self-improvement, positive affirmations, and starting over.
Your journal can be an outlet to let out those emotions, discover yourself more, and find new meanings in life.
I thought about making a fresh start in 2022 and March precisely. I knew this change was essential.
But I was scared and bulged down with the overwhelming feeling of the fear of the unknown.
So I set out to Journal for 5 minutes a day about how I truly felt, what I want, and what I need.
Journaling changed my perception and helped me to accept change.
Do you feel overwhelmed with starting life afresh? Then it’s time for you to journal your thoughts.
9 | Reinvent Yourself
When making a fresh start, you’ll need to let go of some of your old ways and habits that may hold you from seeing the positive results you wish to experience.
Software is continuously updated from version 1 to 2.0 and frequently new versions for better functionality and user experience.
That’s how you are supposed to reinvent yourself and work on becoming better.
To reinvent yourself, start by visualizing the kind of person you want to be, make new choices, start trying and learn lessons from your efforts as you grow.
10 | Close the Chapter and Forgive Yourself
It can be difficult to start afresh in life and create new beginnings if you haven’t healed from what hurt you, forgive yourself for mistakes you’ve made in past, and close the last chapter before getting a fresh start.
When closing a chapter behind to start afresh, you need to forgive yourself and heal from all that hurts you.
See things from a new perspective and distance yourself from people or activities that trigger your past.
Most importantly, be open to trying new things, meeting new people, taking on new activities, jobs, relationships, and friends, and finding new meanings to living.
Although, closing a chapter of your life and moving on to have a fresh start in life may not be easy.
And closing the chapter behind you and moving on is essential for new beginnings.
11 | Accept What you Can’t Change.
Accepting what you can’t change will change your approach to dealing with situations.
And when having a fresh start in life, how you’ll react or deal with situations around you is essential.
I have a habit of weighing situations around me instead of focusing my energy on what I can’t control or change.
I focus my energy on the things within my control and find a way out of situations.
However, you must understand that you can’t control or change the past, so accepting the things you can’t change will help you move on faster.
When trying to start afresh, if something from the past surfaces, you have to be willing to accept it, own up to your actions, apologize where necessary, and move on.
You can’t control the past, no one can, and no one will, but you can have complete control and influence your future.
12 | Meet New People
If you desire a fresh start in life, meeting new people that share similar values, goals, and interests you hope to attain is one fast way to get on the right and quickly start over.
Associating with people who are also intentionally changing their lives or are already where you want to be will help you start afresh.
So, search for Facebook groups and communities where you can find people with similar interests and make intentional connections.
Another way to find healthy connections that will help you set your life as you start over is by joining volunteering groups.
The idea of making new friends is to have you step out of your comfort zone and find a support system.
Especially when you are trying to heal, or move out of your state of residence to have a fresh start.
13 | Consume New Contents
The content we consume daily affects our perception of things and our surroundings.
Making a fresh start in life also involves being intentional about the kind of books you read, videos you watch, songs you listen to, and generally the contents you consume.
If you want your life to move rightly, read more educational books on self-development, self-improvement, and areas you feel you are lacking and need more help.
Listen to good Podcasts, create some time in your day and consume good content because you will feel grateful when you realize the amount of change this will bring you.
14 | Practice Meditation
When starting afresh, meditation is one great way for creating a new kind of energy and mindset. Eventually, boost your mood and reduce stress levels and anxiety.
Starting fresh is no easy task. It takes continuous reassurance and commitment to growth for you to feel you are on the right track.
I question my decision to have a fresh start in a new state, away from everyone and everything I have known.
But over time, meditation reduced my anxiety. Now I feel it’s one of the best decisions in 2021.
15 | Celebrate Your Little Wins
Sometimes we get caught in the rat race of wanting more, and smashing big goals, and we fail to take a break to see all the good things happening in our lives and around us.
However, every little win you achieve, a small habit you change, a new goal you crush. All wins deserve a celebration when starting afresh.
Because celebrating your little wins and achievements will fuel and charge you to chase the bigger goals.
Celebrating your little wins changes your mindset and helps you build the “I can do it” mentality.
16 | Be Patient with Yourself and your Journey
Patience is a virtue, and you need to be patient with yourself while making a fresh start in life.
Every good thing that is worth something takes time, and starting afresh is not a destination.
Starting afresh in life is a journey of personal development.
While on this journey to change and turn your life around for good, be patient and kind to yourself.
We often fail to show ourselves some level of kindness because we expect others to be kind to us.
And sometimes, we constantly judge ourselves without mercy, patience, or kindness.
17 | Never Stop Trying
Because you have a fresh start in life doesn’t remove you from facing life’s challenges.
Life will throw challenges at you, and you may face judgment from others or yourself.
Some things you expect to go in a positive direction may fail, but one thing you should never do is give up or stop trying.
You will have to wake up each day and remind yourself why you chose to have a fresh start and keep moving.
Journaling daily, even for 5-minutes, will help you express this thought. So, give journaling a try.
18 | Focus on Living a Healthier Lifestyle
Living a healthy lifestyle encompasses your emotional, physical, and mental well-being. And a healthy lifestyle is essential when starting afresh.
You cannot live a quality life if you lack emotionally, mentally, and physically.
So, evaluate your lifestyle, and get rid of habits, food, and things that don’t help you stay healthy.
For example, I love to stay indoors since I work from home, and I noticed I pant when doing little activities.
So, I recently started incorporating daily exercise into my routine for 30-45 minutes, and I’m off.
Also, I’m significantly reducing my consumption of carbonated drinks. And it feels so real because I have gone 2-months with just a bottle or two carbonated drinks.
However, I did not switch from drinking carbonated drinks almost daily to staying for a month without them.
I started with drinking natural homemade fruit juice and drinks, and slowly, I started removing carbonated drink from my meals.
Changing these habits one step at a time will help you start afresh and build a healthy lifestyle.
19 | Keep Only healthy Relationships
When having afresh in life, you need to keep healthy relationships because you are like a toddler trying to find your feet again.
One wrong step, and you are down to where you started.
Keeping healthy relationships and having a support system that encourages, hold, and cheer you on as you progress.
Although, if you don’t have that kind of support right now. It’s okay! You’ll find new people, but keep your connections and relationships healthy.
Stay away from people who bring bad energy to you or make you feel less, like a failure, and generally don’t care or encourage you as you make your baby steps and have a fresh start.
20 | Declutter your Home and Wardrope
As you declutter your life and toxic people, also declutter your wardrobe and home.
Put away items that bring bad memories or constantly remind you of the past.
Decluttering your wardrobe and home can make you feel better.
You will have more space, fresh air, and a feeling of relief after getting rid of all items with painful memories.
You can give away clothes you don’t wear, books, and items in good condition, and you have no use for them.
Or you can also sell these items or exchange them for other things you need.
21 | Step out of Your Comfort Zone
Giving life a fresh start feels like you are already stepping out of your comfort zone, and most times, it comes with the fear of the unknown.
You become so conscious and scared that you don’t want to make mistakes, try new things, or take on new challenges or opportunities.
If you feel this way already, it’s okay, but you need to step out of your comfort zone.
Do you want new friends? Reach out and make new friends.
Do you need a new job? Start applying for a job.
Additionally, the idea is to become a better version of who you used to be and start afresh.
22 | Practice Gratitude Mindest
Practising a gratitude mindset will help you see how strong you are, and how far you’ve come.
Be grateful for the opportunity to start over. Not everyone gets that.
Be grateful for the intentional connections, friendships, and new opportunities you will gain as you start afresh.
Using a gratitude journal to document your thoughts, wins, and journey will help you look back and be grateful for never quitting.
Finally, on 22 Ways to Start afresh in life.
Starting afresh in life is a journey, and when you finally decide that you want a fresh start in life.
Know it’s a journey where you have to be honest with yourself, patient, and kind.
And you don’t have to change everything on this list in one day. Always remember to change one habit at a time and focus on results rather than failure.
You will face challenges when starting afresh, and some days you will want to quit, but remember, if you don’t give up, your future self will be so grateful.
As you build version 2.0 of yourself, what are you willing and excited to try out?
What habit did you change that made a significant impact on your life? Do share in the comments.
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