This Is How You Can Realistically Change Your Life (for the Better) in 2024
New year, new you. For real this time.
The new year is approaching! It’s time to make your New Year's resolutions and then forget about them 10 days later.
Okay, that was a little negative. But, we are all guilty of creating new goals and then failing to achieve them time after time.
This year can be different though.
This is the year you can create change that lasts so that many years later you can look back and say, “2024 was the year that changed it all.”
Are you ready for a new year and a new you? For real this time!?
The toughest question: Who are you?
Yeah sorry - I had to start with a question that will make you click back in your browser.
The reason for that is I only want readers who intend to create lasting change.
This is the truth… If you are too afraid to figure out who you actually are, or unable to figure out who you are, you will have a very hard (likely impossible) time trying to change your life for the better.
You still have time before the new year - use some of it to figure out who you are.
This could be done while meditating, walking, journaling, or whatever method of reflection works best for you.
Once you figure out who you are, you can move to the next point.
A power exercise: What do you want?
This is an exercise that I want you to do with NO SHAME! There is no right or wrong answer, and there is no limit to the quantity or size of your answers.
Take a paper and a pen, and write down everything you want.
You can spend hours doing this, or just hammer it out in 10 minutes - up to you.
This list could include a (or 20) car(s) you want, a house in a specific location, the guy you dream about or even what meal you wish you could eat every day.
Write it all down.
Here are a few examples from my list:
A house in West Vancouver
As many kids as I can afford
An Aston Martin as a daily touring car
Pho for breakfast, sushi for lunch, and steak for dinner
To run a business I truly enjoy that makes 8 figures in revenue
Go ahead… start writing.
Now, organize that mess.
All of these wants are things you don’t have. Doesn’t matter whether you have 5 or 50, it can be a little weird to look at this list and realize that a lot of these wants are all currently unattainable.
They are “wants” after all, so don’t let that discourage you.
So, the ultimate question is: “How can we make these wants attainable?”
The first thing you have to do is to organize them into categories. These categories are based on what is preventing you from getting them.
Most of these wants should fall into a few different categories:
Money
Time
Effort
Impossible
Let me give a few examples of what would be in each of these categories.
Money: A car, house, trip around the world, etc.
Time: Building a relationship with your parents or kids, building a business, etc
Effort: Getting a 6-pack, building a business, getting a big promotion, etc
Impossible: Bringing someone back to life, time travelling, etc
Once you’ve organized your wants, it will be obvious what you need to work on the most.
What do you need to work on?
For myself, money is typically the category that needs the most attention.
What is it for you?
If it’s not obvious, you must have a balanced life (which is great) or, you weren’t honest with yourself.
Let’s go over what each one means for you.
Money
If money is the area that needs the most attention, you will need money to change your life.
Duh.
What this means though, is that you now know that you either need to work on getting a promotion, learning about investments (or finding a good advisor), starting a business, building your business, starting a side hustle, or just getting a job in the first place.
Honestly, you may just have a spending problem.
The point is, you now know a lack of money is the problem.
Do something about it.
Make it your priority.
Time
Time being the biggest issue can mean a couple of different things.
The most common reason is that you simply have your priorities in the wrong order. You are spending your time on things that you don’t value the most.
Alternatively, it could also mean that you have the time, but you haven’t started working on what matters.
2024 is your chance to fix your schedule, and put time into what will get you closer to your “wants”.
Effort
You know what this means you lazy ass.
The only reason you haven’t got what you want is because you haven’t made the effort to do it.
However, maybe you are making the effort and what you actually need is more time.
For example, you want that dream body and you’ve been putting in work. But, it’s only been 3 months. That means you need to keep going, and with enough time and effort, you will get there.
Time and effort often go hand in hand. Your priorities are out of wack so you’re spending time and effort on the wrong things.
You haven’t put in the effort (or time) to grow your business.
You haven’t put in the effort (or time) to go to the gym 5 times a week instead of 3.
You haven’t put in the effort (or time) to go see your parents.
See what I’m getting at?
It’s time to get your shit together.
Impossible
I feel for you. I want some impossible things too.
I’d love to go see what happens inside a black hole and come out the other side. I would also love to go back in time and have a conversation with Genghis Khan. I’m super curious how his mind worked.
These things are impossible though and what we want to focus on are the things we can control.
Be careful though.
Some things are not impossible despite what others might tell you.
It’s time to take action
Now that you’ve gotten this far, taking action is the only thing left to do.
The best way to take action is by making a routine and creating habits, that will help your wants become a reality.
Build a routine that forces you to spend time with your loved ones often.
Create habits that will help you take your business to the next level.
And create a routine and habits that will get you that dream body.
These things are all in your hands. You have full control to do whatever you want with your life.
But, you need to start now because I bet most of your wants will take more than a year.
So, 2024 might not go down as the year that you got that Aston Martin, but it can go down as the year that you took the appropriate steps, and started putting the time and effort into what eventually got you that car in 2025.
The ball is in your court.
Closing remarks and takeaways
The only thing you control in this life is yourself. If you want to make meaningful change in your life, you have to take action and stay consistent every day.
To wrap it up:
Figure out who you are
Decided what you want
Organize your wants into categories
Analyze what you need to work on
Take action
2024 is near. Pick what kind of year you want this to be.
Thanks for reading