Inspiration | Life
5 Steps to Change
What do you want from life?
Did you know there is a constant that affects every life, all of nature, our world, and the entire universe? Wherever time exists, it exists. Nothing is untouched by it, and It is happening to you now.
Read on to learn more about this incredible, unchangeable constant.
The unchangeable constant
Have you guessed what this unchangeable constant is? It exists because of the one who created everything. He made it possible.
It is change!
Whether you want it or not, you get it. You can attempt to refuse or stop change, but it is inevitable so long as time exists. We change moment by moment as time relentlessly marches forward. There is no stopping it.
“There are no permanent changes because change itself is permanent.” Ralph L. Woods (1898–1950)
The only thing said to be unchangeable is the past. But is that true? Since no one can go back in time yet, how can we be sure?
Everything in life connects to the past and the future, yet all we have is the present moment. We can often predict the future by our actions in the past and present if we are thoughtful.
While we may not be able to change the past, we can use its lessons in the present for the future. Any plans from our present and past can be acted on, thereby affecting future outcomes.
Each of us has two choices.
- We can sit back and let the future unfold however it will.
- We can take action to create the future we want.
“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” Albert Einstein (1879–1955)
By understanding change, many things in the future come under your control. Take your body, for example. You age every second of every day as you move into the future. Except for cerebral cortex neurons, every cell in your body is replaced every seven to ten years. Can you imagine that? Every cell, from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet, changes (outside of some brain cells)! At least 30 trillion cells or more, depending on who is counting.
But the quality of our bodily changes is affected by what we do. When you exercise and eat right, you create a different body than if you usually lay around eating junk food. You have much control over what that new body will be in seven years or much sooner, depending on what you do!
“You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.” Jim Rohn (1930–2009)
The five-step process for creating your future
Let’s look at a five-step process you can use to construct your future for better outcomes:
- What you know
- Your skills
- How you think
- Who you are becoming
- What you do
In this simple process lies the potential to create the future you want. You only need the right skills, mindset, and actions (all things you can learn and improve) to achieve whatever you desire.
Following is a brief overview of each of the five steps.
1. What you know
You can leverage the knowledge you gain over the years to create significant change in your life. The more you know, the more opportunities you can see. Everyone has heard the saying, “Knowledge is power,” but is it true? You can gain all the knowledge you want, but it gives you nothing until you use it.
“Knowledge is not power, it is only potential. Applying that knowledge is power. Understanding why and when to apply that knowledge is wisdom!” Takeda Shingen (1521–1573)
2. Your skills
Everyone can increase their knowledge and improve their skills. As with knowledge, skills are useless until you do something with them.
Knowing the right skills to work on is crucial to creating what you want. What skills do you possess, and what skills would you like to learn or strengthen? Imagine the possibilities of combining the right knowledge and skills to use in your life! You will likely write your own ticket. Choose wisely.
“You must either modify your dreams or [improve] your skills” Jim Rohn (1930–2009)
3. How you think
Your mindset is the most crucial determining factor in how change will affect your life. With the right mindset, you set yourself up to grow, significantly impacting your outcomes. With the proper knowledge, you can develop a growth mindset, moving away from a fixed mindset.
“Human beings can [change] their lives by [changing how they think].” William James (1842–1910)
In the article Change Your View of the World you can learn more about mindset and how to use it to change your life.
4. Who you are becoming
Since life is about continuous change, you are becoming a slightly different person moment by moment. You are either growing or not. There is no in-between.
You control who you are becoming by what you choose to do, a fact you can leverage to chart your future course.
“What you become is far more important than what you get. What you get will be influenced by what you become.” Jim Rohn (1930–2009)
5. What you do
Ultimately, what you do or do not do brings the previous four items to bear in the present moment. To change your future, you must DO something. Applying your knowledge, skills, thinking, and who you have become can create change in your favor.
“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr. (1940–2021)
Applying the five steps
Let’s follow a simple example about almost everyone’s favorite subject: money.
When you (1) gain knowledge about money and develop the (2) skill of using it, you can control it. What you do with this knowledge and skill is determined by how you (3) think and (4) who you desire to become. It then requires (5) action to put you on the path to getting what you want.
Example
If you want to save for a comfortable retirement but decide to spend every penny you earn, you will retire penniless. But things can change if you seek to (1) learn about money and (2) develop the skills necessary to save consistently and invest properly. Your knowledge and skills can change how you (3) think and (4) who you are becoming. Because of these things, you strategize and plan better. By (5) acting consistently, you position yourself to retire comfortably.
You can apply this five-step process to anything, so why not try it? You have everything to gain and nothing to lose!
“A tiny change today brings a dramatically different tomorrow.” Richard Bach (1936-present)
Final thoughts
Experience teaches us that while nothing is guaranteed, doing the right things can produce solid results. Since change is inevitable, why not capitalize on it and use it to your advantage? Resisting change is futile. Embrace change in life, and you will go far.
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” Jim Rohn (1930–2009)
Take control of your future by adhering to the five-step process. Simply remember to:
- Gain knowledge
- Develop skills
- Think
- Know who you are becoming
- Act
Considering change will happen, why not chart your future course now? That way, you will more likely wind up in the place or position you want to be. If you fail to do this, you will reap the consequences of ignoring the inevitable change coming in your life. Better you be in control, don’t you think?
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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION
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