Outrageously Useful Personal Growth Hacks for Starting Afresh — Reinvent Yourself!

Fast and Powerful Exercises That I Have Been Using for Years to Adapt Easily to Any New Challenge — You Can, Too.

Most people have a hard time starting something completely new.

• How do I get this off the ground — what to start with?
• How to start a new thing and finish it?
• How can I succeed if I have never done this before?
• What can I do to stop self-doubt?

And yes, starting something new can feel overwhelming to all of us!

If you have a next step coming up — a new job, a new role, a new project, a new mission, or simply a change in your life — do not lose this highly valuable opportunity by saying no or by deciding to stay in your comfort zone.

Imagine if you could nail the new challenge and become a new you.

You could:

• Boost your career.
• Boost your credibility.
• Boost your success with other people.
• Boost your happiness in life.

Highly successful people do actually not seek excuses for not trying.

They simply try!

This is the first step. Having the courage to try.

Then, the crucial aspect is what you put your mind to and what you believe in when you try.

This is what separates those who dare to try and who are able to carry the change through, from those who easily give up.

It is having the courage to give up familiar patterns of living your life. This is also called unlearning.

I did a video interview with PowerMind Archana Shetty on unlearning. Check it out — she applies unlearning to getting better results in business assignments.

Giving up familiar and comfortable things

So back to the point of giving up familiar patterns.

Basically, you will have to self-program yourself for success and believe that even by giving up great things now, through taking this challenge you will be better off afterwards.

This means convincing yourself and believing that it will be possible.

You might say, this sounds so easy but in reality it is not!

You are right, it is not easy. But quite frankly, if you want to make a difference, you don’t want to leave it to luck. Or do you want to regret at the age of 80 that you never took risks in your life?

You want to make sure you succeed!

I would like to share with you my preferred exercises and mindset hacks that helped me each and every time I faced a new challenge.

They always worked — they are true keys to success.

Examples of how I reinvented myself

Before we dive in, two examples of my own life.

I have started afresh many times, and every time it felt daunting at first!

Looking back, every radical change in my life was possibly the best I did in my life. I grew so much every time!

On a larger scale, I reinvented myself by changing countries to live and work in several times, learning new languages.

Also I successfully retrained my body in terms of strength and nutrition after a serious illness.

On a professional level, it was changing jobs and roles several times, from working in 7 countries as a management consultant, to working in totally new domains, totally new industries and different work environments and cultures.

Every one of these changes meant giving up my comfort zone.

Here are two examples.

Example 1

At the age of 23, after having worked for 4 years with a major blue-chip company, I was burning to study and learn more about the social psychology of work, as I had come to see everything was down to work relationships.

However, in the country I was at the time, there was no such degree course on offer that actually built on my first degree I had done straight after school.

So I decided to change countries and looked elsewhere, and my choice was to study in the UK for a degree course in parallel to my job and ask my then employer to relocate and reduce my contract and salary to 50%.

That was in 1998! Such a move in the middle of a fresh career start was quite unusual then.

I did it and wow, how much this experience has enriched my life!

I got to learn a new language and to work and study in an entirely different culture. I got to live in a wonderful city and meet great people, some of which became best friends.

For financing all of this, I used up all my savings and continued working part-time, topping this up with an evening job cleaning office buildings at night.

Example 2

Due to a health problem after an accident, I was forced to give up airtravel.

In my job as a consultant, air travel was part of the job, however. I used to take a plane every Monday morning, work on the project site for the client in a faraway place or country, and return on Friday.

To give this up was quite a hard pill to swallow as I love going places and dicovering new cultures.

However, this let me look for an entirely new role, combine it with changing locations (by car), and learn another new language again.

I relocated to France and worked at a university where they were looking for English-speaking professionals.

Later, this opportunity opened even more new doors for me as it paved the way for a unique skill that is highly in demand in corporate leadership.

I became an organizational change and development manager which brought me not only a new field to work in but also a profession that brought together perfectly all my previous skills and took it to the next level.

So all this sounds so easy and like a “happy ever after” story, the reality was different.

When times were tough and self-doubt set in, I used the following exercises and mindset hacks. They never failed me.

They are extremely beneficial in alleviating the sense of overwhelm caused by the enormity of the task at hand.

Disrupt — Pivot — Manifest

The seven hacks are based on the overall framework of disrupt, pivot, and manifest outlined in this article as well as on the law of attraction. Expect great things to happen to you even in the midst of trouble.

Make sure to read this first and have a look at the recommended readings on the law of attraction.

№1 Create a list of your goals and break them down

Write your goals down.

I know this sounds basic, but believe me it makes a difference. And usually it is the smallest and simplest habits that have a huge impact.

You need a physical manifestation of your goals. An outline of what you will build or create afresh in your life.

Now the key is to write these goals in such a way that your current comfort zone has nothing to do with it.

So in the above situations I would write:

Example 1: I will succeed in studying organizational and work psychology in the UK and become an expert the social psychology of change. This will enable me to grow in my professional field.

Example 2: I will succeed in finding new exciting professional challenges that do not require airtravel. This will enable me to balance my worklife with less travel hours and more time spent in one place.

The crucial thing is to concentrate on positive things in this situation.

If those positive qualities link to your wish, all the better.

Include the countless small details that you see this new thing could bring to your life.

Then divide your goals into manageable chunks and schedule them on your calendar. This technique of assigning the actions required for your goal to time windows is also called Timeboxing.

Read more about this technique here:How you can achieve any goal together with others.

Ask yourself, “What do I need to get done in order to achieve X?” Write down each step and note these steps in your calendar.

No self-sabotaging. While you do this exercise, you always need to assume that the overall goal you have set yourself is, of course, achievable.

№2 Joyful realization exercise

Similar to the first exercise above, in this one you should list all of the envisioned aspects that illustrate your motivation for pursuing your goal as well as the enjoyment and excitement you expect it to provide.

Spend a few seconds finding your center and clearing your mind before beginning this practice.

Next, list three positive experiences you’d like to have in the future when working for and achieving this goal.

Consider entertaining “small” things that may appear random.

Pick experiences that are out of the ordinary for you while remaining straightforward and plausible.

So in the above situations I would write:

Example 1: I will meet fantastic new people and have a really good time in this new country. I will enjoy speaking this new language fluently and hence connect to people from other cultures.

Example 2: I will spend more time in one place and enjoy more work life balance by having more time to spend with friends and family and to go out.

This practice is one of my favorites because it helps you believe more firmly in your goals because it drives home to you that they actually bring joy and fulfillment.

And with that those unlikely coincidences where everything seems to be working toward fulfilling your needs.

Recognizing this in relation to life’s “little coincidences” paves the path for experiencing your larger goals, which you have more resistance to.

№3 Create a list of statements for auto-programming; include only positive aspects.

All of the aforementioned activities depend on your capacity to think that you are capable of achieving your desires.

No amount of exercises will help you reshape our energy if you do not really feel that your goal is achievable.

So this exercise is crucial in affirming your belief that you are actually believing in yourself.

Write down a list of positive statements about your capacity to do this.

Also it is crucial that you write this down and say it our loud to yourself. So in the above situations I would say:

Example 1: I am capable of learning and adapting. I am capable of getting along well in a new culture. I have what it takes.

Example 2: I am capable of learning a new profession. Once I am on the job I am capable of learning fast. I have got what it takes.

Your attention should be directed toward your beliefs about who you are and towards seeing yourself as that successful person.

Using this technique, you can develop empowering beliefs that support your transformation.

№4 Daily Revision

Daily revision of what you have experienced every day is a great way to deal with doubt, as this technique puts small negative experience in perspective to the larger gial that you are actually pursuing.

So what you get out of it is that it relativises small nagatives in the light of a huge positive.

At the end of every day, take a few minutes to enter a quiet place and center your mind. Use your imagination to relive the day.

Focus on the good things that happened and also focus on any events that did not seem to go your way.

Using your imagination, relive the event, but change the experience to reflect more of what you want. You envision a new story that you tell yourself about the day.

So for my experience of the above situations here are some real examples:

Example 1: Today I made progress on having good conversations with my study collegues in the new language. However the lecturer X has got a strong accent, I did not manage to understand her. This however I can change by speaking more with her. I will set up a meeting with her next time to pratice tuning in to her accent.

Example 2: Today I convinced client X. However I realized some of my reflexes were still to function solely in consulting mode. I will take a next little step by asking my new colleague for feedback on how to run this even better by adding onto this from a perspective of the organizational development.

№5 Boost your confidence with past achievements

Looking back to see how everything worked out in the past can be a really good way to increase your faith that your current desire is also on its way to you.

Consider writing a list of things that have already manifested in your life, whether they’re big or small.

Example 1: I managed to relocate to this new place in a new country by hardly speaking the language. Now I see how my skills in the new language are beginning to unforld, every day a bit better.

Example 2: I managed to integrate and lead an entirely new team and convince them to follow me on a mindful leadership style. This is a huge achievement given they were used to command and control. We have come a long way.

This is especially effective if the achievements you’ve witnessed seemed random or unexpected at the time.

№6 Gratitude statements

This is a fantastic method for stringing together positive statements and for being humble and grateful about every little step you have taken.

Start out broadly, then gather momentum to start getting more precise about how you want your goal to come to pass.

Example 1: I am grateful for being in good health to be able to get this opportunity to expand my identity with the experience of a whole new culture and language. This let’s me understand so much more.

Example 2: I am grateful of having all this passion and motivation in my daily job. This is thnaks to this new challenge I took up. I am learning a lot and I am enjoying every moment.

This brings us to a general remark: all of these exercises help to not only make you more positive, humble and grateful, but also they make you become more self-aware of your feelings and energy and put that into the foreground.

№7 Energy Management

Energy management is key to the Law of Attraction. You can influence your achievements by doing the following easy exercises to improve your mood and direct your energy in the direction of your objectives.

The fundamental principle underpinning each and every one of these Law of Attraction exercises is to learn to pay attention to your current feelings and mood.

The key is to get to know yourself and direct positive energy towards your goals.

If you’re looking to get the most out of these exercises, you need to start by managing your energy. This means understanding how your energy is affecting your ability to manifest your desires.

One of the best ways to manage your energy is to have a healthy diet and lifestyle. This will help you maintain balance in your energy levels and protect your body from negative energy.

Here are a few tips to help you stay on in terms of your energy:

1. Stay realistic. Before you start any manifestation exercise, make a plan how much time you can give to this, but realistically. This will help you stick to the goals you’ve set, and it will also help you track your progress.
2. Be patient. It takes time and effort to create positive change, and sometimes it can be tough to see results. Don’t get discouraged — patience is key.
3. Stay focused. It’s easy to get distracted by the little things in life — but remember, those distractions will only prevent you from achieving your goals.
4. Be sensible. Don’t overdo it — if you’re feeling tired or worn out, stop the exercise immediately.
5. Be safe. Always use your common sense when performing any manifestation exercise — don’t do anything that could be harmful or dangerous to yourself or others. By following these simple guidelines, you can achieve the life you want — and maybe even sunny England

Final words

So finally I can only encourage you to try these seven exercises for your next challenge and believe me, you will see a change.

I wish you all the best of good and positive energy for your next step in life and I am sure these exercises will help you a great deal with your next steps toward personal growth and happiness, be it a new project, a new purpose, a new mission, or a new job.

If you found this useful, you might also like to expect great things to happen to you even in the midst of trouble and How you can achieve any goal together with others.

And if you try them out, please feel free to drop me a line — I would love to hear from you how it went for you!

It all starts with your mindset — your attitude is your superpower!

That’s all for today — hope this helps.

Take a moment to read How to become more self-aware and respected, learn more about my favourite writing assistant that saves me thousands of hours and expect great things to happen to you even in the midst of trouble!

Three Must-Reads

1. My top selection of best AI writing tools

2. How you can achieve any goal together with others

3. Read this if you have tried everything under the sun for building your team and it still won’t work

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Have a great day!

Best wishes, Alex.