Life isn’t always a box of chocolates. Sometimes unpleasant situations arise and it’s often the result of our own bad choices. Unfortunately, it is human nature to avoid change even when it is beneficial and wallow in our misery. Change is scary to us, so we avoid it at all costs and tough it out. What we don’t realize is that it is really rather simple to change your life. In fact, it can be done in five simple steps. While these steps may be simple, they are not always easy and can take some deep soul searching to pull off.

Start Something New

There is no better way to refresh your spirit than with a new hobby, job or tradition. Learning something completely new to you opens your physical and spiritual eyes to how much bigger the world around you really is. Failure or success never comes into play. ou The entire reason for starting something new is to find a new way to paint the canvas of your life. Take up belly dancing. Start a yoga routine or check out a new diet. Keto and paleo diets are changing people’s lives every day. There are so many keto dinner ideas packed with flavorful proteins it is a breeze to fit it into your weekly meals. Even if you aren’t successful

Put Your Thoughts on Hold

When your spirit feels conflicted with life events, your mind is not always your ally. The constant flow of thoughts we have are usually negative and often damaging. When we feel bad, we tend to have less power to fight off those negative voices. One way to shut them down is to meditate. Shutting down your mind for only a few seconds at a time can still be beneficial. Breathe deeply and slowly in a quiet place and concentrate only on your body. Be attentive to what you hear, smell, and feel. When abstract thoughts seep in, simply draw your attention back to your breath as many times as you have to.

Give Something Up

Smoking, overeating, cursing, and drinking are all things people try to quit on the regular. While they are all excellent ways to uplift your spirit, you can quit anything and make a big change. Stop going to work the same way every day. Stop eating at the same restaurants. Stop wearing your hair the same way. Give up the catch phrase you always say or stop saying yes when you really mean no. Stopping any activity you have done for a while will net you a bit of extra time to fill with new projects or long soul-resting hours.

Change Your Clique

“You’re hanging with the wrong crowd”. It’s the advice your mom used to give you when you got in trouble in school and it can still be true in adulthood. When your spirit is in an unhappy place it most often has to do with what surrounds you. People included. It isn’t necessary to change your whole group of friends. Or even to cut people out entirely. All that is required is to make small changes such as spending an hour less a week with anyone who isn’t feeling genuine to you. If changing your whole posse feels right, however, by all means do it.

Expand Your World Through Travel

Every method described here has to do with change. If you change the things that surround you, you can change your spiritual outlook. All of us have had the experience of coming home from vacation and being so happy to be home, even though we wanted to get away so badly we made time for a getaway. This is not because home became a better place, but because we appreciate it through different eyes after traveling. So get out there and explore the Swiss Alps, go on a bermuda cruise, or do a service trip in a third world country.  Upon returning home, you will feel a change in your surroundings– not because they are different, because you are.

Mix Up Your Morning Routine

Not many people realize the tone of your morning sets the tone for the whole day. It takes extreme focus and concentration to break out of the mood an awful morning can put you in. Changing your morning routine is a quick way to start changing your life right away. Throw in a little exercise and change up your breakfast items. Skip the morning news and watch a few scenes from your favorite comedy while you get ready for work. Changing just a few small things in your morning routine can have a big impact on your day and spiritual outlook.

Changing your spiritual disposition is not an impossible task but it isn’t easy. It will only happen if you want it to happen. It helps to take small, easy steps first to find your footing. Soon your new life vision will become clear to you.