Each day is filled with new chances and opportunities. There is always a place for a new beginning! But how do you cease those opportunities, how do you get more out of your life? Below are six tips that might be able to help you: 

1. Look at your story from a different perspective

You decide how you tell your own story. The way you do this can make you come across as powerful, but can also undermine you. For example, sometimes you say that you don’t know what you want in life. This isn’t a story with positive energy and it can make you feel insecure. What you could say, is that you have a very broad spectrum of interests, or that you’re currently figuring out what suits you best. This story has a more positive energy, and gives you more confidence and strength. You can decide how you tell your own story. If you manage to tell an inspirational story about your life, you get the chance and insight to change it. 

2. Invest in the things you find important, and search for an environment that suits you

Sometimes we spend to much time on the things we don’t want, the things we’re against or on trying to change other people. This takes up a lot of our energy and makes us focus on the negative. It can be liberating to invest in the things that work for you, in what you want in life and to look for connection with the people with whom you feel comfortable. By doing this, you focus on the positive in your life. You will be able to look ahead. 

3. Go with the flow

When you think about how hard it is to swim against the stream, it will surprise you how many people do this every day! For example, think about how sometimes you can continue to resist against the things that aren’t going to change or on which you have no control: the boss that doesn’t appreciate you, the bad weather or an unexpected election result. Why don’t you try to go with it and to enjoy the things that come across your path. Go with the flow! To help you with this, you can ask yourself the following questions: “What is possible? What can I do?”.

4. Make a plan

Setting goals is pointless when you don’t take action to actually achieve your goal! You gain results by actually doing it. Not once, but again and again, with trial and error. Developing habits form the base of your personal growth and development. Think about the behaviour that will eventually help you achieve your goal. For example, do you want to become more athletic? Think about the things you want to do in order for you to achieve this goal and plan your activities on a fixed time in your agenda. Make sure these activities are feasible for you: don’t set the bar too high and take your time. Use the power of repetition. When you hold on these fixed times for working out, it’ll slowly become a permanent part of your life

5. Freedom? Keep improving your discipline

Having nothing to do can be wonderful, but quite often it causes you to become less productive. It might be fun for a while, but it soon becomes boring. Keep on working on your structure, even in times when you have a lot of freedom. By planning activities at fixed times, you maintain the necessary structure and motivation to be able to do new things.

6. Go your own way

Sometimes it’s very comfortable to let other people decide for you, or to follow the group. But when everyone tries to follow the same road, you might be on the wrong track. Find your own way, the one that works for you. Keep searching for different perspectives and new ways, and you will continue to develop yourself.

What helps you to, when necessary, start over? 

Thought this was an interesting article? Take a look at this blog about taking a positive turn.

Sometimes finding your own way in your life or career comes naturally. One thing leads to another, and when you look back you know why you’ve made certain choices. Sometimes, the next step needs a little bit more attention. For example when you unexpectedly lose your job. Or you get stuck because you have learned to do what others thought was good for you, but you don’t know what you actually want. You can also lose your way because you’re no longer passionate about what you do.

Where does your path start?

In the beginning of your life, what you do or don’t do, is mostly determined by your parents or your caretakers. You’re dependent on where you grow up and what resources are available there. As you get older, you gradually gain more control over your own life. You decide what you like, who you like or what you would like to do. Step by step you will find your own way.

When do you choose a different direction?

Sometimes it turns out that the path you chose, or that was chosen for you, no longer matches what you want or who you are. This doesn’t have to happen overnight, but can happen gradually. If what you do no longer suits you, it is time to go your own way and to reinvent yourself. Investing in yourself and your talent can help you with this.

How do you find your own way?

But how do you do that, finding your own way? The next seven tips will help you:

1. Understand how your brain works

Your brain is a thought machine. Thoughts pop up all the time, they come and go. If you pay attention to your thoughts they grow. When you let go of them, they disappear into the background. Your freedom is in the space between what you think and feel, and how you choose to act on that.

2. Pick the right mindset

The way you look at the world is very important: your mindset determines whether you see possibilities and which ones you see. There are different types of mindsets.

People with a fixed mindset believe that capacities are fixed: you can either do something or you can’t. Believing in such a mindset gives you the feeling that you do not have control over your own development.

Other people have a growth mindset. They are convinced that you can develop capacities. Believing in a growth mindset makes you trust in the positive influence you have on your own development.

Where a fixed mindset stands in the way of growth, a growth mindset offers a good basis for continuous learning and development. So it’s a much more flexible and positive mindset!

3. Think about what you’re already doing

Quite often there is a gap between what you think you do and what you actually do. It is good to think about what you are actually doing. What agreements do you make and with whom? What are the activities you plan? How much time do you spend on this and what does it do to you? In order to change, it is important to first become aware of what you are already doing. Are these the things you would like to keep on doing? What do you want to do more of?

4. Find and keep your course

Where do you want to be, what are your talents and what are you going to work on? How do you know you’re going in the right direction? Is it necessary to make adjustments? These are the questions that will help you find and maintain your course. You know you’re on the right track when the things you do energize you, and when time seems to fly by.

5. Ensure a good match with your environment

Finding your way is about who you are, what you want, what you can do and the environment in which you find yourself. Do you have a good match with your environment? For example, if you need a lot of variety and like to be on the move, it is not good to be locked up in an office every day. What really suits you? And can you actually do the things that suit you?

6. Research what is needed for your development

Do you know what you need for your further development? What brings you closer to what you want? What knowledge and skills do you need for that? How can you acquire this knowledge and these skills?

7. Keep on going!

Finding your own way is a process of trial and error. It won’t always be easy, but try to remember that this is part of the journey. It is a process and eventually you will be closer to where you want to be.

Find this article interesting? Here you can find more blogs written by Ard van Oosten.

Some people call your student days the beginning of the rest of your life. The whole world is at your feet, you’re supposed to start being independent and suddenly you have tons of new responsibilities. This can all be quite challenging!

Balance

This independence gives you freedom. You can make your own decisions about what to eat, when to clean and what time to go to bed . It makes life seem like a party and a lot of people will love this type of freedom, but there is a downside to it All this freedom could be at the expense of your health. The continuous load of vegetables your parents made you eat, going to bed on time and keeping your room clean had a purpose, one you only discover when you’re on your own: having a routine. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is just as important as enjoying life. Eating pizza every day sounds nice, but it’s not that healthy (besides, you’ll get bored of it!).

To find your own way, it’s essential to find the right balance. The fun part isn’t that difficult, but maintaining structure and taking responsibility can take some time to get used to. Here are some tips that can help you get started:

• Hang up a weekly calendar and plan your daily meals. This makes it easier to stick to your planning.
• Try eating healthy, but also give yourself some space to eat less healthy every once in a while. For example, having pizza every last Saturday of the month is totally fine!
• Cook large meals for multiple days. Cooking for 2 is easier than cooking for one and you can easily use the products you buy for multiple meals. You will spend less time in the kitchen and prevent unnecessary waste if you prepare your meals for a few days ahead.
• Write down all your appointments on your weekly calendar too. This way you won’t be surprised by your grandma visiting when you’re hungover on a Sunday.
• Routine makes boring chores easier. If you do your laundry and groceries on the same day every week, you will notice that at some point you don’t even have to think about it anymore.
• Set reminders on your phone for important events like buying a gift, a dentist appointment or filing your tax return. It’s impossible to remember everything in your head.
• Responsibility requires self-discipline and self-discipline is something you need to learn throughout time. Make agreements with yourself when it comes to the time you spent on studying, the time you go to bed or the things you do during the weekend, for example. You don’t have to punish yourself each time you fail to stick to it, but you will discover you can achieve a lot with some simple pre-set agreements.
• Ask for help. Nobody expects you to be able to do everything on your own right away, so don’t expect this from yourself either. For example, you can ask for easy recipes, financial advise or a helping hand figuring out your complicated microwave.