There’s a lot to be said for making a series of small changes to your life and taking your time. It’s an effective way of changing your life with a minimal amount of stress. But, what if you’re impatient? How to Do a Hard Reset to Make Big Changes in Your Life Quickly

What if your life is such a mess that you’re willing to risk being uncomfortable to have a chance of changing your life quickly? In this case, there’s another option.

If you want to make big changes quickly, you can do a hard reset. Doing a hard reset on your cell phone erases everything and allows you to start over from scratch. You can do the same thing in your life if you’re tough enough.

A hard reset can be in just one part of your life or can encompass several aspects of your life. How to Do a Hard Reset to Make Big Changes in Your Life Quickly

• Changing careers
• Ending a relationship
• Moving to a new city
• Losing a dramatic amount of weight

Hard resets are big, serious, and require a lot of time and focus.

If you’re ready to make a big change quickly, follow this process of proven strategies:

1. Have a vision for what you want to accomplish. A big change requires a big and clear goal. What change do you want to make to your life? How to Do a Hard Reset to Make Big Changes in Your Life Quickly

> Do you want to move to the beach?
> Find someone that is a better match for you
> Quit your job and go back to school?
> Lose 75 pounds?
> Run an ultramarathon?

2. Clear the junk out of your life. This includes possessions, people, and obligations that don’t add significantly to your life. People carry too much dead weight through life.

> Big goals require sacrifices to be made. You might have to cut-off your high school friend, quit playing darts on Saturday nights, or throw your ukulele in the trash. How to Do a Hard Reset to Make Big Changes in Your Life Quickly

3. Decide on the most important actions to take. We like to be busy. It feels like we’re doing something. But we don’t necessarily like to do the most effective tasks, because they’re uncomfortable or inconvenient. That mentality isn’t an option if you’re doing a hard reset. You have to be tough on yourself.

> Cutting off your food after dinner and taking a walk is a lot more effective than eating low-fat artificially sweetened brownies on the couch. How to Do a Hard Reset to Make Big Changes in Your Life Quickly

> Approaching five interesting strangers each day is more effective than rewriting your personal ad profile for the 8th time.

> Cold calling is more effective than tweaking your website that no one visits anyway.

> Find the most effective actions and focus on those.

4. Schedule your time. You have 168 hours in the next week. If you sleep for 7 hours each night, that leaves 119 hours. If you’re working 40 hours a week, you still have another 79 hours left to use as well as you can. Even if you work 60 hours, that’s still a lot of time left over! How to Do a Hard Reset to Make Big Changes in Your Life Quickly

> Make a plan for each day.
> Each night, make an even better plan.
> Execute your plan.

5. Realize the truth. If you’re spending all of your available time taking the most effective actions, how could you not be supremely successful at what you’re trying to accomplish?

> Success isn’t a secret. It’s just that the obvious path to success looks miserable to most people.

The only issue you really have is yourself. With time, intention, and a little courage, it’s possible to make dramatic changes to your life very quickly.

A hard reset isn’t for everyone. Many people would have better luck making small changes over the course of several months. How to Do a Hard Reset to Make Big Changes in Your Life Quickly

On the other hand, some people are capable of moving faster and handling more pressure.

Which type of person are you? Go for it, in the way that works best for you. Either way, you’ll see success. How to Do a Hard Reset to Make Big Changes in Your Life Quickly

There are a lot of people that react to any kind of obstacle, setback, or challenge. Reactions are reflexive, ego-driven, and only consider the short-term outcome. Reactions make you feel better, but don’t resolve an issue effectively.

Responding is different. It’s intelligent, practical, and considers the long-term implications of that course of action.

People that react struggle and are known for making impulsive decisions. Those that respond have fewer struggles in life. As it turns out, the biggest hassles in life are usually of your own making.

Let’s consider an example that highlights the differences between reacting and responding:

Imagine that you have a horrible boss. Today at work, he berates you for something that isn’t your fault. He calls you a mean name. He says that you’re a worthless employee. You leave work enraged and convinced that you can’t take it anymore.

Reacting to this situation might entail quitting in a blaze of glory. You march in the next day and tell him exactly what you think of him. You might even spit in his eye, stomp on his foot, and shove your resignation letter into his mouth.

However, when you get home, you realize that the job market is tight, you have no savings, and no employment prospects.

Responding to this situation might look something like this:

You determine that you need to find another job. You work on your resume. You put out feelers to everyone you know that have or know of a position that’s suitable for you. You get in touch with a recruiter and let them know that you’re looking.

You also cut back on your expenses and save some money just in case you lose your job.

One of these options is short-sighted and risky. The other is thoughtful and logical. One is likely to end in misery, while the other is likely to end in success.

How can you strengthen your odds of success when challenges arise?

Following this process will help you to respond rather than react:

1. Steady yourself. It’s hard to be intelligent, logical, and practical when your emotions are high. Never make an important decision when you’re not cool, calm and collected. Take the time you need. Mull it over. Consider your options.

2. Identify the problem. What is the issue that you need to resolve? Think about what you want to change. Avoid changing a bunch of other things that may have a negative impact on your life. In the example above, you’d get away from your boss, but drastically change your income, too.

3. Be clear on the outcome you desire. It’s just as important to consider the outcome you desire. You might hate your job, but you don’t just want to get away from it. You’ll want a good landing place, too.

4. Make an intelligent plan. Create a plan that resolves your issue and gives you the outcome you desire. Reacting only removes the initial problem. It doesn’t provide a great outcome. A good plan does both.

5. Execute that plan. Use your plan. There are a lot of people that are great at making plans, but never execute them. You don’t want to be one of those people. Put your plan to the test and see what happens.

If you’re someone that reacts to the challenges in your life, you already know the additional challenges it can bring. It’s the perfect example of “out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

Avoid making decisions when you’re upset. Calm yourself first. Then make an intelligent decision that will remove that challenge from your life in a way that leaves you better than you started. Life is much easier this way.

Everyone is different. It’s not reasonable to expect that everyone wants to live the same life. But, to step outside the options that society deems to be acceptable can be a little scary. Our need to impress and be accepted can be very strong.

Perhaps you’ve never really considered what your dream life would be. It’s hard to hit a target that you’ve never identified.

Follow these steps to imagine the best life you could possibly have and then live it:

1. Be true to yourself. You can’t live your best life if you’re pretending to be someone or something that you’re not. The first step in living your best life is to admit to yourself who you really are. Be honest about your likes, dislikes, and dreams.

> Maybe you would like to live in a cabin in the woods and grow all of your food.

> Or do you love the idea of minimalism and frugality?

> Do you prefer animals to people?

> Would you like to live in a commune?

> Do you love to play the accordion?

> Would you like to travel the world like a nomad without a home base?

> Do you want to spend all of your time and resources saving the planet?

> Does the idea of having children horrify you? Or would you like to try for 13 kids?

> Choose what appeals to you. Any admiration or scorn you receive from others won’t last long enough for your cup of coffee to get cold.

2. Make a plan. Relying on chance or luck is a losing game in the long run. If you want a specific life, it’s important to choose it and then make a plan to get there. Make a long-term plan that begins with something you can do today.

3. Execute your plan. Many people love to dream and plan. That’s the easy and fun part. Unfortunately, few people ever take the first step in their plan. They never get started.

> Take some sort of action each day outlined by your plan. You don’t have to do an amazing amount of work each day to make significant progress over time. A little each day eventually grows into substantial results.

> The hardest part is getting started, so ensure that you get started as soon as possible. There will never be a perfect time to begin. Begin now and make the best of it. Everything changes once you actually begin.

4. Learn from your mistakes. Neither you nor your plan is flawless. You will make mistakes and try things that don’t work. That should be expected. Decide that you’re going to learn from your mistakes, adjust your approach, and try again.

5. Focus. Keep your attention on those things that are relevant regarding your plans. Reject nearly everything else.

> Why are you gossiping about your coworkers or neighbors?

> Still upset about how your ex cheated on you 13 years ago?

> Annoyed by the price of gasoline?

> What do any of these sorts of things have to do with achieving your goals and attaining your dream life? (Nothing.)

6. Finish. You can’t live your best life if you give up on your quest to attain it. Keep going until you’ve arrived where you want to be.

Your best life is out there ready for you to claim it! Be completely honest with yourself, make a plan, and stick with it until you’ve arrived. The life you desire is attainable and within your reach. Do you have the courage to make it happen?

Take a chance on feeling happy and fulfilled. Chase after your dream life.