The start of a new year is not the only time to make resolutions. If you’re itching to change up your life, you can do it whenever you like. Unfortunately, sometimes it can hard to identify what you need to change. Maybe you have the nagging feeling that something isn’t right, or maybe you’re overwhelmed because you want to overhaul everything. If you aren’t sure what you need to do or where to begin, you can choose one of the areas below.
Career
Whether the job you thought you wanted has turned out to be not everything you imagined or you’ve found yourself in a career you don’t particularly enjoy through default, this is an area where people often find they need to make a change. Sometimes it can be relatively minor. Moving up within your company might be enough to put you back on a track you’re comfortable with. In other cases, you might need to make a radical change, retraining or going back to college for a new degree.
Money
Maybe you don’t have enough of it, or maybe you don’t effectively manage what you do have. Getting a handle on your debts and starting to save toward your goals can be the first step in making a whole slew of other life changes. To get rid of debt, start by making a list of what you owe. You might be able to consolidate your credit cards on a single zero-interest card. As for student loans, check out the interest rates on a refinance. You may save a lot of money and pay them off sooner if refinancing is possible. To save even more money, you may want to consider moving to a smaller place or selling your car and using public transportation if you live in a city where that is possible.
Relationships
From families to romantic partners to friends, relationships can either support or undermine you. Whether you realize you want to deepen your friendships, call your mother more often or dump a relationship that hasn’t worked for you in a while, taking a look at the people around you and what they add to your life and overall wellbeing can sometimes lead to some surprising insights. All types of relationships should have a measure of give and take, so if you have a friend who’s been going through a crisis for a while, there’s nothing wrong with continuing to be a shoulder for them to lean on. However, if you realize that you’re constantly the one making plans, picking up the tab or lending a sympathetic ear, it might be time to move on.
Personal Enrichment
From teaching yourself a foreign language to exploring a new spiritual practice to planning a trip around the world, learning to cook or garden and more, there’s no limit to the personal challenges you can undertake to get out of your rut and into a new way of thinking. If there’s a habit you’re trying to break or set, give yourself thirty days—this is often how much time it takes to fall into a new routine.