11 Small Shifts to Reset Your Pace in Life

So many people say “life is unfair” or “those people got lucky” and it makes me laugh.

As someone who grew up as a military kid, I knew the feeling. Anytime I would make friends, or assert myself on sports teams, I would have to move — again and again.

Adversity comes and goes. Life gets easy and so fun, and at a moment's notice, you’re battling an uphill battle on so many different issues.

The world begins to crumble around you, so what do you do?

Quit?

Hell no.

You keep pushing forward, minimize the things that could potentially hold you back, and take tiny steps forward every day.

Today, I’ll be going over 11 small shifts that you can make in your own life that will help you reach your goals.

1. Create a calendar and make plans.

Without structure, you’re going to go through life feeling unprepared and surprised. Eliminate the element of surprise by tightening up your calendar and structure.

Plug in work, school, fun outings, birthdays, etc. The more awareness you have, the better prepared you’ll be.

2. Get at least 30 minutes of activity every day.

Notice how I didn’t say that you need to run 10 miles a day. You don’t need to spend 4 hours at the gym. You don’t need to give up your favorite foods.

Just be active. Go outside and enjoy nature because it will lower your stress level and help your mindset when you feel cooped up or overworked.

3. Create music playlists.

Music playlists are great. One for starting your day, one for working out, one for drives, lo-fi for chilling at home, and EDM for getting hyped.

If you let Spotify, Apple Music, or Pandora choose your music for you, then you’re not really consuming content that could actually benefit you.

As someone who rarely listens to rap, I love it on my morning drives to work because it gets me locked in and loaded.

4. Clean up your space when you have nothing else to do.

One thing that has subconsciously made me a better roommate with my girlfriend is the fact that I clean when I’m bored. As a creator, I can’t focus on anything if my environment is out of sorts.

So you didn’t get invited out for any plans Friday night? Cool, time to clean. Start small, buy some Clorox wipes, gather all the garbage, and find your aesthetic.

Clean habits lead to a less stressful life and more peace of mind.

5. Call one person a day.

I make sure to call one person a day whether that’s my family, friends, or someone new I networked with. Living a busy life means that you don’t have extra time to make plans or grab a coffee.

The more isolated you are, the more in your head you’ll be, and come to overthink everything imaginable.

It’s a simple gesture and the person on the receiving end will feel appreciated if you took time out of your day to speak with them.

6. Shake up your habits.

If you get into bed every night and play video games, try doing something different for a change.

The good habits should stay, but the bad habits should go. It’s healthy to experiment with new routines to see what makes you the best version of yourself every day.

7. Address your clothing, style, and apparel.

As time goes on, we stop fitting our old clothes, or we become too slim for them. In any case, it’s a good idea to dig through your closet to re-assess what clothes you wear, fit, and actually need.

Don’t wait until spring cleaning, just do it regularly and eliminate clutter. Once again, a cluttered environment makes it hard to focus on the bigger picture.

Bonus: If you’re able to sell your old clothes, you can treat yourself to high-quality apparel and give your style a boost.

8. Rid your wallet of any unnecessary stuff.

I can bet that most of us have things in our wallets that hold no true value. Used gift cards, receipts from a year ago, and random business cards take up extra space — making it harder for your wallet to fit into your pocket.

Only keep the most necessary items like credit, debit, cash, forms of ID, and maybe a AAA card. Besides those and maybe a cute polaroid picture, you can leave it at home.

9. Get more personal with your peers.

Instead of showing up to work every day with the mentality that you can’t wait to get out, try actually getting to know your peers.

We’re all people in a system working for wages, or salaries and have people we care about.

Some of my closest friends have been people in authoritative positions. High-ranking military personnel, my bosses, and their families have become close friends too.

It’s always good to expand your network and be a people person. You never know what could come out of a good relationship or friendship.

10. Ask yourself, “What do I want in life?”

If you’re feeling powerless or hopeless, you have to find the root cause. Clearly, something is making you unhappy. Is it the people in your life? Is it money? Is it bad decisions you keep making?

Either way, you have to know what gets you absolutely fired up. Think about something you would love to do on a 3-day weekend. Snatch. I take it away from you. You probably feel angry, frustrated, and overall upset.

Incorporate that thing into your life again. Many of the things I did in my early 20s are things I still do now because they make me happy.

11. Have some perspective.

Assuming you’re going through a tough time, it’s important to have perspective. Not everyone’s life is as glamorous as they make it seem on social media.

While we’re upset about inflation, the economy, this or that — there are people all over the world dying of hunger, caught in a war, or even held captive somewhere we don’t know about.

Without perspective or self-awareness, it’s very easy to feel like your world is crumbling and life is unfair. Just remember, it could always be worse.

Final Thought

Without adversity, we don’t grow.

So the fact that you’re going through some tough situations makes you stronger.

Anything that’s ever challenged you mentally, emotionally, or physically can be used as strength down the road.