Change Manifesto

Last night I couldn’t sleep – as usual – even after having a normal couple days for the first time all week. I feel like my body and mind is struggling to make the changes I need to go forward. So I spent some time brainstorming on the subject of change.

What must I change?
  • Bad habits; smoking, junk food, alcohol, drugs, excess spending.
  • Attitude towards loved ones; they need to be treat better, shouldn’t be wound up or toyed with for my own amusement, make sure I speak to or see them.
  • Work ethic; this is my dream, I need to work tirelessly in pursuit of it.
  • Time management; knowing how much time to spend, figuring out what is most important.
When can I change it?
  • Now
Who will I change for?
  • Myself
  • My girlfriend
  • My family
  • My friends
  • My future family
  • Those in the future who I will be able to help
Where will I need to make changes?
  • At home; eating, sleeping, project work, exercise, care time, leisure time
  • At university; assignments, using the facilities to my advantage, being prepared, ahead of the class
  • Out in the world; presenting myself better, being confident in my ways, stop imagining conflict, not spend money that isn’t saved for occasions
  • Inside myself; break bad habits, gain new experiences, find more of the good in life, refine my philosophy
Why must I change?
  • 26 years old; the time is now
  • For the people who want and need me to
  • Not let fear hold me down in life
  • Development and success require it
  • I know how I want to live, I just have to do
How will I go about making the changes?
  • Imagine; myself in the future after the changes, what will I be doing then, what will I have gained, what negatives will have gone
  • For the people who want and need me to
  • Analyse; the root causes and patterns which enable/trigger the problems
  • Plan; how each problem will be tackled, creating strategies to avoid failure
  • Track; progress across time, towards set goals with a clear purpose
  • Adjust; goals or strategies to ensure success
  • Evaluate; success and failures so they can both be learnt from
  • Deadline; set a point at which I can consider myself completely changed
  • Reward; celebrate my success

Starting today I hope to imagine, plan and track the changes in my life. Like any person on this planet, you have to ask yourself how you’re going to get those changes to stick. It’s all too easy to reach that point where you just say to yourself “stuff this, life’s too short” or “I can do this any time, so I can just be me for now” or “enjoy it while I’m young”…blah, blah.

My drive for change at this time is the feeling of necessity. I promised myself when I was younger that I could quit college, get a job and live a little before I needed to commit to anything. Well, that time is over – in fact – it’s very much behind me. I’m behind both the hare and the tortoise, so I must catch up.