That’s it. You’ve had it. Life is just not going as well as you’d like. It’s time for a change, a Fresh Start. But how do you know where to even begin? Especially if you’re still neck-deep in life, you want to escape.

It’s simple. You start by asking yourself these five questions:

What Are You Looking For?

Too often, what we think is a change in our life is nothing more than a dressed-up version of the old. To avoid falling into this trap, start looking for real and actual change. Start by asking the hard questions: What do you want out of life? How are you not getting this? What would you need to do to attain this? What’s one positive change which would place you closer to this dream?

How Many Risks Are You Willing to Take?

Fresh starts will demand a specific commitment from you, which manifests in how much of yourself you’re willing to put into the project. If you’re not ready to risk a new way of life or much in the form of change, you will not have much success.

What is Different About the Life You’re Proposing

If you’re looking for a new beginning, there must be something ‘new,’ or you’re not starting over. You are merely continuing what you’ve been doing all along. What is the thing you haven’t done before?

What Are You Giving Up?

A new beginning means something else is ending. What are you leaving behind? Remember that this question doesn’t necessarily imply you must abandon every aspect of your past. Sometimes we’re leaving behind only a tiny part of our life.

Are You Truly Ready to Let Go of the Past?

This last question can be tricky because you might not know the answer until you’ve begun. Every fresh start is doomed to failure when weighed down with a lot of baggage from the past. At the very least, it helps to have a positive attitude about letting go and are willing to do the work to make this happen.

In the end, these questions will give you some idea of what to expect as you embark on this journey of letting go. After all, being prepared truly is half the battle.

Until next time, stay safe, and keep the faith.