I’ve often found that the best method for getting a life change to stick is to couple it with other, sometimes benign changes. You’ll be more apt to quit smoking if you also change your hairstyle, buy some new clothes, and start working out. Also, I’ve found that when you change something in one area of your life, you end up fixing other areas of your life. And, change is important. You have to constantly evolve, mature, grow to hope to experience even a fraction of life to its fullest. Some of the most profound changes in my life have occurred when I really shook things up: I moved out of my parents house, finally ended an on-again-off-again relationship, got a better job, all in the same summer - and what a wild summer it was.

Sometimes all you need is a little spark, just a simple change. So, here’s a few ideas of things you can change in your life that might kick-start some more important revisions.

1. Change cologne/perfume
Everytime I’ve switched to a new cologne, I’ve felt like a new man. I remember in Junior High School when I smartly splashed too much Polo over my Izod with the tucked-in-collar. Then there was the Drakkar Noir club-hopping summer. I recently switched to Nautica when I started back at the gym.

2. Change hairstyle/haircut
This is probably pretty good advice anyway. Hairstyles change each year, although some years the styles are so similiar it’s not easy to notice the subtle differences. But, there’s nothing worse than seeing someone with a hairstyle from two decades ago.

3. Change clothing/wardrobe
This is important whether you’re just updating an out-of-date wardrobe or getting clothes that fit. Of course when people lose weight, they go out and get new clothes to show off how much wieght they’ve lost, but they should also have fitting clothes when they gain weight. And don’t make the mistake of getting baggy, schlumpy clothes to hide yourself. Why add to the feelings of bulk?

4. Rearrange a room
After living in a room; bedroom, livingroom, bathroom, whatever, for a while you’ll usually discover that some things just aren’t right - like you keep banging your shin on the coffee table, or the sun is in your eyes in the morning. Or, you’ll just want a fresh room by moving the furniture, changing the curtains, or buying new bedding. Sheets don’t keep their crisp, cool feel after too many washes, bouncing around with jeans and sweatshirts. You should move the livingroom furnite at least every two years and the bedroom furniture every five.

5. Hang some new photos
A good idea is to change your desktop wallpaper with pictures of old friends, different times of your life, or the things you find the most important. It’s great to have new pictures of your kids to remind you of the reasons for all your hard work, and all the things you’ll continue to strive for. You can also move the photos around on your walls which can completely transform a room and call attention to important photographs that may have been overlooked for far too long.

"Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”
by William James