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Value This Life

Value This Life

Helping you find more joy & beauty in everyday life

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How to Transform Yourself

close up butterfly feeding on a flower

Most of us have things we’d like to change about ourselves. Those things may be major or minor, realistic or unrealistic. As a girl I always wanted to have blue eyes and I wished I wasn’t so tall. Obviously those things aren’t going to change permanently.

I’m not talking about self-hatred or low self esteem. I’m referring to a healthy desire to improve ourselves and grow and change as human beings. We see things in our character or our habits, or we admit that we have physical issues that could be improved. It’s a good thing for us to learn and grow and change all of our lives.

The trouble is, we want to transform….right now.

Never mind that the weight crept on over a period of months, or that we’ve had a sharp tongue for twenty years. We want the microwave version, to be rewarded for our decision to change immediately.

Definition of Transform

To transform means to “make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance or character of.”

If you’re painting a bedroom, it’s pretty easy to make a thorough change in the appearance of the room.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way with a human body or a character trait.

When we start out on a self-improvement project, we expect rapid, predictable results from our efforts. And when things go wrong, we think we’re entitled to the stress and disappointment we feel.

Fact: When we care too much about life conforming to our expectations, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment.

How to Transform Yourself

So how DO you transform yourself?

Limit the number of changes you attempt at one time. In other words, start a new exercise program (and I highly recommend T-Tapp), but don’t begin a new, strict diet at the same time.

Know thyself. Be honest. If you know that you won’t do long workouts, don’t plan them. You’d be setting yourself up for guilt and shame.

Don’t necessarily announce to the world that you’re changing something. Sometimes we spend so much emotional energy and excitement telling everyone, we feel a sense of satisfaction and our brain thinks we actually already did it. With your energy spent, there’s not any left to push you into action.

Make changes gradually whenever possible. Be wary of inflicting stress-inducing, rapid change on yourself. Stay aware of how you are handling the transformation effort. Incremental change is easier to accept.

Use tools to organize your change efforts. Checklists are your friend. Checklists don’t lie. They tell the truth about what you have to do and what you’ve actually done. Writing it down gets it out of your head and onto paper.

Keep it simple. Big, complicated plans may be fun to make, but they seldom get carried out in ordinary, busy life. That’s one thing that’s so effective about Plexus Slim for weight loss, and helps people stick with it: it’s one pink drink in the morning, go on with your day and eat normally.

Instead of focusing on how far you have to go, focus on the next step. Before you know it, you’ll look up and find you’re almost there.

The small things add up. Transformation happens in the daily choices. It’s like seeing a teenager whom you haven’t seen since they were a child. To you, the transformation happened overnight. To their family, the change happened daily but they couldn’t see it.

Take heart, transformer! Your efforts are paying off, even if your eyes don’t detect the change. Your character is transforming in the hard things, slow as it may seem. The change can be dramatic….but not necessarily sudden.

How do you keep going on your transformation journey? Please comment…

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About Charlotte

I'm a grateful wife & mom of 12 amazing persons. I love to inspire & teach busy women to find beauty in everyday life by caring for themselves, creating comfortable homes with their families and living out ordinary days with grace and gratitude. I'd love to encourage YOU!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gabrielle says

    April 1, 2014 at 6:48 am

    Oh how I needed to read this post today!! Thank you once again for writing such a wonderful post!!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Siems says

      April 6, 2014 at 11:11 pm

      You’ve encouraged ME today, Gabrielle! 🙂

      Reply

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I'm a grateful wife & mom of 12 amazing persons. I love to inspire & teach busy women to find beauty in everyday life by caring for themselves, creating comfortable homes with their families and living out ordinary days with grace and gratitude. I'd love to encourage YOU! Read More…

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valuethislife

valuethislife
Celebrate all the things!! Our daughter got a spot Celebrate all the things!! Our daughter got a spot in cosmetology school so we threw a family beauty-themed party. Not one homemade decoration or treat, nothing fancy or overwhelming!  We just gathered stuff around the house for the theme and bought inexpensive party trimmings. Frozen cream puffs, mini cookies and candy (Easter colors were perfect), and “Bugles” for “nail tips.”  Done! Better a simple party with fun than a fancy party with stress!
I think it’s natural for us to want to feel beau I think it’s natural for us to want to feel beautiful. Why should we be embarrassed to admit that? Spring flowers, Fall leaves, Winter snowflakes and Summer sunsets are all beautiful. Different colors, textures and sizes—but each exquisite. What could change if you looked in the mirror with LOVE and appreciation for YOUR one-of-a-kind beauty?💕
The top of a tall bedroom dresser is a great spot The top of a tall bedroom dresser is a great spot for a seasonal arrangement. Tiny red berries and antique gold branches were added for Christmas. Orange bittersweet stems and scattered leaves could give it a Fall feel. A pretty arrangement helps keep the dresser top from getting cluttered with mail and coins and papers. Your bedroom is the first and last thing you see every day, so give yourself a visual treat—something that YOU enjoy seeing.🌷
Our family favorite No-Bake Cookies made special f Our family favorite No-Bake Cookies made special for Easter! Mini Robin Eggs turn the cookies into tiny nests. Recipe for the cookies and Resurrection Rolls over at the blog!
Easter week and we need all the energy and happy b Easter week and we need all the energy and happy brain we can get! Thicker hair and strong nails are kinda nice, too. Quick and simple is my mom jam, so mixing it all together works great. Some “plant stuff” tastes like grass clippings, this isn’t that. 😂 I can help you choose, let’s chat!
Sure, thoughts pop into your head but you don’t Sure, thoughts pop into your head but you don’t have to pull up a chair and turn on a movie for them. Don’t let them hang around long enough to bring you down and shape your emotions. Show them the door and turn your attention to thoughts that serve you well. Think on THOSE things. 💕
My favorite thing about our 80’s house: big wind My favorite thing about our 80’s house: big windows, almost ceiling to floor. Give me all the light! Favorite thing about photo filters: they camouflage dirty windows. **cat unintentionally included in scene, literally came out of nowhere 😳
“Older women shouldn’t wear colorful or sparkl “Older women shouldn’t wear colorful or sparkly eyeshadow.” Fashion advice I’m NOT listening to.💋Eyeshadow is the most FUN part of makeup for me, and I love variety! Many women prefer neutral/natural/no-makeup looks. Y’all go ahead! You do you! I’ll be over here with the purples and blues and greens and alllll the shimmers.😂💄What’s YOUR makeup look?
I don’t remember how it started, but decorating I don’t remember how it started, but decorating for the seasons has been part of the rhythm of our family life for years. I was determined to create a home where good memories could be made. Small holidays and seasonal touches mark the passage of time and anchor traditions. Sometimes the decor is very simple, sometimes more elaborate—but I’m always glad I made the effort!
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valuethislife

valuethislife
Celebrate all the things!! Our daughter got a spot Celebrate all the things!! Our daughter got a spot in cosmetology school so we threw a family beauty-themed party. Not one homemade decoration or treat, nothing fancy or overwhelming!  We just gathered stuff around the house for the theme and bought inexpensive party trimmings. Frozen cream puffs, mini cookies and candy (Easter colors were perfect), and “Bugles” for “nail tips.”  Done! Better a simple party with fun than a fancy party with stress!
I think it’s natural for us to want to feel beau I think it’s natural for us to want to feel beautiful. Why should we be embarrassed to admit that? Spring flowers, Fall leaves, Winter snowflakes and Summer sunsets are all beautiful. Different colors, textures and sizes—but each exquisite. What could change if you looked in the mirror with LOVE and appreciation for YOUR one-of-a-kind beauty?💕
The top of a tall bedroom dresser is a great spot The top of a tall bedroom dresser is a great spot for a seasonal arrangement. Tiny red berries and antique gold branches were added for Christmas. Orange bittersweet stems and scattered leaves could give it a Fall feel. A pretty arrangement helps keep the dresser top from getting cluttered with mail and coins and papers. Your bedroom is the first and last thing you see every day, so give yourself a visual treat—something that YOU enjoy seeing.🌷
Our family favorite No-Bake Cookies made special f Our family favorite No-Bake Cookies made special for Easter! Mini Robin Eggs turn the cookies into tiny nests. Recipe for the cookies and Resurrection Rolls over at the blog!
Easter week and we need all the energy and happy b Easter week and we need all the energy and happy brain we can get! Thicker hair and strong nails are kinda nice, too. Quick and simple is my mom jam, so mixing it all together works great. Some “plant stuff” tastes like grass clippings, this isn’t that. 😂 I can help you choose, let’s chat!
Sure, thoughts pop into your head but you don’t Sure, thoughts pop into your head but you don’t have to pull up a chair and turn on a movie for them. Don’t let them hang around long enough to bring you down and shape your emotions. Show them the door and turn your attention to thoughts that serve you well. Think on THOSE things. 💕
My favorite thing about our 80’s house: big wind My favorite thing about our 80’s house: big windows, almost ceiling to floor. Give me all the light! Favorite thing about photo filters: they camouflage dirty windows. **cat unintentionally included in scene, literally came out of nowhere 😳
“Older women shouldn’t wear colorful or sparkl “Older women shouldn’t wear colorful or sparkly eyeshadow.” Fashion advice I’m NOT listening to.💋Eyeshadow is the most FUN part of makeup for me, and I love variety! Many women prefer neutral/natural/no-makeup looks. Y’all go ahead! You do you! I’ll be over here with the purples and blues and greens and alllll the shimmers.😂💄What’s YOUR makeup look?
I don’t remember how it started, but decorating I don’t remember how it started, but decorating for the seasons has been part of the rhythm of our family life for years. I was determined to create a home where good memories could be made. Small holidays and seasonal touches mark the passage of time and anchor traditions. Sometimes the decor is very simple, sometimes more elaborate—but I’m always glad I made the effort!
Follow on Instagram
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