5 Easy Steps To Help Build Resilience! Christina McCaffrey 

Challenges are commonplace in our world. Most times, we can work our way through the issues quickly. Sometimes, however, the problem is tough to pin down or can seem overwhelming, so we get stalled. 

There’s many ways to “life hack” your way to a happier life and most of them follow the pattern below:  

1. Take an honest look at the reality of the issue. 

There’s an old saying, “a well-defined problem is half solved.”  

Let’s say our issue is that we are feeling broke all the time.  Ignoring our money problems and hoping someone miraculously saves us will not help. If we are to fix the problem, we must clearly see the reality of the situation and admit that we are headed for financial trouble if we don’t correct things soon.

2. Review how the failure happened.  

Once we define the problem, we can start our search for the factors that contributed to the growth of the issue.  After all, we have to know what caused the problem if we are to fix it.

For example, in the case of “being broke,” the review process might include an analysis of bank accounts and pay stubs to see where the money is showing up and how it is being distributed. 

Most times, there’s a combination of causes, so we will need to ask ourselves if there is anything else contributing to the chaos to uncover all the causes.

3. Make a plan for a way to solve the issue.

After acknowledging reality and reviewing the causes, it will be easy to create and initiate a corrective plan.

When putting together the solution, we should continuously ask ourselves if it is manageable and realistic.

For example, taking on another full-time job to increase income or avoiding spending money on restaurants and bars for a year might be drastic and unsustainable.  What is needed is a smart, reasonable plan that will not feel like punishment.

4. Reward progress, but don’t be crazy about it.

Frequently the problems we encountered were created by the bad habits that slowly crept into our lives.  

Because the problems are baked into our lifestyle, we must re-train ourselves to prefer the new replacement habits so we can adopt a better way of living.

Following our money problems example, let’s say we learned we were spending too much cash on outside entertainment. The smart way to incorporate the solution is to build a new lifestyle into our nighttime routine. For example, we could decide that Friday nights would be spent with family instead of going to the bar and that we would only go to restaurants twice a month.

Committing to a limited number of outside evenings and purposefully adding another less expensive habit can redirect our attention, give us a sense of purpose, and will even provide a good excuse when others try to tempt us back to the old ways.  The best thing is it will help us reduce spending without stressing ourselves out. 

5. Continue to review the plan to stay on the path to success.

Over the years, I have removed bad habits only to have them slowly sneak back into my life.  Have you had that experience too?  

It’s a common occurrence, and it happens because the replacement habits are weaker than the bad habits.  

To avoid falling into the trap of repeating the same mistake over and over, the best thing to do is just regularly review how it’s going.  

Following along with the money issues solution, we could make sure to review our finances regularly, keep track of how much money we have saved over time, and more importantly, give ourselves a small reward for being able to build success.  That will help us to avoid slipping back into the old, non-productive lifestyle.  

People who pay attention can notice and correct problems before they get out of hand.

In summary, if you want to find solutions quickly, just remember to 1. acknowledge the reality of the situation, 2. review the causes, 3. plan your solution, 4. reward the new lifestyle, and 5. review your progress regularly to keep moving forward.  

The good news is that the more we avoid dangerous habits and focus instead on what brings us toward a stronger, more successful life, the easier it will be to correct our problems before they lead to failures.  

Good lifestyle habits repeated over time bring abundance and lead to a happier, more serene lifestyle.  

Many people benefit from getting assistance to help design and implement their plans. If you want to discuss that option, you can learn more about the services we offer at www.In-Trusted.com.    

Christina McCaffrey

Consultant