How to Get My Life on Track

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Sometimes it seems as though everything in your life is going completely wrong. Maybe you don't have the job or the social life you really want, or perhaps you just don't feel like you're where you thought you'd be at a certain stage in life. At times like these it can be hard not to feel as though your life is beyond your control. It's important to remember that you are in control of your own decisions and happiness. Getting your life back on track requires motivating and empowering yourself.

Take a Pause

Before you try anything it's important that you still your mind and relax yourself. When you're going through a period of suffering or loss the brain creates a lot of "noise" as a protective mechanism, writes life coach and bestselling author Martha Beck in the article "Your Best Life is Waiting" for oprah.com. To gain the courage you need to face this tough time, it's important that you experience the negative emotions you might be feeling such as anger or pain, without scrambling to dispel them. To do this, Beck suggests sitting or lying down and focusing on your breathing. It might seem simple, but research has shown that a calm breathing pattern creates an equally calm state of mind.

Get Motivated

To get your life back on track, you'll need to motivate yourself to make a change. This is especially important if you've been feeling down about the way things are going. Increase your positivity and motivation by spending time with people who inspire you to do more and be better, and less time with people who are negative, recommends BNI founder and chairman Ivan Misner in an article for Entrepreneur. Surrounding yourself with things and people that make you feel happy will help keep your energy levels up while you make the necessary changes in your life.

Try Seeing Things in a New Light

When you're ready, try viewing the situation that life has put you in from a new point of view. Consider reframing your perspective until you see your predicament more clearly, advises author and analyst Cara Baker in the article "5 Steps to Get Your Life Back on Track" for the Huffington Post. For instance, perhaps it was necessary for you to experience the painful loss of your job for you to clearly see the impact that working those long hours was having on your family, or on your health. Remember, says Baker, sometimes life is giving you exactly what you need, disguised as a painful time. It just takes courage and wisdom to see it.

Make a To-Do List

Make a list of the things you want to do and the goals you want to achieve, and prioritize it suggests Misner. Lists are a useful organizational tool and will help to keep you on track while you're getting your life back on track. Make a commitment to tackle your list a little bit at a time and to do so every day Misner says. Then stick to it -- not only will you accomplish a lot, but you'll also feel good about your success which will only further reinforce your motivation to keep "doing." If you're having trouble getting started on a list, Misner recommends asking yourself this question: What would I like to achieve in the next week or -- at most -- next month, that inspires me to act today?