No matter how old you are or where you are in life, you may want to make a change. Maybe it’s a change in the foods you want to eat or the amount of exercise you get, or maybe you’re just interested in treating the people around you with more compassion and respect. The truth of the matter is that change is good for us, but in many ways, we resist it. We have the clothes we make for a reason; they have taken us so far, after all! However, change is not impossible, and you will find that simply by taking a few basic steps, you can begin the change you need.

1. Find out what you want to change.

The big mistake that many people make when they want to change is that they are not specific enough. For example, it’s easy to say you want to be a more involved parent, but if you leave it at that, you’ll find you’re getting nowhere. Make a list of smaller goals that will help you reach the bigger one. If you want to be a better parent, some smaller goals you could set are to engage your child more in the conversation, attend school functions more, and get involved in things like parent organizations. Small goals like this help you stay focused and give you a good idea of ​​what you need to do.

2. Talk about it

You will find that talking about your goal with another person can be very helpful. Find a friend or family member who is going through the same thing or is just willing to lend you an ear and a shoulder. You will be amazed at what you can learn just by putting things into words and being able to get some feedback on the same. We are very social, and the truth of the matter is that, in many ways, two people can work on a subject better than one person. While you should always make sure you’re not imposing, having a friend to help you through this can go a long way.

3. Reassess

When you have a big goal in front of you and when you have broken it down into smaller goals, remember that there are many things that can distract you. Take some time, every day, every week, or even every month, to assess where you are and what you have done. The more tracking you have, the more you’ll be able to see the changes you’ve made. It is important to see how far you have come and what you have done. This can be critical when it comes to helping you in terms of determination and perseverance through difficult things.

4. Be kind to yourself.

You will fall down. When you make changes, there will be setbacks. Sometimes you can’t control them, and sometimes you just forget about them. This is good. The important thing is that you get down to work the next day. Falling today does not mean you will fall tomorrow!