5 Steps to Changing Your Life When You’re Feeling Stuck with Lara Doherty

Have you ever felt stuck, lost, floundering at sea, or on the hamster wheel of life and don’t know how to get off?

What if you could change your life? What would you alter? What would you do differently?

And where would you start?!

I recently spoke with my friend, Lara Doherty on The Social Brain Podcast where she shared her 5 step plan for changing your life whenever you feel stuck.

Prefer to listen to the audio version of our conversation? Check out episode 31 of the podcast. 

When it comes to changing your life, Lara recommends starting with your morning routine. Based on her own experience, designing her own Miracle Morning (based on the book the Miracle Morning) provided a long lasting transformation that saw her dropping three dress sizes, committing to exercise, drinking less alcohol and generally prioritising herself and her needs. 

Instead of scrolling on her phone, Lara now spends time exercising, drinking water, repeating affirmations and connecting with her vision board. 

Why creating a vision board is more than just a pretty picture

Vision boards are a powerful tool for manifestation and motivation. They can help you stay focused on your goals and encourage you to take daily action.

Lara shares: “I created my first vision board and from then on my life literally catapulted and completely changed. The first bit was the morning routine and the vision board was basically having a vision to then work towards. I'd just been sort of meandering through life with various jobs. Never really thought about what I wanted to do when I grew up. But this was the first opportunity I had to really think about what it was I wanted out of life.”

Lara created a vision board and used that to fuel her into action and stay motivated towards achieving her biggest goals. 

How to supercharge your life in 5 simple steps

When it comes to supercharging your life, Lara’s an expert. And to make it easier for you to supercharge your life, Lara created a simple yet effective, 5 step method called the SEWPA method. 

S: Self Care

E: Environments

W: Why

P: Planning

A: Assistance

Self Care

The first step is about doing things that are good for you and will support you in living your life the way you want to. This is where you’d look at your morning routine so you can set yourself up for a successful day. Lara explains: “Scrolling first thing increases cortisol and can ruin your whole day if that's the first thing you're doing first thing in the morning. So think about structuring your morning. And then if you've got five minutes during the day, literally get outside and just walk around a garden or walk around the block. Things like podcasts and YouTube can be my motivation for the day. Try to stay off social media as much as possible.”

Environments

Environments is about places like your home and whether or not it’s cluttered. Lara says: “If you've got a cluttered home, you then have a cluttered mind.” If you’re a small business owner, should you be working at home? Or could you go and work somewhere else more inspiring? Changing your environment can have a big impact on your mood and productivity.

Environments can also include the people you spend time with. Are they the right people for you?

Why

Uncovering your why is important if you want to change your life. Your why will motivate you and give you a direction to head in. It’s really about having a vision and purpose so you’re not floundering and feeling lost or uncertain about what to actually do. 

Without clarity, it’s like getting in a car without knowing where you’re heading and driving aimlessly with no destination. 

Planning

Once you know what you want, you can create a plan for yourself. Lara shares: “I always say baby steps. You might have a big goal but actually, break it up into smaller steps. And have them so that they're achievable within one year. I'm always thinking a year ahead rather than too far ahead. When you have a big dream, maybe you want to move to Devon, like a friend of mine does, realistically that's going to be in three years' time rather than this year.”

Assistance

The last step in Lara’s 5 part method is to seek accountability and support from others. Whether you find an accountability buddy for your business or you have a friend who you exercise with, the extra support of someone else can help you take more action. 

Likewise, it’s ok to seek support in your business too. Don’t be afraid to ask for help with the things you don’t enjoy or things that aren’t in your core zone of genius. 

How often should you review your vision?

Lara recommends revisiting your vision (and vision board!) every quarter and at a minimum, every six months. It’s common for things to change such as plans not working out, new ideas coming in or just deciding that what we thought we wanted, we don’t. 

And when you do revisit your vision, remember to take some time to celebrate your achievements. 

What’s the most effective way to create a vision board?

There are multiple ways to create a vision board. I used Canva to create a vision video that’s around 3 minutes long. I added background music to inspire me and motivate me as I watch it each day. 

But not all of us have the time to sit and watch a 3 minute video, do we?

Lara prefers to create a physical board that she can look at every day. Here’s why: “For me, there's so much more involved in my process.  You've got magazines, it’s tactile, there's the intuition built in [as you’re reading the magazine] and it feels more spiritual.”

A lot of people enjoy creating digital versions of their vision board on places like Canva or Pinterest. Once you have your board, you can set it as your phone or desktop background as a constant reminder of what you’re working towards.

Whether you create a digital, physical or video vision board, make sure you spend time looking at it each day so you can manifest your goals and change your life.

Lara Doherty is a Mindset & Motivation Coach who helps women struggling to take action become the unstoppable force they know, deep down, they deserve to be. She’s also the author of The Mighty Book of Motivation Magic.

Follow Lara on Instagram and visit her website here.