My New Opportunity:  Time to Make a Change

There are far too many excuses to avoid living life to the full.  This week, I have started an internship in digital marketing and social media, an industry I am really interested in (who’d have guessed?)!  Taking this new opportunity involves not just changing direction to start out on my dream career path but also making changes to my daily life.

Routine and Habits

All major changes in life come with choices and a renewed perspective on old habits, whether they are related to an old job, house or relationship.  I’d become used to early alarm calls, feeling lethargic and only going to the gym on my days off.  Although I enjoyed my job, the long and unsociable hours took their toll.  I often failed to make the most out of my time.  Although changing jobs is often a nerve-racking process, the benefits often outweigh the drawbacks and that is certainly the case for me!

The monotony of routine provides us all with an abundance of excuses:  I’m too tired, I don’t have enough time, I don’t have enough energy, I don’t have enough money, I don’t want to do something straight after work, I don’t want to waste my day off, I just want to rest.  The list goes on…

Living Life To The Full

With each of these excuses, an opportunity to live life to its fullest is lost.  I am guilty of procrastinating and feeling as though I don’t have enough time or energy in recent months.  Starting a new job brings the perfect chance to make positive changes to a previously mundane routine.

Having time off at the weekend is a significant advantage of my new job.  I am already looking forward to meeting up with friends, taking part in organised runs and enjoying more flexibility with my time.  It also means that I can plan my meals in advance and I have succeeded to a limited extent, making overnight oats and porridge for breakfast on each day so far.  However, in the weeks to come I do plan to cook a number of lunches in advance so that I can take nutritious meals to work, like chicken with rice instead of relying on a cheap meal deal or home made sandwich.  I have discovered that my appetite is larger than I had previously thought – more bananas are required!

Looking Forward

The only habits I want to establish as routine are sleep and exercise.  Since I finished college nearly five years ago, my sleeping routine has been patchy at best.  Whilst my exercise routine has fared better, it is something that I want to improve.  Although I have only changed my routine since the weekend, I already feel brighter and more energetic.  I can now make it through the day without the need for more than one or two coffees.

I’m a firm believer that if you want to establish a habit the best time to start is now.  With that in mind, I went out for a four mile run after work on Tuesday.  I plan to fit in at least two workouts in the week as well as two sessions at the weekend.  Although this is the first week of my routine I am feeling positive about the weeks to come.  I feel content in the knowledge that I am establishing healthy habits from the beginning.