7 Steps to Unf*ck Your Life in 30 days

Feeling lost? Depressed? Low energy?

Like you’re going nowhere real fast?

I did.

The quarter-life crisis is real.

There you are having a great time in your early 20s…meanwhile…ever so slowly, it begins to creep in.

As you clock in and out of work each day, you start to notice it.

At first, you’re not quite sure what it is. But as it grows within you, you feel it’s presence expanding.

Then all of a sudden, it hits you…

“Is this really what the rest of my life is gonna look like?”

After coming to this realization, you feel your soul being crushed more and more with each passing day.

It feels like you’re walking down a long dark hallway with no way to get out…except…

forward.

I felt it around the age of 24, I’m 28 now.

For me, it was feeling like I was stuck in the corporate grind. I was trapped in a cycle of working Mon-Fri and then going out on the weekends with my friends and getting f*cked up at the bars.

Weekdays and weekends began to blur together. Week by week, month by month.

You feel like you’re going through the motions of life.

Working each day so that you can work the next day and the next day and then finally, some sweet relief when the weekend arrives. Another night out at another bar, smashing drinks until you’re all piss drunk acting like idiots on the dance floor.

What happened to your dreams? Would 7 year old you be proud of your life?

Many people live this life. It’s even considered “normal.”

But it doesn't have to be this way.

That hallway you’re stuck in has an exit. Many exits, in fact.

You just can’t see them yet. Because the feeling of being stuck is blinding you.

You know that you’re meant for more than this life.

Now look, there’s a time and place for going out with your friends. I still do it occasionally myself because, well, it’s fun to go out with your friends. But I’m not doing that every weekend now. I can’t. My priorities have shifted.

Enough is enough.

About a year ago, I decided enough is enough.

I need to break free from this cycle.

I need to “unf*ck” my life.

I have this vision for what I know I can do, and that is way more important to me than rising the ranks in a corporate job or going out to the bars every weekend.

I need to go after that vision.

But even after deciding to go after it, I still found it really hard to break free from the “normal” cycle.

It took me this long to actually come up with a system for myself to effectively work towards to my passions.

The truth is, it’s not easy to reinvent yourself. You’re going to face a ton of resistance.

External resistance from the friends you’ve always gone out with, from the golden handcuffs of your job keeping you trapped, and from making mistakes in learning how to live your new life.

Then there’s the internal resistance. Your own mind and body is so used to living your old life. It’s going to want to pull you back into the bad habits you’re so used to, instead of building new, positive habits to propel you out of the “normal” life.

Accept the resistance. It’s the price of admission for entering into your new life.

How do I escape?

The only way to find the exit door is to commit 🤝

You have to decide for yourself:

Is this the life I want to live for the rest of my life? Or am I willing to fully commit to building a new life for myself?

You have to fully commit to following your dreams, to escaping the “normal” life, to working on expanding your mind and strengthening your body to be the best version of yourself you can be.

So, after you commit, how do you start on your new path?

You need direction.

Imagine trying to go from New York to San Diego with no map.

Direction is key.

You need somewhere to place your effort. Something to focus on.

That’s where I come in. I’ve got just the thing for you. 7 of them, in fact.

How to Unf*ck Your Life in 30 days

This list is a combination of mental and physical actions that will work together, each feeding into the other to create a wave of positive momentum.

The Mind/Body connection is real. A tight and unfit body results in a weak and confused mind.

The physical will strengthen your body as well as build up mental toughness and trust in yourself, proving that you are the person who does what they say you’re going to do.

So here it is…

Physical:

1) Walk 10,000 Steps a Day: You can split this up into several walks throughout the day, but at least 1 walk has to be outside. We are meant to be out in nature, it’s good for the soul.

2) Stretch Daily: Spend at least 15 minutes stretching and breathing deeply. Loosen up those tight muscles and release the tension that's been holding you back.

3) Push-Ups: Do as many pushups as you can on day 1. Add 1 pushup each day. It's a simple way to build strength and mental discipline by showing up each day. Anyone with a floor can do pushups, you don’t need a gym or fancy equipment.

4) Diet: Choose a plan and stick to it for 30 days. No cheat days. The food you eat is the fuel for your brain and body. You are what you eat. Stop eating processed bullsh*t foods that are designed to get you addicted to them. Doesn’t matter which diet it is, you just have to set some rules for yourself and stick to them.

• Examples: meat + fruit (what I’m on currently), carnivore, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, tracking macros, pescatarian, Mediterranean, rice+beans+ground beef

Mental:

5) Learn Something New: Whether it's reading a book, learning a skill from YouTube, or picking up a hobby, keep your mind active and engaged.

6) Reflect Daily: Spend at least 5 minutes to get what’s going on in your head out of your head. You can write in a journal, or record a voice memo, or even record yourself talking to the camera. It's so important to reflect on what’s going on each day in your life so you can improve and nip any bad habits in the butt before they get out of control.

7) Schedule Play: Make time for activities that bring you joy. Sing, dance, play a sport, juggle a soccer ball, shoot a basketball, play chess or Catan. You can even set an alarm for play. As soon as it goes off, you drop whatever you’re doing and go into your play activity. This trains your brain to be ready to completely change your mood and your reality instantly at any time of day. Embrace your inner child and let yourself have some fun.

Conclusion

Look, none of this should come as a surprise to you.

Because you know what you have to do. You’ve known all along.

But sometimes we need a kick in the ass to get going. We need a reality check. Some tough love.

Look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if this is the best you can do. A lot of people can’t even do it for more than 10 seconds. They’re afraid of what they see. Because they know it was them who created the life that’s in front of them.

But that’s the best part about it.

It was you who got you here, to this point. And it’s up to you and only you to get yourself to a better place.

The only way out is to commit 🤝

You can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t force him to drink. You have to want it for yourself.

This guide will not help you at all unless you truly want it.

Fully Commit.

You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Start today.

New day, new life, new you.

-Ryan Ward

If you liked this article you’ll like this one too: My Motto for the rest of 2024: Commit.

You’ll also want to read this week’s newsletter: On Reinventing Yourself | Contentsation 010