According to a January 2025 Gallup poll, only 44 percent of American adults say they are “very satisfied” with their personal life. This is a new low during the life of the poll (running annually since 1979). What makes Americans dissatisfied with their lives?
My guess is relationship problems, money problems, job problems, health problems, responsibilities, busyness, burnout. This list could be endless, and, really, one individual can deal with all or many of these issues at once. Often, one problem is a symptom of a bigger “systemic” problem, and leads to issues in every aspect of life.
Ask yourself what all affects your “personal life” and you may be surprised how many things you come up with.
Use These Tricks to Fix Your Life
There’s no easy fix for your life, but, these tricks can help begin to fix your mindset, which, with time, can help improve your life.
- Assume your spouse is on your side and you’ll see your marriage improved.
It’s true, sometimes your spouse may be saying or doing something to hurt you. This is usually because they’ve been hurt and have lost sight of the truth: you’re on the same side. You chose to be on the same team. You love each other enough to do life together. When one of you has lost sight of this truth, it’s up to you to remember. Assume no wrongdoing. Assume the raised voice or the comment about the dirty dishes was not a dig at you. Assume, actually, that you’re in love and love doing life together.
This is the way to jump of the cycle of hurt that your relationship has been on. It also works for friendships, family relationships, and colleagues.
- Explore the world as if it’s made for you and you’ll see your comfort zone grow.
When we were children, many of us heard we can be whatever we want to be, “the sky is the limit.” When we grew up, though, we saw the truth: this world is a mountain we have to climb or dig through, not something that helps us along the way. It hurts us to learn this truth the hard way, so we begin to think: This isn’t for me. I can’t do this. This is too hard. Begin to look at the world as if it’s yours and you’ll see a fast turnaround. Yes, God made this world for you, and gave you everything you need to thrive. Your job? Made for you? That neighborhood you’ve been trying to move into? Made for you. The forest you’re about to hike in, maybe the one you’re lost in? God made it for you.
When you begin to see the world for what it is, a gift for you from a benevolent Father, your comfort zone will grow and so will your confidence. - Worship as if God is your best friend, loving parent, and brother—and you’ll see your heart change.
A lot of our dissatisfaction is because our spirit is hurting. Something has created what feels like distance between God and us, and it starts a slippery slope of apathy, boredom, and even anger toward God and worship. Throw whatever you think you know about worship, Bible study, and prayer right out the window and start treating God as your best friend, and you’ll see your heart change. You’ll talk to Him more. You’ll share more of yourself with Him. You’ll look for time to spend with Him. You’ll tell others what you’re learning, how you’re feeling, how you’re growing.
When your heart toward God changes for the good, your life will change for the good. Looking through a God-lens automatically sets our outlook right.
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I have learned that fixing my thought-life can fix my life. Sometimes the things about life are exactly the same as they were, but when you’re thought-life is fixed, everything you viewed as a problem before is suddenly less so. There are suddenly solutions. There is suddenly hope.
This is what God can do for you, if you let Him.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV
