International Change Your Stars Month is celebrated all over the world during January every year. The idea is to follow 31 ideas that can significantly improve your life, each one assigned to each day of the month, thus truly being able to “change our stars.” It was created by Jace Carlton, an inspirational speaker and personal coach who also writes songs and music reviews. His specialty, with his major in psychology, was motivational behavior, resulting in a lifelong interest in working with people to assist them in following their dreams and achieving their highest potential.
History of International Change Your Stars Month
On January 1, 1999, Jace Carlton started sending his friends daily email inspirational quotes. Susan Tucker of the Songwriter’s Connection e-Zine requested him to contribute articles a year-and-a-half later and advertised his e-mails in her online newsletter. In his ‘Daily Inspiration for Songwriters’ newsletter, another acquaintance, Ande Rasmussen of the Austin Songwriter’s Group, also advertised his messages. Soon Carlton was sending messages to up to 49 recipients every day. One day, a friend of his who lived in London informed him that three of her friends—none of whom were on his mailing list or were residents of America—were forwarding his messages to her. The entire world was forwarding his messages!
The 2005 movie “A Knight’s Tale,” about a poor thatcher’s boy who aspires to become a knight, served as the inspiration for Carlton’s creation of the website changeyourstars.com. A man laughs at him, “A thatcher’s son? A knight? You might as well try to change the stars!” The young boy asks his father, “Can it be done, father? Can a man change the stars?” His father calmly replies, “Yes, William. If he believes enough, a man can do anything.”
On June 1, 2005, Ron Atchison shared a quotation from the website’s archive with his subscribers at www.InspirationPeak.com and encouraged them to visit it. Eighty-four people signed up for Carlton’s Change Your Stars messages in one hour, which set a record. The 50th Anniversary Edition of the renowned Chase’s Calendar of Events, published in 2008, was the first to formally recognize International Change Your Stars Month, and it has done so every year thereafter.
International Change Your Stars Month timeline
The emails he sends to his friends contain motivational messages.
She invites him to contribute articles to the Songwriter's Connection e-Zine and promotes his messages in her website’s newsletter, which makes him very popular all over the world.
The name of the website and holiday are inspired by the movie “A Knight’s Tale.”
He shares a quote from the archive with his subscribers at www.InspirationPeak.com and tells them to visit Carlton’s website, and he gets 84 messages in a single hour.
International Change Your Stars Month is included in the 2008 50th Anniversary Edition and every other since.
International Change Your Stars Month FAQs
How accurate is “A Knight's Tale?”
The rating of the film is a 3/5 for historical accuracy. It is intentionally anachronistic because it combines the medieval and sports film genre, and has a comedic feel.
Did they actually joust in “A Knight's Tale?”
Yes, the lances were blunted and the actors had padding, but besides that, it’s all genuine.
What illness did the Black Prince have?
It’s not known for sure, but it was likely dysentery that he contracted in Spain.
International Change Your Stars Month Activities
Follow Carlton’s 31 suggestions
This is what International Change Your Stars is all about, each idea corresponds to a day of the new year to help you improve your life. You can find them all on changeyourstars.com
Watch “A Knight’s Tale”
This is the movie that inspired Carlton to create the festivity, and it may be similarly inspiring for you. It’s a very entertaining movie that includes rock music despite taking place in medieval Europe, and the whole premise is to “change the stars” and what it means.
Sign the Change Your Stars’ guest book
If you’ve tried these activities and you think they’ve had a positive impact on your life, sign the guest book on Carlton’s website to let him know. There, you will also find Defining Moments, where you can read moments that changed people’s lives and send your own or send ideas to celebrate International Change Your Stars Month.
5 Surprising Facts About “A Knight’s Tale”
Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein was real
He was a knight and an author that was thought to have invented the idea of chivalry and courtly love.
It’s almost historical fiction
While Geoffry Chaucer’s life is pretty well documented, there’s about a year or so where historians didn’t know what he was doing, and this is when the movie is said to take place.
There’s a fun Chaucer easter egg
In the movie, he threatens to put the summoner and the pardoner in his literature, referencing “The Summoner’s Tale” and “The Pardoner’s Tale” from real life, in which they are portrayed as gross, corrupt people.
There are several references to The Beatles
For example, Wat tells Chaucer that if he betrays them, he will beat him until “your insides are out and your outsides are in.”
Modern music
There’s a reason the movie features modern rock music, the director said that it’s to communicate to modern audiences how people in the Middle Ages felt about their music and that when true Renaissance music is used in modern movies, it fails to convey the emotional response people had back then.
Why We Love International Change Your Stars Month
It’s inspiring
The meaning of “change your stars” is that humans can do anything if they believe long enough. The suggestions for this month are small ways in which we can start the year on the right footing and improve our lives.
It reminds us how much good can be done through the Internet
Carlton’s messages motivated a lot of people, and they’ve shared their stories through the website. A simple act of kindness and understanding can make people change their lives for the better, and the Internet allows us to connect more than ever before.
It’s better than New Year’s resolutions
Carlton says that New Year’s resolutions don’t work because we don’t stick with them long enough. Doing one thing each day of the month will have more long-lasting effects and remind us of our goals for this year.
International Change Your Stars Month dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | January 1 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | January 1 | Thursday |
| 2027 | January 1 | Friday |
| 2028 | January 1 | Saturday |
| 2029 | January 1 | Monday |
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