The Right Mindset
How many times have you had an idea or wanted to do something but quickly convinced yourself not to do it or made excuses on why it wouldn't work? We are in our own way!!! The voice in our head tells us you’re not good enough, you’re not smart enough, you don’t have what it takes, or you don’t have the time. That’s your mindset talking. At some point in your life you developed these limiting beliefs and the time to change them is NOW. Your mind and body like what’s comfortable and what’s known. This is why change is hard. You have to be deliberate about what you’re thinking to be able to change it over time.
Mindset plays a crucial role in achieving success because it shapes how we perceive and respond to challenges, setbacks, and opportunities. Having a positive and growth mindset fosters resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to learn from failures. Those with a growth mindset see setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth, while a fixed mindset might lead to avoidance of challenges or viewing failure as a permanent setback. A positive mindset helps you stay motivated, focused, and open to new ideas so when things don’t go well, you can pivot and stay on course. You’re less likely to give up.
Changing the way you think will change your life.
Now that we know why it’s important to have the right mindset, how do we go about obtaining it?
We can use what I like to call the 3 S’s: See it, Stop it, Switch it. First, you need to see or identify when you have a negative mindset or limiting belief. You need to be able to recognize it before you can fix it. Second, stop it from continuing on or recurring. This used to happen to me when I would get into an argument with my husband over something small that he did. It started with why he did what he did, then progressed quickly by bringing up all the times he made mistakes and finally ended with how he doesn’t care about me and that I should leave him. See how that got blown up over something small? Stop it when you first identify it. The last step is switching or rephrasing the behavior, mindset, or belief. Turn it into something productive or positive. I used the 3 S’s a few days ago when my kids were off from school and I had to work. On a typical morning, I wake up excited to start the day but that morning I woke up and the first thought that came to my mind was “Ugh! I have to go to work today.” I quickly recognized it happening and then stopped the thoughts from continuing on about all the things I needed to do that day. Lastly, I rephrased it in my mind to “I get to go to work today,” That completely changed how I felt. My day started off feeling like I had no control over my schedule but by rephrasing it, I felt grateful to get to go to work and help people. This small change is powerful.
There are additional techniques that can improve and expand your way of thinking. Adding “yet” at the end of a sentence can keep you from failing. My friend Ericka was thinking about running a marathon but she couldn’t even run 5 miles. By adding “I can’t run 5 miles, YET” gave her motivation and confidence that she will soon be able to with proper training. You can also expand your mindset and gain confidence by trying new things, taking risks, and doing hard things. Learn from your failures and get back up.
With the right mindset, you will be able to persist through difficult times and achieve great things. Your thoughts won’t change in a single day but by being consistent, they will change over time. You got this!
