Change Your Mindset: Change Your Life

The game of life is a tricky thing. With the negativity we are served up daily via the internet, radio and tv, one can see why it is important to developing the right mindset. Some of the things that I always hear people say is, "I'm too busy, I don't have time to do anything." I can't make money because it takes money to make money." I can't get a job because no one is hiring." "I don't have a degree, so I can't do much." "I'm not that smart." 

You know what I say to this? B.S. The mind is like a sponge, whatever you pour into it is exactly what it will soak up. If you continue to tell yourself, I can't, I can't, I can't, your mind will automatically tell you that you can't! Conficious said it best, “He who says he can and he who says he can’t are both usually right.” 

If your reading this post your probably saying to yourself, "Chris, I want to change but where do I start?" I'll share with you a few steps that I used to change my mindset, from saying how unfair the world is to saying I can do anything I set my mind to.

The News: You Don't Need It

Studies have shown that watching the news actually negatively affects people, but you probably don't need a rocket scientist to tell you that. In Tim Ferris's 4 Hour Work Week, he teaches you how you can stay up-to-date on all of the news happening around the world in less then a min. The secret is simple, pick up a newspaper or go online and scan the headlines of the top stories. With this knowledge, simply ask your colleagues, peers, co-workers, whomever, questions based off of the headline and they will surely fill you in on the remaining details. This spares you from actually having to read the news while still getting all the information and being able to hold a conversation.

Now that you have a little extra free time since you aren't watching the news, go meditate, listen to self-empowering tapes or exercise. Remember the key is to set your mind for the day ahead or to wind down from a long days work.

Believing In Yourself And Forgetting The Rest

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, the mind is like a sponge that will soak up whatever your pour into it. Mark Twain once said, "I have spent most of my life worrying about things that have never happened." Too often we sike ourselves out from taking on a new task or going after a dream or goal of ours. We think, what if I fail, or what if someone doesn't like me. Hey guess what? You've already defeated yourself. You have to first believe in yourself in order to take that first step forward. 

Imagine this, it is a cool spring day, the temperature is around 80 degrees. You decide to head to the beach and enjoy the day. The waves are rolling into the shoreline nicely and you are ready to head into the water, what do you do? 1. Do you dip one of your feet in to test how cold it is? 2. Do you begin to run into the water, get halfway in and realize its too cold and run back out? 3. Do you run across the beach at full speed, arms failing, screaming with reckless abandon and jump head first into the water? 

Too often in life we chose option 1 and 2, why, because it is easier. We are so comfortable in our comfort zone that stepping outside of it and journeying into discomfort is too much for us. Discomfort which is the barrier between success and the unknown is where 95% of the population wants to avoid. 

Breaking the Habit

One of the keys to breaking this habit is to act in spite of. Each time that you act in spite of your feelings, fears, worries or doubts, you are reinforcing the habit. This will allow you to confront bigger challenges and obstacles no matter what area of your life.

Saying I Can't

Now that we have removed some huge negative influencers from our daily routine, its time to work on that big ugly phrase...I can't. Have you ever set out to fulfill a New Years resolution but after a few days you gave up? What was the reasoning? There's multiple reasons but I would say there are two primary reasons: 1. The pain or fear of what you're attempting to do or in the moment of doing is too great. 2. The goal is too large for where you are currently in your life. 

The biggest New Years resolution is weight lost. The goal is to hit the gym four times a week, lose 30 pounds and have a beach body like never before. Now, I am not saying setting large goals for yourself is not good, but what most people lack is the determination and mindset to stick through with their goals. Darren Hardy, author of the Compound Effect said this, "To achieve something you have never achieved before, you must be willing to do what you have never done before." In his book he speaks on, "the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices. Success is earned in the moment to moment decisions that in themselves make no visible difference whatsoever, but the accumulated compounding effect is profound.” Using a series of smaller goals will make the challenge seem less daunting.

Acknowledge Your Success

All too often after we achieve something great we completely ruin that moment. Mentally we say, that's it? That wasn't as hard as I thought. Uh, hello! Give yourself some credit! A big challenge of mine last summer was teaching myself to code and to ride all the big roller coasters the next time I went to a theme park. Keep in mind, I am terrified of roller coasters. I accomplished both of these goals this summer but why was one goal celebrated more so then the other? After riding a bunch of roller coasters that I had been completely terrified of riding for the duration of my life, I did not celebrate like it was 1964! But I did thoroughly celebrate after teaching myself how to code. My mind simply said, that riding these roller coasters was no big deal.

The point is this, no matter the size of the task or how simple it was, acknowledge it, celebrate it, own it! We must train our minds to realize just because one task may be easier then another the success of both tasks are just as valuable. Remember to not look for what you did, or didn't do, or could have done better, instead look specifically at the progress you have made.

This transformation will not happen overnight. Changing your mindset will take time but the key is consistency. Before you know it, you'll be unstoppable.

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