Mastering your Mindset: The Key to success and happiness

We’ve all heard it a million times.  Mindset matters.  Blah blah blah.

But do you really understand why?

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕧𝕖.

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕧𝕖 𝕚𝕟𝕗𝕝𝕦𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕤 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠.

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠 𝕕𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕝𝕤𝕖.

Managing our mindset is probably the single most important factor affecting our success, in every aspect of our life. However, managing our mind and our thoughts is HARD! 

Here are my top 3 strategies to manage your mind and keep you moving forward toward your goals:

An idea pops up in your mind during the staff meeting, but almost instantly the next thought flowing in is one of self-doubt.

“No, that’s a dumb idea. It probably wouldn’t work anyway. And, what if they think I’m stupid for even suggesting it? Nevermind.”

You don’t speak up, and then what happens?

A coworker voices a similar idea, everyone thinks it’s amazing, and they’re commended for sharing it.

Ugh, so annoying, right? You talked yourself out of sharing something that WAS a good idea. That could have been you!

It’s happened to me a million times, and I know it’s happened to you too.

So, how do you manage these negative, self-limiting thoughts before they turn into long-held beliefs about ourselves? 🤔

The most effective strategy I’ve found after years of searching has been to have a pre-determined thought ready, one that can replace any self-limiting thought that pops in.

You can’t just will yourself to stop thinking entirely, but you can force yourself to think something different. However, in order to do this, you have to have a pre-determined phrase ready to go, something you’ve decided on in advance. A phrase that stops those untrue, ridiculous thoughts in their tracks, even during the heat of internal dialogue with your negative inner voice.

So what kind of phrase am I talking about?

It can be anything that jolts your mind out of it’s current thought track.

It may seem silly, but it is a quick reality check that works every time.

Now when that great idea pops into your mind, and is instantly followed by that jerk telling you it’s not good enough, you just stop her with a ‘That’s crap!, tell yourself to go for it, and share the idea.

Now pause for a moment and come up with the phrase that will stop YOUR internal bully in HER tracks. It’s time for her to be silenced. And as you practice this, over time, you’ll find that those negative thoughts pop in with less frequency, and you’re able to redirect to positive, encouraging thoughts more quickly. And before you know it, you’ll be believing what you’re telling yourself.

Have you ever been caught in a never-ending circle of thoughts and self-doubt when trying to make a decision? Me too, more often than I’d like to admit! Indecision can cause a ton of unnecessary mental stress and anxiety. And it can slow you down, or even prevent you, from stepping into your greatness.

So, after stopping the negative internal dialogue, the next step is moving from that cycle of indecision to a choice – do the thing, or don’t do it. Once you’ve made the decision to pursue something, have faith you’ve made the right choice and move confidently forward in that direction.

Show up.

Regardless of many other factors, showing up consistently is key to achieving the most success!

👆 Showing up is about being present, engaged, and executing the tasks necessary to move you or your business forward. 

👆 It’s about being reliable and dependable, and taking responsibility for your commitments.

👆 It’s about learning from your mistakes and persevering through setbacks.

👆 And, it’s being willing to put in the effort, even when it’s difficult or uncomfortable. 

If you haven’t been consistently ‘showing up’, start small:

Whether you are pursuing personal or professional goals . . .

working for yourself or someone else . . . 

or just trying to improve some aspect of your life . . .

the only way to achieve them is to consistently show up and put in the necessary work!

I don’t think I’d ever looked at a breakdown as a positive stepping stone until I heard this:

 “𝕆𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕒 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕚𝕤 𝕒 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙.”

And it’s true!  A breakdown can be a powerful catalyst for growth and change, because:

👆 When we hit rock bottom, we are forced to confront our deepest fears and insecurities.

👆 We have to ask ourselves tough questions.

👆We must take a hard look at the choices we’ve made, and consider if we want to make different choices going forward.

While the post-breakdown process is usually challenging or even painful, it can also be incredibly liberating and healing! I want to encourage you to try to embrace the other side of a breakdown – give yourself the opportunity to:

👆 Transform your life in ways you never thought possible.

👆  Let go of old patterns and habits that no longer serve you.

👆 And create a new vision for your future.

Your breakthrough could be waiting just on the other side – and it may be just the breakthrough you need to continue to step into your greatness, and create the life you’ve always wanted.

And, remember:

P.S. If you’ve been holding yourself back from pursuing a dream of entrepreneurship, check out my blog post on the Selecting the Right Business Model. Because after working through this process, the next step is deciding what type of business you want to engage in.