AFFIRMATION: I believe in new possibilities!

Our mindset helps to determine what we can accomplish. If my thoughts lean toward, “I can’t” or “I’m blocked”, then don’t I create this outcome?

Our brains are negative bias, which means we pay more attention to the negative instead of the positive. This stems from earlier times when a threat, such as animal attack, was literally a matter of life and death. But we can choose to revise these thoughts.

Here are five steps to help you improve your mindset.

Awareness of Mindset

First, we have to pay attention to what we are thinking. Many of our thoughts are pessimistic, disruptive, and unproductive. Noticing this negative chatter is the first and an important step to changing our mindset. We can’t change what we are not aware of.

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” – Buddha

Revise Your Self-Talk

Second, we need to revise our inner dialogue. Many times, we dwell on our past mistakes and failures instead of thinking what can be. Just because we haven’t succeeded before, doesn’t mean we can’t accomplish it now. Change self-talk to possibilities instead of what we think can’t be accomplished to develop a growth mindset.

“You’ve got to win in your mind before you win in your life.” – John Addison

Start the Day with a Positive Affirmation

Third, begin the day with a positive affirmation. Make a statement that is empowering to you, such as, “I can do this” or “This is possible.” I’ve found when I start my day focusing on something positive, the rest of my day runs better. If I start the day looking at the negative, my day continues to focus on that.

See The Good – Change Your Perception

Four, we need to look at challenges differently. I know this is hard to do, especially when we are under stress. But how we perceive an event influences our mindset that creates our reality. May times, it’s our perception of the situation, not the situation itself, that causes us distress.

Do we view challenges as something bad that is happening to us, or do we view it as a step to get us where we want to go? I know the delays I had in writing my first book only benefited me because the final book was much stronger than earlier versions. Challenges, obstacles, or setbacks aren’t always negative. Sometimes they are there to point us in a different or even better direction.

“I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” — Thomas Edison

Drop Comparison to Improve Your Mindset

Five, to improve your mindset, don’t compare your accomplishments to others. Everyone has different goals, dreams, and timelines. Just because you are not in the same place as someone else, doesn’t mean you won’t succeed. We all have our own journeys, so follow your own.

“Comparison is the death of joy.” — Mark Twain 

Your thoughts literally shape your day. Change your self-talk and see what happens. Step into it a new mindset and embrace the possibilities!

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash