3 steps to boost your mindset

Why does mindset  matter and what does this really mean?

The definition of Mindset is your thoughts and beliefs that shape your habits.

Your thoughts make you feel a certain way and these feelings cause you to act a certain way. 

There are two types of mindsets:

Fixed mindset and growth mindsets.

A fixed mindset is one where you limit yourself and have limiting beliefs about yourself or your situation. A growth mindset is one of abundance, meaning you see that you can change and overcome and improve your self or your situation.

Examples of what you may say if you are stuck in a fixed mindset:

I’m not good at being on time, I’m not good at cooking, I’m lazy, I’m not good at talking to people, I’m never going to be good at my job. Debbie Downer right? Have you ever said this kind of stuff to yourself?

I know I have. It can be a struggle at times.

Examples of what you may say if you are in a Growth mindset: 

I have not learned how to cook well yet

It’s not a priority right now for me to learn this or get better at it yet. I am getting better at my job every single day. I am learning to be more active. I am becoming better at talking to people.

I  truly believe that we are limiting our potential and happiness every day

Since our mind and body are connected so if we are constantly being negative, limiting ourself, this affects our physical health as well.  

Here are three steps you can do to make changes to move toward a growth mindset.

The first step is to realize and be mindful (aware) that your thoughts are causing problems for you. If you feel you are stuck in any area of your life, examine what thoughts you have around that. Identity areas where you feel stuck and write down some of those limiting beliefs you are saying to yourself right now.

The second step is to understand what you want, who you want to be and what your goals are. This will help to shape what you want to say to yourself each day and who you want to strive to to become.  Think about what your negative qualities are and what you want to improve upon.  If you are unorganized and want to be more organized write that down.  It needs to be present tense.  Like I am an organized person. 

Write down three things you want to happen and you want to be true. An example of mine are:

I am a productive and motivated person

I am calm, happy and positive

I have a successful and growing business

Once you have your three affirmations say them out loud.  If you want to lose weight, say I  am losing the right amount of weight for me.  Say them out loud for 1-2 minutes each morning.  I  say them out loud ten times each. You can also repeat them throughout the day.  If I feel stressed or anxious I will say I am calm happy and positive.   

The third step is to reframe your day:  Did you fall back in to a victim mentality?  It can be easy to get stuck here.  I  know I  have been here before.   This will alter how we view our stressors.  When you are in a place like this ask yourself why does it matter three times.  When we ruminate here it can cause the emotional brain to be more powerful and increases anxiety. So if you are struggling to reframe the day ask yourself the three whys of your job or primary role.  why does it matter. Why does it matter. Why does it matter 

If you are a working professional and have stress at work as yourself why does your job matter. Write a response, then ask again and write another response. Mine would be why does it matter that I share this blog post, because someone may benefit from reading this. Why does it matter that I share this blog post, because I love helping people. Why does it matter that I share this blog post, because it is fulfilling for me to help others.

One way to put all of these steps together is by starting off your day with a morning routine.  

It can be five minutes or 30 minutes.  Start small and do not overwhelm yourself.

Start with deep breathing. The 3-4-5 method is simple and effective. Breath in 3 counts, hold for four counts, breathe out for five counts. You can do this for a few minutes. Then do some movement, yoga flow, stretching, walk or march in place, do some squats, if its nice go outside a few minutes.   Then write down your affirmations you created earlier and say them out loud.  This will be sure to get your day started off in the right frame of mind.  You will start to feel your affirmations working.  You will be more positive, happy, energetic, productive, etc.  This can have a dramatic affect on your overall health as well. By starting your day off intentional and calm like this it will help you deal with stressors better throughout the day.

I hope this helps you move from a place of being stuck frustrated and stressed to a place of growth, productivity and calmness. If you give it a go I would love to hear from you on how it is going.

Here is to Living Life Better

Alison Wensrich