What does “mindset” mean?
Simply put, mindset is a way of thinking that shapes the way you look at the world and the events that happen. Your mindset is your collection of thoughts and beliefs that shape your thought habits. And your thought habits affect how you think, what you feel, and what you do. Your mindset impacts how you make sense of the world and how you make sense of you.
I like to break a healthy mindset down into the following seven parts, with each part having three sub-parts:
- Values, Vision, and Vitality
Understand your values and live in line with them. Have a clear vision for your future and know exactly what kind of life you want to lead. Be in the best shape you can be and have enormous levels of energy and vitality.
- Goals, Gratitude, and Growth
Have a clear set of goals that will inspire you. Be grateful and appreciate every little good thing in your life, regardless of the overall position you are in. Always be growing and developing as a person.
- Passion, Positivity, and Purpose
Live a life of passion doing the things you love. Be positive. Fill your mind with positive things and avoid negativity at all costs. Live with a sense of purpose that comes from doing things that make this world a better place.
- Connection, Contribution, and Confidence
Connect to the things you love, connect with your partner, and spend your life doing things that you feel congruent with. Give. Contribution is one of your highest innate needs, and it explodes your feelings of self-worth. When you live a life you love and do things that fill you with happiness and pride, you will exude an aura of confidence, and that’s sexy.
- Strength, Self-Image, and Surrender
You have to be mentally strong. Accept what is. Have the attitude that you can endure anything. Love the person you are. It’s hard for anyone else to love you if you can’t lead the way. Relax, and know that some things will go your way and some won’t, and everything is going to be alright.
- Focus, Faith, and Fulfilment
Gain clarity regarding who you are and where you want to go. Believe it is all possible. The ultimate goal is to be fulfilled, and that is even more important than being happy.
- Affirmations, Abundance, and Action
Repeat positive thoughts to yourself, so they embed into your subconscious mind. Believe that there is so much out there for you and everyone else. You really can be, do, and have whatever you want from this life. Take action. Nothing happens by itself, and nobody else will do it for you.
In summary, when you think about mindset, think about the way you want to look at the world, the things that happen in your life, and the way you feel about yourself. It helps all areas of life if your mindset is strong, positive, and optimistic. If you have a strong sense of self-belief, mixed with hope and faith, feeling like the universe is a friendly place, and all the help you need is available to you, then you can achieve anything you put your mind to.
That’s the kind of mindset we must aspire to.
The biggest key is flicking away every negative thought and replacing it with gratitude. Do this over, and over, and over, until it becomes second nature and your default mode is gratitude and appreciation.
You get more of what you are grateful for. The more you do this, the more attuned you will become to negative thoughts of yourself and others. Most people don’t even realise they are being negative, and when you mention it to them, it is almost a surprise. Think of your mind like a fertile garden and don’t let any weeds in there. You want to be a person that other people want to be around. There is a gift in every situation. You just need to take a moment to look for it. Start a gratitude diary and write down five things you are grateful for every night before you go to sleep.
We vibrate energy, and the energy we give out comes back to us. It is basic Law of Attraction. The following diagram shows the frequencies at which we can vibrate. Where do you see yourself on this scale?
Miserable people want you to lower your vibration to meet their own. This will make them like you more, but it’s the most definite way to block your own personal growth. You need to train the people around you to meet you at your level. Be compassionate about where they are in their journey, but you must stay strong and never lower your vibration. If they are drowning, it won’t serve you to jump in the pool and drown with them.
Viktor Frankl’s classic book Man’s Search for Meaning states, “The greatest power we possess is the power to choose”. He was an Austrian psychologist and a Holocaust survivor. He developed the belief that whilst everything may be taken away from us, the one thing that cannot be taken is our attitude. We can choose good health, we can choose better decisions, we can choose a better life, and when we make those decisions, unseen forces gather to bring our desires to fruition.
Examples of switching a negative to a positive:
- Instead of saying, “I’m tired”, tell yourself, “I’m squeezing a lot into life”.
- When you wake up and don’t want to get out of bed, instead of focusing on how early it is and how comfortable you are, think about how fortunate you are to have a warm bed, a roof over your head, and running hot water ready to go.
- Instead of saying, “I don’t feel like exercising”, be grateful that you can.
- Rather than complaining about your kids, remind yourself how blessed you are to be a parent.
- Rather than say, “I don’t want to go to work”, appreciate the fact that you are employed. and have a regular income.
Attitude is everything. And you can choose your mood.