Your mindset changes your life. I know that might sound exaggerated and over the top, but it’s true. Your mindset determines what kind of actions you take in life which will ultimately influence and contribute to the life you live.
If you change your mindset, you’ll take different actions.
If you take different actions, you’ll get different results.
If you have different results, you have a different life.
In this post, I’m going to be talking about a positive vs negative mindset.
Negative Mindset
A negative mindset is when you tend to find the negatives in every situation, you look for problems or potential problems, you see limitations, you dwell on obstacles, you’re cynical, you always assume people have bad intentions, you always think about your mistakes and how you’re not good enough, you doubt your capabilities etc. etc.
Side note: negative thinking is very often a precursor for many mental health conditions, particularly when it is engaged in too much.
Positive Mindset
A positive mindset is when you look for the positives in every situation, you look for opportunities, you see possibilities, you focus on how things will work out rather than how they won’t, you’re optimistic, you appreciate your capabilities, you see the good in others, etc. etc.
Now, I have to make a clear point here because some people assume that positive thinking or a positive mindset means you’re just ignoring problems or pretending life’s challenges don’t exist – that is not what it is. It simply means you approach challenges with a positive attitude and focus on solutions not problems.
How to train your mindset
Training your mindset to be positive takes conscious and deliberate effort and time, especially if you’re used to having a negative mindset. But it will change your life if you take it seriously. Training your mind is like training a muscle. You can’t expect to go to the gym once and have abs straight away – you have to continuously work on it.
The first step in training your mindset to be more positive is to become aware of your negative thinking and rumination when it occurs. If you’re not aware of it, you can’t change it. Learn to catch yourself in it. It might be happening on a subconscious level, so you need to start bringing into the conscious. Pay attention to how it makes you feel.
The second step is to start replacing these negative thoughts with positive, productive thoughts.
Examples:
“I’ll never be able to do this” --> “I will keep practising until I’m able to do it”
“I’m ugly” --> “I’m beautiful the way I am”
“I performed so badly” --> “I’ll do better next time" “No-one likes me” --> “I am loved and I am loveable”
The third step is to actively control where you direct your focus. When you encounter a problem, a hiccup, or an obstacle, consciously choose to focus your energy and direct your thinking to potential solutions. When you have a goal in life that you want to achieve, focus your time and energy on how you can make it work rather than reasons why it won’t work. When you notice that you’re thinking of yourself very negatively, consciously choose to change your language in your self-talk and think of your strengths. When you’re doubting your capabilities, focus on how you can work on and improve your weaknesses instead of just dwelling on them.
Like I said before, it takes conscious, deliberate effort and it takes intentionality. But it’s worth it.
All the best,
Danielle
Comments