What does mindset have to do with it?

Have you ever woken up on the “wrong side of the bed” followed by a bad day? Better yet, have you ever felt good for no reason and then had everything that day go perfectly?

Did you know that you created both of those realities? It’s your mindset that creates the world you live in and as Henry Ford said, “whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

You might be thinking, “I’ve heard of this mindset thing, but isn’t it just for yogis and hippies?” The answer is NO! It’s for everyone and for anyone who is serious about taking control of their life. So let’s talk about what mindset is, what the right mindset can help you accomplish, and ways to create a mindset of abundance and possibilities.

This is not a concept I was brought up with, so if that’s true for you as well I’ll tell you this is something that can be learned and mastered.

Simply defined by the dictionary, mindset is an attitude, disposition, mood, intention, or inclination. But in this context what I’m talking about it is the power of your thoughts to create the world around you.

Do you see the glass half full or half empty? While that’s a cliché question, it has a lot of merit when talking about mindset. We all know people (family, friends, co-workers, etc.) that see the negative in any situation and assume the worst. These are the people who think the sky is falling all around them all the time. You also know people who see the good in all situations and really know how to make lemonade out of lemons. Actually they see the lemon as nothing more than the opportunity to make a drink they like. You might call them Pollyanna, but in reality these folks are living much happier lives than their “Chicken Little” counterparts.

Your current mindset, whether a half-full or half-empty belief pattern, has been with you for a while now. Your thoughts have been with you for a very long time and the older you are the longer you have held your beliefs. Your beliefs are the thoughts you have been thinking and if you have been in a negative place for a while now these are deep-seated beliefs.

The more I “play” with mindset the more I find that I have so much more control over my life than I could have imagined. Sure, I always knew I had some control, I can make choices, and do whatever I want, but I didn’t realize that I had actual control to create exactly what I want and have the exact perfect people show up at the exact right time. That is the type of creation I’m talking about. When I choose to have a positive mindset, one of abundance, I find positive people and abundant opportunities. When I choose to feel fear, disappointment, overwhelm, guilt, jealousy, or blame, the world around me provides more situations to match those feelings.

Without going into the science of how your brain works, what I want you to know is that you can start creating new thoughts, new neuropathways, new patterns, and new beliefs. Since your current beliefs are just reflections of your thoughts, then it is completely possible to change your thoughts in order to change your beliefs.

When you go to an event with the mindset that it is going to be boring, be a waste of time, and not be of any value, of course that is what you will receive because your mind will do everything to make that reality happen. Your mind needs the external world to match the internal world you have created through your thoughts. So if you have a mindset or attitude that something will be a waste of your time before you experience the event then your mind will get to work finding all the reasons that the event was a waste of time after it is over so that your outside world matches your inside world.

On the other hand if you go into the event with the simple mindset that “I am going to meet one new and interesting person” I guarantee that you will. You are going to create your reality by the words you use in your mind first.

Now don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying you can make a million dollars materialize in your bank account just by thinking about it. I am saying that you get to create the situations, people, interaction, and opportunities that can lead to the million-dollar idea or partnership. In order for that to occur you have to be ready to see those opportunities when they present themselves because they don’t show up with obvious neon flashing signs that say look at me over here, I’m the million-dollar idea you are looking for.

The question is – what are you doing in order to create the life you want? Do you know why you get up every day and go to work? Do you have a purpose behind what you do or do you just do it because “that’s what people do”? Are you allowing life to happen to you or are you making life happen?

The most successful athletes, artists, musicians, and business people have coaches because they know that the investment will help them create the mindset they need to get the results they want. They also invest in personal development, meditate, and focus on what they want rather than focusing on what they don’t want. They don’t just hope for the results they want; they go after the results they want. They understand the power of mindset.

Here’s an example (I love this story): Back in 1992, before his career really took off, Jim Carrey wrote himself a check for $10 million and on the memo line he wrote ‘for acting services rendered.’ He dated it for Thanksgiving 1995, approximately three years from that time. He stuck that check in his wallet and it was right before Thanksgiving 1995 that he was offered a role that would pay him $10 million. Watch this 3-minute interview on that story.

Do you want to be like Jim Carey and the elite who understand the power of and utilize mindset for what they want? Or do you want to be like the average person that spends their days letting circumstances just happen to them, focused on the negativity, and letting life pass them by.

You have to decide whether you are getting the results in life that you want. If you are not, its time to think, act, and be different because the only way to get different results is to start doing things differently. So how do you do that? It’s the difference between something being simple vs. easy. This in theory is simple; you don’t need to learn a new language, go back to school, or move to a monastery. However, that does not mean it’s easy.

Start small. There is no need to go big, which can quickly make you feel overwhelmed, say “see, I knew this was too hard,” and then quit. That’s a formula for disaster. You want to see success in this so start small and build. Find one thing every day to be grateful for. It can be the sun, your family, or your job. Even if you don’t like the work you do right now be grateful that you have the job. It puts food on the table, a roof over your head, and supports your family. When you know what you don’t want, you get clearer about what you do want. That means use any dissatisfaction at work to allow you to focus more on what you do want.

Then, once you have your gratitude in focus, make sure to state it in the positive. You will say, “I am grateful to know that I want a job that allows me to be
more creative.” Don’t say, “I want a job where I don’t have to make sales calls.” Always state what you are excited about rather than what you are not happy about. This is a subtle shift but will have you thinking with a different mindset.

Positive affirmations also help with a positive mindset. For some people it is a true affirmation with an I Am statement – I Am happy, I Am healthy, I am abundant. For others it may be focusing on positive quotes or prayers.

One of my favorite affirmations is, “today is a beautiful day full of infinite possibilities.”

If you are having challenges with positive affirmations and really believing what you are saying you can start with more general thoughts. You can be grateful for the abundance of sunshine. You can find something general that makes you happy and focus on that. Sometimes the key is to start small and once you get comfortable with this you will start to see abundance everywhere.

Another idea is to keep a journal, write down your thoughts and when one is negative ask yourself for another way to look at it that is positive.

So ask yourself: What am I grateful for? Start and/or end every day with gratitude, whether spoken aloud or written in a gratitude journal. These simple and small efforts are the first step on a journey to the life you truly are meant to live.