I’ve talked a lot about mindsets before – principally because in my experience they are vitally important to our experience of life. There is a story told about elephants – untethered but each with rope attached to their legs – when asked why it is they don’t just walk away the herder said that if the tether is put on when they are small and they learn they can’t run away, that learning sticks and they believe they can’t run away even when they can. That is what a mindset – a belief we have – can do. It can limit us. stop us doing things that are entirely possible simply because we have learned to think it is not possible. So, what are the mindsets that really make a difference? To be honest there is a whole bunch of them but I’ve tried to pick the ones that I think can have the greatest impact on our health and happiness.
A Mindset for Self-Care
When it comes to health, one of the most important mindsets is around self-care. Put simply we need to develop a mindset that will allow and support us to take care of ourselves. By that I mean getting enough rest and sleep, the right food, some exercise and making time for those all-important things that make our life fun and soul sing. We can all do that, surely. But no, how often have you not done something that you want to because you feel sitting for half an hour reading a book, or saying no to a night out, because we feel guilty about it or feel somehow, we’ll let someone else down. If it just happens occasionally that’s fine but I have come across some people who find it incredibly tough to do anything for themselves as somehow, they think it’s selfish.
If this resonates with you then start by affirming that you are important that your needs count too and taking care of yourself is the responsible thing to do.
A Mindset for Abundance
We all have different ideas about what abundance would be in our own lives – it could be wealth or financial security, or it could be finding a soul mate or a rewarding job. An abundant mindset allows us to think abundantly! The universe is abundant yet so often we think (and speak) in terms of lack. We haven’t enough money, we can’t get a job we want, we never meet the right people. The key to shifting this mindset is developing an attitude of gratitude. What we think, and feel, we attract.So being grateful for what we have will usually allow us to ‘attract’ more of what we regard as good things.
Start noticing what you do actually have, literally counting your blessings and see if things change.
A Mindset for Growth
We all know that life can throw us curved balls and it can feel like a shower of not very nice stuff! It’s easy to look around and think, first that others don’t have to cope with half of what you do (which might well not be true) and secondly that its unfair. But thinking these things certainly doesn’t make them go away – though the resentment, anger or frustration we feel can certainly drain us of our positivity and energy.
Again, it’s down to your mindset. Instead of considering the situation and negative impact it may have if you can reframe that and think instead about what you might learn from this, in what ways might you grow from this experience you will experience it differently. Many of us can look back and acknowledge that, while not always pleasant, it’s during experiences of adversity or challenge that the most growth can occur.
Think about a butterfly, I bet the caterpillar doesn’t think ‘who hoo time in a cocoon’ but it is through that process that growth and changes happen, and it is only though that experience that a caterpillar will emerge as a butterfly.
Personal Responsibility Mindset
It takes courage but when you can accept that you alone are responsible for your life – maybe not for what has happened to you but how you have responded – it can be immensely liberating. Along the way you will have to develop some self-acceptance, and some kindness. Don’t beat yourself for things you’ve done, they are in the past and chances are you can’t change them. But starting now you can take control of your own life – yes you can.
If you think you have some unhelpful mindsets that are limiting how you live then checkout my book about Mindsets ‘Make it Magnificent’ by Sheila Mulvenney, available on Amazon.
