Open up google and search “How to change your mindset”. You’ll see page after page of listicles; between 3 and 25 steps to a new, better mindset…and also a bunch of websites trying to selling you anything from books to training courses. So where to start? Personally, I’m a fan of keeping it simple. I propose just 1 step to start with—awareness. There are tons of tools, tricks and methods to use for mindset, but I’ve found that if I get awareness right, the rest tends to fall into place.
I use the word awareness here to simply mean your ability to objectively and curiously observe what’s happening in your environment, your physical body and within your mind. That may sound easy…it’s not. Take a minute to listen to the voice chattering away in your head—do you really think it’s objective? I would bet that voice is your biggest critic, and a constant reminder of what you should and should not do…that’s certainly true for me.
remember that you’re not a machine that is somehow broken. Changing mindset is not about fixing something that’s wrong, or artificially replacing one thought with another, or “thinking your way to a new you”. Instead, it’s about using your mind as a tool to better connect what really matters to you (your values), what you hold to be true (your beliefs) and you really want (your goals).
Pick an area of your life where you want to evolve. Maybe it’s personal relationships or leadership, or finances, doesn’t matter—but stick to one for now, and commit to experiment with it for at least 30 days. The goal of this experiment is to build awareness around that life area to answer 2 questions…
1. What’s happening between me and the outside world (behavior patterns, current external situation, interactions with others, etc…)?
2. What’s happening inside? (internal voice, inner resistance, etc…)
