“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” – Buddha
Our mindset is the source of the reality we live in.
Mindset is the foundation for what we think and feel, which informs the behaviour that shapes our life. By bringing consciousness to our thought patterns and mastering our mindset, we are able to make choices aligned with our vision and aspiration.
Our thoughts shape our actions.
One of my dear friends is a successful business trainer; she set a goal to contact ten businesses to set up meetings. When we spoke, she said: “I’ve made five calls and it’s not fun! I’m going to stop now. I need to find a different way to do it. What do you think?” I reflected that her thought that ‘it’s not fun’ gave her permission to stop. I asked, “What if you keep going regardless if it’s fun or not? What if you know for certain that one of these ten businesses will hire you in the end?” She laughed, and finished contacting the rest of the businesses. Catch when your mind is telling you stories.
What you think, you become. What you focus on, you create more of.
A client of mine owns a large fitness business. When we started coaching, one of his goals was to work less so he could spend more time with his family. His business grows when he’s there and suffers when he’s not. He was frustrated with his employees and he did not feel he could trust them to do the right thing when he was not present. After a few months of coaching, we discovered that he spent a significant portion of his time finding problems and fixing them as quickly as possible. I asked him to be curious about what his staff might think, so the next time he found a problem, he should ask them questions where he doesn’t already know the answer.
A few days later he reported that his team was excited to be implementing new strategies, which gave him the freedom to be with his family and go on speaking and workshop tours. By shifting his focus from doing it the right way (his way) to empowering his team to contribute their way, they were able to co-create new possibilities to expand the business and to support his dreams of helping others in a more expanded way.
Albert Einstein once said: The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking. It’s easy said than done, however, with continued practice, we can all master our mindset by learning to change our thinking—which changes our reality.
Be a mindful listener of your language.
What story is your mind telling you? If you want to change careers and the story is, “Well, I can’t possibly find a job that I love and still make the money I make right now,” ask yourself: really? Is there nobody in the world doing what they love and making the money they want? Is that true? If you say one thing and your subconscious mind is telling you another, your actions will reflect the confusion and frustration of not having what you want.
Our energy flows to where our attention goes.
Whether your true desire is a perfect partner, your dream house, a baby, a new job or to travel around the world, do whatever you can to be present to that goal. Write out the details of the house you want to live in, picture yourself hopping on the plane to your next adventure, see yourself in your dream job, sitting in the office you want. Do this activity at least three times a day. What you focus on, you create more of. With consistent practice, everyone can be the master of their mind.