Category Archives: Mindset

The Right Mindset

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“Your mindset is your biggest asset.”

Your mindset is what sets the tone for everything in your life. Changing your mindset is what will change your life.  What you think and believe is what you act upon. Success is a mindset. So is failure. You become successful the moment you decide in your mind that you are a success.

Below are nine keys to develop the right mindset:

1.  Define a clear goal.  Without a clear goal, it isn’t easy to define exactly what you want. Your mind does not need an invitation to procrastinate.

Begin to visualize what it is you want. Writing down your goal will help to bring it into reality.

When you write down a goal and problem clearly and precisely, you have solved half the problem

2.  Establish a clear plan. You may know what it is you want, but if you don’t know how to achieve it, the chances are you will fail.

Outline a plan that breaks down each step you need to attain your goal. Small steps lead to significant changes.

3. Strengthen your self-confidence. One thing the successful in society all have in common is self-confidence.

You need to develop the mindset that you are good enough to achieve your goals; otherwise, why even try?

You can do this.

4. Build good habits. Habits make life 10x easier. The more you have to think about what you’re doing, the greater chance that your mind will start to wander.

Systems and good habits remove the guessing and give you a straightforward step-by-step process to follow.

5. Evaluate your time. You often hear people say, “I don’t have time,” when in reality, they go to work and then spend the rest of their night mindlessly scrolling.

Plan your day; there is enough time to enjoy yourself while completing important tasks.

Stop using your time and energy to worry.  Use your time and energy to believe, create, love, grow, and heal.

You can’t control the past or predict the future. Wasting time worrying about the past or future is a waste of time and energy.

6 Start small.  Often, when you lack discipline, it is down to thinking that you must do it all at once.

Learn to break down tasks into manageable pieces. You’ll find that you get more done and be pleasantly surprised at how much more enjoyable it is.

7. Look after yourself. Strong mental, physical, and emotional health will aid in your battle to destroy the lack of self-discipline.

Develop a positive self-talk process, maintain an attitude of gratitude/appreciate of everything, and practice mindfulness / being present in the moment, as well as making sure you eat well and exercise on a regular basis.

Movement will help clear your mind and extend your life.

8. Hold yourself accountable. You can always ask friends or family to hold you responsible, but what happens when they are not?

Developing self-accountability puts you in control. You can identify your triggers and deal with them accordingly.

Master your destiny.

9. Consistency is key. Look, there will be days that don’t work out as planned, but don’t let this ruin your overall plan.

Get back in the game, never give up, and bring home the victory. Do your best and trust the system and process.

Trust yourself; you’ve survived a lot, and you’ll survive whatever is coming. You can think new thoughts. You can learn something new. You can create new habits.

Your goal is to wake up every day feeling blessed to live the kind of life you have created for yourself.

There are Men who are 24 and boys who are 35. Maturity is a mindset, not age.

Source:  The Right Mindset on X (formerly Twitter )

Measure Your Life

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7 Powerful Lessons from “How Will You Measure Your Life?”

1. Define your “yardsticks”: Instead of chasing external metrics like wealth or fame, the book encourages identifying your values and defining metrics that reflect your true priorities. These “yardsticks” become the foundation for measuring your life’s progress and satisfaction.

2. Invest in relationships: The book emphasizes the importance of nurturing strong, meaningful relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. These relationships are the source of true happiness and fulfillment, and investing time and effort in them is crucial for a successful life.

3. Focus on the “becoming” over the “doing”: The book challenges the conventional focus on achievements and results. Instead, it encourages prioritizing growth and learning, the journey of becoming a better person. Continuous improvement and self-development are critical to a fulfilling life.

4. Manage your time like a CEO: Time is your most valuable resource. The book teaches you to manage it effectively, prioritize tasks that align with your values, and avoid distractions that hinder your progress toward your goals.

5. Say no to protect your “yes”: The book emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries and saying “no” to commitments that don’t align with your values or priorities. Setting boundaries allows you to focus your energy on the things that truly matter and maximize the impact of your “yeses.”

6. Embrace the power of “deep love”: The book differentiates between “shallow love” based on external factors and “deep love” rooted in shared values and commitment. Deep love provides a strong foundation for lasting relationships and contributes significantly to a fulfilling life.

7. Remember, it’s never too late to change: The book offers hope and encouragement to individuals at any stage of their lives. It emphasizes that it’s never too late to re-evaluate your priorities, adjust your course, and start living a life that reflects your values and aspirations.

BOOK: https://amzn.to/48DCGPl

Source:

Positive Thinking and Thoughts

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Positive thinking means approaching life’s daily opportunities and challenges with a positive mindset.

Research has found that positive thinking aids in stress management and can play an important role in your overall health and well-being.

People with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook.[2]

That’s according to the findings from Johns Hopkins expert Lisa R. Yanek, M.P.H., and her colleagues. The finding held even in people with family history who had the most risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Positive thinking is about looking at things from a positive point of view. It is a type of thinking that focuses on maintaining a positive, optimistic attitude.

Positive thinking does not mean avoiding challenges or difficult situations. Instead, positive thinking means making the most of potential obstacles, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and being confident about your abilities.

Positive thinking is linked to a wide range of health benefits, including:

  • Better stress management and coping skills
  • Enhanced psychological health
  • Greater resistance to catching a cold
  • Increased physical well-being
  • Longer life span
  • Lower rates of depression
  • Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease-related death

Positive thinking has been shown to help people live healthier, happier lives. When you have a positive outlook, you are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors such as exercising, eating healthy, and getting plenty of rest.

How to Cultivate Positive Thinking 

Practicing mindfulness can be a way to build self-awareness and become more conscious of how your positive or negative thoughts affect your mood and behavior.

As you become better at identifying your thought patterns, you can then take steps to shift into a more positive mindset. Actively replacing negative thoughts with positive ones can help you eventually learn to embrace a more positive mindset.

References:

  1. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-positive-thinking-2794772
  2. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

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Essentialism is a disciplined way of thinking and acting that allows you to discern the vital few from the trivial many. It’s about learning to do less but better so that you can make the highest possible contribution.

Say no to the good so you can say yes to the great.

It’s only possible to do some things, so being selective about what you say yes to is important. Focus on the essential things that will have the biggest impact. Take a close look at your life and identify the things that are not essential. Once you know what they are, eliminate them from your life so that you can focus on the things that are truly important.

It’s okay to say no to requests, even if they come from people you care about. If something is not essential, don’t be afraid to say no so that you can focus on the things that are.

Protect your time since it is your most valuable resource, so please keep it carefully. Don’t let other people steal your time or pressure you into doing things that are not essential.

And it would be best if you took care of yourself. Ensure you get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, maintain close relationships, and exercise regularly. When you take care of yourself, you’re better able to focus on the things that are essential.

Essentialism is a powerful way to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. It can help you learn to focus on the truly essential things and make the biggest impact.

Green Grass

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The phrase “Is the grass greener on the other side?” is a common way of asking if something that seems better or more desirable than one has is so. It is based on the proverb, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”, which means that people tend to be dissatisfied with their situation and always think that others have it better, even if they don’t. The proverb has been traced back to ancient times, but it became popular in English after a song by Raymond B. Egan and Richard A. Whiting in 1924.

The phrase can be used in different contexts, such as relationships, careers, lifestyles, etc. For example, someone unhappy with their marriage might wonder if the grass is greener on the other side, meaning if they would be happier with someone else. Or someone bored with their job might think the grass is greener on the other side, meaning they would enjoy a different career more. However, the phrase also implies that the grass is not greener and that changing one’s situation might not bring the expected happiness or satisfaction. It is a way of reminding people to appreciate what they have and not to idealize what they don’t have. A counter-phrase that expresses this idea is “the grass is greener where you water it, ” meaning that good situations come from the effort and attention you put into them, not from dreaming about them.

How Did You Fail This Week…Embrace Failure

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“Failure is not the outcome; failure is not trying. Don’t be afraid to fail.” ~ Sara Blakely, Spanx Founder and CEO

There is tremendous value in embracing your mistakes and learning invaluable lessons from them. Failure is nothing to be afraid of.

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, said that as a child, her father encouraged failure and as would pose an unusual question to her and her brother over dinner: “How did you fail this week?”

“He encouraged us to fail, and not to be afraid of it,” she told me. “If we didn’t have something to tell him that week, he would be disappointed.”

When Blakely tried out for the cheerleading squad and was “horrible and didn’t make it,” he high-fived her. When she revealed that she lost her campaign for senior class president, he told her that was amazing.

Blakely says she learned to find her hidden gifts in moments of disappointment or error. Instead of locking up in fear when things go wrong, she says people must find the beauty in these moments.

 

References:

  1. https://leaders.com/articles/women-in-business/sara-blakely-spanx/

Embrace Risk and Failure

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Failure is simply a matter of an individual’s perspective and mindset.

To be successful in business and life, you must be willing to take risks and, therefore, accept failure. Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of Amazon, believed it’s essential to view failures and setbacks “as helpful obstacles that drive learning.”

“Whatever your goals are, don’t give up no matter how hard it gets,” he stated. Great businesses and organizations don’t exist to grow and make money. Instead, they solve societal problems, from tiny issues to giant dilemmas.

The first step to problem-solving involves defining what that problem is. The key is to get to the root of the problem. One of the best ways to discover the root cause of a problem is by utilizing the 5 Whys method. When a problem happens, could you ask why it happened five times? In theory, the last answer should get to the heart of the issue.

Bezos has long encouraged his teams at Amazon and others to take big risks and embrace failures. In 2019, Bezos told Amazon associates: “We need big failures if we’re going to move the needle — billion-dollar scale failures. And if we’re not, we’re not swinging hard enough.”

References:

  1. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/03/jeff-bezos-on-failure-dont-give-up-no-matter-how-hard-it-gets.html
  2. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/13/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-on-how-to-succeed-in-business.html

According to Jeff Bezos, it’s essential for an entrepreneur to “be a missionary,” you “can’t be mercenary,” meaning that you have to be mission-motivated, not money-motivated.

“Missionaries build better products and services — they always win,” said Bezos. “Mercenaries are just trying to make money, and paradoxically, the missionaries always end up making more money.”

Keep Your Personal Power

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“Energy is the essence of life. Daily, you decide how to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal and by maintaining focus.” ~ Oprah Gail Winfrey

Mentally strong people have healthy habits and mindsets. They manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in ways that help them keep their power and set them up for success in life, according to Amy Morin, psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do.

Here are nine ways to keep your power.

1. Don’t waste energy complaining.

There’s a big difference between complaining and problem-solving. Venting to your friends, family, and co-workers keeps you focused on the problem and prevents you from creating a solution. Grumbling not only implies you have no power over your situation but also shows you lack power over your attitude.

2. Accept responsibility for how you feel.

Saying your mother-in-law makes you feel bad about yourself, or claiming your boss makes you mad suggests they have power over your feelings. Don’t let other people’s behavior dictate your emotions. Accept that it’s completely up to you to manage your emotions, regardless of how others behave.

3. Establish healthy boundaries.

Giving in to guilt trips and refusing to speak up for yourself gives power to others. Recognize that you’re in charge of yourself rather than blame others for wasting your time or forcing you to do something. Establish healthy physical and emotional boundaries that give you control over how you spend your time and whom you spend it with.

4. Practice forgiveness.

Holding a grudge against someone who has hurt you doesn’t punish the other person. Instead, it only punishes you. When you waste valuable time thinking about a person you feel wronged you, it takes away your ability to enjoy the moment.

Forgiving someone is the best way to take back your power. But to be clear, forgiveness isn’t about saying what the person did was OK. Instead, it’s about letting go of the hurt and anger that interferes with your ability to enjoy life.

5. Know your values.

When you’re not clear what your values are, you’re at risk of becoming more like a helpless passenger rather than a confident driver in your own life. You’ll be at risk of jumping on board with other people’s ideas, and you may be easily led astray. Take back your power by acknowledging your values and living true to what’s important.

6. Don’t waste time on unproductive thoughts.

Have you ever come home from work and spent the entire evening wishing you didn’t have to go back again tomorrow? Suddenly, you’re giving your eight-hour workday 12 hours of your time. Take control over the thoughts that occupy your mind so you don’t provide more brain power to areas of your life that don’t deserve it.

7. Avoid language that implies you’re a victim.

Saying things like “I have to work 60 hours a week” or “I had no choice but to say yes” infers you’re a victim of unfortunate circumstances. While there will certainly be consequences for your decisions, acknowledge that you always have choices.

8. Make your self-worth independent of other’s opinions.

If your self-worth depends on others holding you in high regard, you’ll likely become a people-pleaser. Not everyone needs to like you, nor must they agree with your lifestyle. You can evaluate the merit of criticism you receive but never allow one person’s opinion to determine your self-worth.

9. Be willing to stand out from the crowd.

Self-doubt and fear can make you want to blend in with those around you. But trying to fit in with the crowd will cause you to disguise yourself as who you are. Trust that you’re mentally strong enough to stand out and dare to be different.

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude,” says Oprah Gail Winfrey.

References:

  1. https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/9-ways-mentally-strong-people-retain-their-personal-power.html
  2. https://amymorinlcsw.com/about-amy/

The Story of Oprah Winfrey

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“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey’s career has been almost impossibly successful. Oprah’s net worth of $2.6 billion also makes her the first African American female billionaire.

Defying the odds is nothing new to Oprah, who has been battling against adversity her whole life. Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey.

Oprah Winfrey grew up in extreme poverty and was sexually abused by several people throughout her childhood. She bounced between living with her mother, father, and grandmother, and as a teenager, she frequently ran away from home. She became pregnant at age fourteen, but the infant died shortly after birth.

During her high school years, she began working at a local radio station. She worked her way through several media jobs, and eventually, she landed a job as a TV news anchor. But she was later fired from the position.

She didn’t allow one person’s opinion of her on-air suitability to stop her, however. She went on to create her own talk show and by the age of thirty-two, her show became a national hit. By the age of forty-one, she had a reported net worth of over $340 million.

Oprah has started her own magazine, radio show, and TV network and has coauthored five books. She’s even won an Academy Award. She’s started a multitude of charities to help people in need, including a leadership academy for girls in South Africa.

Oprah didn’t let her childhood or her former employer take away her power. A woman who was once teased because she was so poor, she wore potato sacks as dresses was named one of the world’s most powerful women by both CNN and Time. Statistically, her upbringing would have predicted a poor prognosis. But Oprah refused to be a statistic. She chose to define who she was going to be in life by not giving away her power.

Oprah’s story shows how important education, faith, and hard work are. She is a true believer that working towards your goals will take all your effort, but it will be worth it.

“Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

References:

  1. https://www.thelist.com/346339/the-tragic-story-of-oprahs-childhood/
  2. https://stmuscholars.org/from-rags-to-riches-the-story-of-oprah-winfrey/
  3. https://www.thelist.com/346339/the-tragic-story-of-oprahs-childhood/