Most people don’t realize how thwarted their thinking is. There are people who only see life through a negative lens; always pending doom and gloom. Even if something wonderful does happen they are very good at picking something apart from it instead of fully enjoying it.
Then, you have those who see things in black and white – no in-between. It’s either this or that. They can’t imagine or conceive the array of endless possibilities and options between “this” and “that”. Then of course I think we’ve all encountered people who have a problem for every solution.
Once you realize that your mindset indeed shapes your reality, like in a very literal sense, you would want to take the time to really start exploring the depths of your mind. You do not want to continue along the path of remaining unconscious of how your negative mindset is affecting your life. The best thing to do is to learn how to cultivate a positive and growth-oriented mindset.
But where does one start? Keep reading and I’ll tell you how.
Step 1: Become aware of what you’re thinking.
This is where it all begins – Self-Analysis. You have to spend time thinking about what you think about. You also need to examine your beliefs and perceptions. This can be challenging especially for people who don’t see anything wrong with how they think. But that’s obviously not you because you wouldn’t be reading this blog if it were. So, let’s focus on you; the person who is aware that something may be wrong with your thinking and is ready for change.
It’s actually quite simple to spot a negative thought or belief. First pick any area of your life and ask yourself what do you think or believe about it. If it’s something you do not desire to continue to experience then it’s negative. See, simple!
For instance, when you think about employment and you notice you believe that finding a job is hard, then ta-da! That is a negative belief shaping your mindset, thus creating your experiences. And the more you believe it, the more it will solidify into a fact for you and perpetuate said experience.
Step 2: Change the narrative.
Once you have identified your negative belief, you want to transform it into a new more positive one. So, instead of thinking and believing that finding a job is hard, you’ll want to change it to finding a job is easy. The goal is to flip your mindset to reflect that which you do aspire to be, do, or have. You will have some kickbacks from your mind that will say things like “of course finding a job is hard” or “how can you believe that when finding a job has always been hard for you”.
The kickbacks come because your brain is already wired to your previous belief; you already have an energetic imprint in your consciousness, in your being, that finding a job is hard. So, your subconscious mind will do everything it can to continue to validify that belief. You are the master of your mind, so you have to continue to override that negative belief until your subconscious picks up the new one.
You must understand that when we believe something it literally becomes us. Our beliefs take shape and form into our physical reality so that we can experience and see what our beliefs actually look like in physical form.
Our job is to be the observer of our reality and pay attention to what’s repetitively showing up in our lives and then go self-reflect because our experiences are telling us, or better said, showing us what we have going on inside of us that needs changing.
Step 3: Repetition
Cultivating a positive and growth-oriented mindset isn’t hard. Well, the steps aren’t hard. The challenge comes with maintaining your new mindset which requires repetition and persistence.
This can be challenging because now you have to maneuver through your current reality that you created with your old mindset with your new mindset – which can cause you to slip back into those same old negative patterns.
This step also requires awareness and presence. Because as soon as you go job hunting and get your application rejected your mind will go “see, finding a job is hard” then it will spiral into more negative thoughts such as “I’m wasting my time with this woo-woo positive mindset crap” and then back into your old mindset you go.
As I previously stated, you are the master of your mind, this is where you have to take charge and continue to reinstate your new belief.
So, once that old pattern of thought arises, you remain present and aware of it. You speak back to it and say “No, finding a job is easy, what I am experiencing is a reflection of my old thought process, finding a job is easy, getting hired is easy and I’m already working at my dream job.”
You have to let your mind know who’s the boss. You’re the boss. It does whatever you say. Stand. In. Your. Power.
Related article: How to Rewire your Brain for Success
A few tips and methods
Here are a few methods to incorporate that will help you build and maintain your new belief system.
Meditation – I highly suggest taking at least 5-10 minutes daily to focus on your new beliefs and cultivating more positive thoughts. The more time you spend doing this the better because it creates new neuropathways in your brain which makes it easier for you to adapt to your new mindset. Meditating also increases your-self-awareness and awareness overall. It sharpens your intuition and creates a more present relationship with your Higher Self/Higher Power.
Scripting – This is another therapeutic technique that helps retrain your mind. You get a journal and a pen and write out your new life, self, beliefs or whatever it is you desire to experience. For instance, using the job scenario again, you would write out how easy it was for you to find the job and how well the interview went. You could write how they hired you on the spot and how amazing your first day went. Scripting is about writing out your life story the way you desire to see it. It also reinforces your new mindset to your subconscious mind. It helps keep you focused on the new and not the old.
Take in new content – Again, our brain is a repetitive organism. Whatever it gets fed the most is what it will repeat and play out on autopilot. So, it is highly recommended that you immerse yourself in content that reflects your new mindset. Take more consideration into the books you read, the videos you watch, the people/pages you follow on social media. Trust me, your subconscious mind takes in the content you predominantly expose yourself to. I would go a step further to say to make it a part of your daily practice, as with meditation, to intentionally read and/or watch content that fosters healthy positive mindsets.
Lastly, in order to cultivate and maintain a growth-oriented mindset is to remain open-minded. A growth mindset is about expansion. So, be open to always growing and evolving. Be open to taking in new information. Stay diligent with checking your own belief systems to see what may not be working for you and remain open and willing to change it.
