It doesn’t matter how expensive your suit is or how coifed your haircut looks if your insides are in need of a makeover. Your inner appearance is a reflection of your mindset. And while your outer image is important, it’s your inner radiance that draws people towards you or repels them from coming closer. What messages does the hamster wheel of your mind spin for you each day? What thoughts are you ruminating on? If you constantly speak negatively to yourself, your mind will believe it, and your life will reflect it. Even the most expensive round of botox can’t rejuvenate the atrophy of your mind.
Toning your mindset takes the same amount of work and dedication as it does to tone your body. But the good news is, it can be done!
Here are some simple tips to help you shift your mindset muscles:
- Make a list of what you are the very best at, better than anyone else. When we start viewing ourselves with confidence, we feel like we have something to offer the world. If you aren’t sure what you are the best at, ask yourself what you are an expert in. What do people come to you for?
- What are 25 things you like about yourself? Write them down and read them every day. Keep them with you and refer to them when you start feeling bad about yourself. It will help you to see yourself in a new light.
- Get off the negativity bandwagon. Action is the key to change. If you change the words you speak, you will eventually change the way you think. Hanging around people who partake in gossip or who have a down in the dumps disposition is like hanging around someone with a cold – it’s contagious! The next time you find yourself in the middle of a negativity zone, drop in a positive comment, change the subject or compliment someone else. It will stop the conversation in its tracks and bring the energy away from the negative and back towards the positive.
- Play the flip it game. We spend a lot of time ruminating on the negative “what if’s” of life. What if get fried? What if he breaks up with me? What if she takes the credit? What if they don’t like me? Instead of ruminating on the negative, flip these thoughts to the positive. What if I get a promotion? What if he asks me to marry him? What if I get the credit? What if they love me? All of our thoughts are attached to feelings, and whether we actually experience the situation we are imagining, our mind and emotions will react to the scenario as if it has happened. Think of how nostalgic you get when you hear certain songs on the radio. Our thoughts have the same effect. Be sure to choose a good station to tune into in your mind.
- Step outside your comfort zone. When we do something hard and succeed we feel proud, and it builds confidence. When we do something hard and fail, we learn so that we can succeed later. Both things help to boost confidence and change your mindset about who you are.
Negativity is a habit that you can break. Like anything else, it’s a muscle that needs toning. And just like going to the gym, the thought of doing it often sounds hard, but the rewards multiply! Start simply. Action is key.
