Have you ever decided to do something new, but your mindset was just not in the right place, so progress was slow to none? Or maybe on the opposite side of that, you started something new and it really gained momentum moving in a positive direction. Why would this happen and do we have control over outcomes?
What is Mindset?
Mindset is the established set of attitudes held by someone. Also known as a frame of mind – how you think and believe.
This is different than attitude, which is a way of carrying oneself.
How does mindset affect my life?
If mindset is how you think and believe, it will affect every decision you make. It is how you see things based on the information you are feeding your brain. If you are training your brain that something is not going to work or it is going to turn out badly, your brain will believe it. The opposite will occur as well – if you train your brain that something is going to be great or is going to work out, it will believe that, too.
It’s really quite amazing as the brain is such an incredible organ keeping us alive, but it is also like a computer. It can only interpret information in the manner in which we are sending it.
Mindset and Self-Talk – Are they the same?
Self-talk is what you are telling yourself most, which is then computed by the brain. Mindset is what occurs based on the self-talk being computed. So if you are telling yourself that you will never lose weight, that message is being sent to the brain and is being set into the brain “computer”. This then helps set your mind to a mindset of not being able to lose weight.
How do I change my mindset?
Changing your mindset is a choice, but it doesn’t come easily. It will take work and effort on your part. The first thing that must be done is to pay attention to how you are talking to yourself which is how the mindset is established.
Positive Self-Talk
This is programming we have received throughout our entire lives. How you were raised from an early age set the beginning stages of what “programs” were planted in your brain. These programs continue to build throughout our lives and will only change if we change them.
If the programs received have mostly been negative, it is likely views are more of a pessimist seeing the world in a dimmer light whereas if programs received have mostly been positive, it is likely views are more of an optimist seeing the world in a brighter light.
It’s all perspective and perspective can change.
Changing Your Self-Talk
As was mentioned above, your current self-talk has been programmed into the brain “computer”. Just like in a computer program, however, it can be re-written. You must make a conscious decision to “re-write” your programs. This will take a lot of work, repetition and listening to yourself or being mindful as to what you are saying and how you are saying it.
For example, if you have struggled with losing weight in the past, instead of telling yourself –
“It’s going to take forever to lose weight because I have no will power and I just can’t seem to change anything”
Tell yourself –
“I know I am capable of losing weight at a steady pace over a period of time. I will need to be patient with myself and focus on making small changes”.
Just these small changes in words change the perspective and open up the ability to see more options and opportunities.
Changing Mindset
Once you have started implementing the changes in your self-talk, you will naturally begin changing your mindset. The two “programs” work hand in hand. Be mindful of how you start seeing or interpreting information. You will notice that instead of seeing something as bad or negative, you may now see it as an opportunity or a positive lesson.
This could potentially change how you see and do everything in your life, not just something specific to your health. It gives you a whole new perspective.
Again, this doesn’t happen overnight. This takes much work and mindfulness on an ongoing basis. You must constantly pay attention to what you are saying, what you are hearing and how you are interpreting information. All of these things determine the outcome of your mindset. You may eventually notice once you begin practicing this, that the baader-meinhof phenomenon happens. This is when you decide for example that you want a red Toyota Corolla, suddenly you see those cars everywhere. The same thing can happen with your mindset. If you say you want to eat healthy foods, and continually tell yourself this, you will begin to notice signs or sales or opportunities that involve healthy food options. Why? Because that is where your focus is and your brain has received the message that you want to see these things.
How Can Mindset and Positive Self Talk Affect my Health?
There are numerous health benefits to having positive self talk. Here are just a few that may get you excited about making some changes.
- Improved immune function
- Greater life satisfaction
- Reduced Pain
- Less stress and distress
When you are thinking about making changes to your health habits, which include mindset and self talk, you must be ready to do so. If you go into the change with a negative mindset full of negative self-talk, you are setting yourself up for failure.
For example, if you are telling yourself or maybe a friend that you are going to try again to start eating healthier even though you really don’t like boring, healthy foods, you are likely going to fail. You are already sending the message that you don’t enjoy eating healthy foods to your brain and it is programming that information into the “computer”.
You must change that statement into a more positive message, which will in turn change the program. Try saying something like –
“I am going to start eating healthier and I am looking forward to how it makes me feel and what creative meals I can come up with to enjoy.
As I have mentioned multiple times, this may not be something that comes naturally to you. It doesn’t come naturally to most people. This will take effort on your part and it is a lifetime habit. If you catch yourself saying something that you don’t want programmed, just quickly change your thought to a more positive one so the positive program is put into action instead. Repetition, repetition, repetition.
What can I do to start?
The most important thing about getting started is deciding to make the commitment to change. Once you have done that, follow these steps.
- Figure out where you currently stand in your self-talk and mindset
- Begin to pay attention to what you are saying, hearing and how you are interpreting information
- Make changes to your statements so you are programming positive messages into your brain
- Be mindful all the time. Know that this is a 24 hour job. If you say something you don’t want programmed, quickly change the statement to what you do want programmed.
- Listen to positive self-talk. Read positive affirmations. Write your own positive affirmations that make you think about your goals.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Most importantly, don’t give up. Nobody is perfect in self-talk. There will be moments that it is really challenging to see the upside of a situation. It is understandable and it happens. Just don’t let yourself stay down in the dumps or focused on the negative circumstance. The upside may come at a later time. Pay attention to your thoughts and try to focus on the things that are good or that you are grateful for in your life.
Life is life. Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes it has it’s challenges. It is up to you to decide how you want to see it, hear it, interpret it and live it!
If you enjoyed this article, I would love to hear from you. Let me know if you have set yourself on a positive mindset track and how you went about it.