‘Mindset’ has become one of our current buzz words. So what is it? A mindset is a “set of beliefs that shapes how one makes sense of the world and one’s self”.
A mindset is comprised of many factors — a person’s established rules and world views, along with values and attitudes. This process can be guided by our natural instincts (like our “gut feelings”) as well as by external factors (like past events that have happened). These things shape our mindsets, giving us perspectives on how we navigate problems and interact with others.
Our mindsets can change and transform as we learn from different experiences.
When you consciously make a mindset shift, your mind changes from one way of thinking to a different way of thinking. It can be a simple concept. It can also can take time to reconstruct.
Fixed mindsets can be risky, as they inhibit growth.
Mindset shifts happen over time. Generally speaking, building new mindset habits can take a few weeks or months. Successful changes rely on a positive outlook that prioritizes a healthy mentality and self-improvement. Positive mindsets allow you to step outside your comfort zone and navigate challenging situations with a new perspective.
Mindsets can also slip from positive to negative ones. This can happen when a person has challenges in their social environments, like at home, in a relationship, or in a work environment, or is experiencing internal issues, such as depression, anxiety, or self-doubt.
Negative mindsets are pessimistic. They feed into fear, self-doubt, and negative thoughts. Recognizing emotions, understanding why they are happening, and taking responsibility to care for yourself enhances personal growth.
Here are some tips on how to nurture a positive mindset:
Self-care - You can never go wrong with genuine self-care. Understand and incorporate the different aspects of self-care in your daily routine — physical, emotion, spiritual (for more details on how to do this, read my self-care article)
Stay authentic - Things that cause drama come from fear-based emotions, and fear is a false state of being. By staying positive, you act from love-based emotions. So avoid negativity if you want to be a more authentic being.
Talk out your feelings - This can be a difficult thing to do, but recognizing how you feel, sharing it with someone you trust, and caring for yourself helps both your body and mind to keep moving forward and keep growing. Counseling/coaching is a great place to start when creating a mindset shift.
We can become consciously aware of what our mindsets are thinking and feeling. And we get to decide whether we want to veer more positively or negatively. See how this resonates for you and where you want your focus to be.