This month we are featuring a guest blogger! I met with a new friend, Tom Jenkins a few months ago and we started talking about the value and importance of having a positive mindset and outlook on life, this directly helps us overcome obstacles in our lives and is beneficial to us in the workforce if we simply have a good outlook on life and the day-to-day challenges that we face. I really like what he has to say and wanted to share it with you, too!
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We’ve all heard the phrase million-dollar idea. Truth be told, most ideas are worth far less than a million dollars. In fact, most ideas are not worth very much at all. Ideas are great, but what separates the most successful business people or entrepreneurs from the rest of the pack is execution.
Jeff Bezos is the man behind Amazon. Amazon is crushing the retail world because they offer an extraordinarily wide variety of products, low prices, and fast shipping. Products people want, at low prices with quick shipping is not a novel idea. Almost anyone can tell you if you can launch a website that checks these three boxes you are going to be a big success.
Why Mindset Is so Important
Jeff Bezos built one of the most successful businesses of all time because he believed he had what it took to be successful. He knew if he chased his dream relentlessly he would be a success.
If this sounds like just another overly simplified success story, go to Relentless.com and see where that takes you.
Our mindset truly is our most important tool. This may sound like just another line from a self-help book out of the bargain bin at your local bookstore.
However, your mindset is your most important tool because it controls your actions. Your emotions become your thoughts, and your thoughts are directly responsible for the actions you take on a daily basis.
Changing your mindset doesn’t require changing your entire life. It’s a simple matter of consistently taking small steps to change your thought processes.
The concept of changing your behavior by changing your thoughts and feelings is a psychological principle known as cognitive behavioral therapy.
Cognitive behavioral therapy may seem like a complex psychological principle only used by practitioners with advanced degrees. However, cognitive behavioral therapy in its simplest form can be used by everyday folks to change their thoughts and actions.
The first step in the process is to identify your negative or harmful thoughts. Once you discover what thoughts are holding you back, you can begin to take simple steps to overcome or reverse those thought processes and move yourself to a more positive frame of mind.
Changing your mindset to do away with harmful thoughts does not necessarily require laying on a couch and sharing your deepest, darkest inner thoughts with a therapist. There are several simple exercises you can do on your own to develop positive ways of thinking and begin achieving more positive accomplishments every single day.
Three Ways to Improve Your Mindset in Five Minutes a Day
Setting aside five minutes a day every day for two weeks can put you on the path to developing a truly life-changing mindset. Can you spare five minutes a day for a more positive mindset?
Journaling Daily
Taking a few minutes every day to put the thoughts in your mind on paper may not seem like something that could ultimately change your life. But, journaling helps you to process your thoughts and emotions. It allows you to bring clarity to a cluttered mind.
Many of us may be inclined to think we have all the clarity we need or that our mind does not have clutter. As an entrepreneur or corporate athlete, you no doubt have a lot on your mind. Between work, personal goals, and family obligations our lives are much more complicated and demanding then we may first imagine.
If you think journaling isn’t for you, consider trying it for just a few minutes a day for two weeks. If journaling is not beneficial you have lost nothing but a few minutes of your week, and you will most likely learn at least one valuable thing about yourself.
Affirmations
An affirmation is anything we repeat to ourselves out loud, in our minds, or through the written word. It has been proven we become what we think about most of the time.
The Reticular Activating System takes things that we repeat to ourselves and makes them part of our identity. It does not matter if these statements are positive or negative.
if we continually tell ourselves we have what it takes to be a top performer in our company our brain will naturally build being a top performer into our subconscious identity. Our subconscious brain accounts for 90% of our total brain activity. This is why repeating affirmations until they become part of our subconscious is an incredibly effective tool for changing our mindset.
Check out this great article for tips on creating positive and effective affirmations.
Meditation
Meditation helps to change the neurological pathways in our brain that deal with anxiety. As a result, regular meditation helps to reduce our feelings of anxiety.
Studies have found those who meditate regularly can essentially rewire the brain to make them feel more focused, positive and content. Regularly meditating has also been shown to boost the immune system.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re climbing the corporate ladder or an entrepreneur. Regardless of what path you’re on, our careers seem to be more and more demanding. Increasing your ability to remain positive, stay focused, and be content could be an absolute game-changer when it comes to what you are able to accomplish at work.
Meditation doesn’t require a yoga studio or fancy equipment. You can develop an extraordinarily helpful meditation practice by simply trying out a few techniques in a quiet room. Here is a wonderful guide on finding the right meditation technique.
Written By: Tom Jenkins
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