It’s easy to get trapped in the loop of negative thinking and stagnant mindset. Psychologists say our brains have a negativity bias, which means we tend to focus more on the negative than the positive. We feel the impact of the negative events in our lives more than the positive ones. The good news is it is entirely in our control to change our mindset.
Negativity Ruins Your Life
Failure to recognize our negative mindset is destructive. Our thinking often turns into reality. Notice how it affects your work, health, and relationships. If we are not careful and we let the negative mindset rule our lives, it will eat away at our confidence, make us stressed and depressed, and delay our success. It will make us miserable.
4 Steps to Improve Your Mindset
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Identify your limiting beliefs.
Recognize all your thoughts and beliefs that hold you back from becoming the best version of yourself. Anything that prevents us from growing is a limiting belief. Take a look at the areas in your life where you feel stuck and pay attention to the words you say. Write them down. You will be surprised to find that most of these are unconscious thoughts that keep you from achieving the results you want. Some phrases to look out for are: “I can’t,” “I don’t,” or “I wish.”
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Reframe them to empowering beliefs.
For every negative thought, there is also a positive one. Review your list of limiting beliefs and turn them into a positive one. This doesn’t mean that you will disregard dangers or limitations. What you need to do is shift your thoughts to the positive aspects of an event or a situation. You will see failure and challenges in a different light.
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Articulate your growth mindset principles.
Having a growth mindset literally means believing that you can grow. If you want to develop a growth mindset, you will need principles to help you establish positive and empowering thinking patterns. An example of a growth mindset principle is: “I will stop thinking about what others will say about me. I will accept and trust myself more.”
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Use one of your growth mindset principles as a daily mantra.
It takes time to develop a growth mindset. Before starting your day or before you start any task, remind yourself of at least one growth mindset principle by reading it out loud. Persist in refocusing your thoughts until it becomes a habit.
Summary:
Become aware of your thoughts and use the power of your beliefs to achieve your goals.
- Recognize the beliefs that limit you.
- Turn limiting beliefs into empowering ones.
- Write down growth mindset principles
- Use one of your growth mindset principles as a daily mantra.
