Will You Shift Your Thinking to Change Your Life?

Life has a way of throwing us curve balls.  One minute all is wonderful and the next we are slammed with challenges which can send us into a black hole.  On this Monday morning, how will you see the world?

Will you be ready to charge into the week or are you already thinking how behind you are or how bad it will be?  You have a choice and what you decide can make the difference in a good week versus a bad week.

I love how my Thursday morning Weight Watcher meeting messages tend to relate to my everyday life.  The topic of “shift your thinking” hit me hard.  Why?  I am continuously guilty of the failing prey to the negative inner gremlins.  I talk a good game but I have moments too when those curve balls send me down the dark path of doom and gloom

So, on this Monday morning when I am headed home from an amazing visit with my daughter in North Carolina – I am fighting the inner gremlins.  I have decided to slam the door on them.  Yes, I may have eaten (and drank) more than normal.  Yes, I may have gained a little weight (or not).  Yes, I may have taken the focus off my business for a little bit.  BUT instead of thinking of the negatives of the trip, I will focus on the positives.  I got to spend an awesome 5 days with my daughter so we could reconnect.  I got to meet new people.  I got to clear my head and get creative in my business.  I got to rest.  All positives I will focus on as I head home.

Your mindset is not set in stone.  Think about how many times during the day you switch from a positive to a negative mindset.  Believe it or not, we do it ALOT!  There are two areas in our lives we need to switch from a “fixed” mindset to a “growth” mindset – our weight loss journey and our business.  What’s the difference in the two mindsets?

A growth mindset lets us see new experiences and challenges as a chance to grow – to learn, to improve and benefit.  I like to think of this a the positive inner gremlins beating the negative ones.

A fixed mindset is when we are not open to new things.  We tend to except things as they are.  Negative thoughts stick in our brains and setbacks seem like mountains we are unable to climb.  As a result, we continue to do the same thing expecting different results.

When we are ready to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, we unleash positive powerful changes.  The weight starts to come off, your business starts to grow.  We develop skills which will help us to not only make healthier decisions but will also help us to succeed in life!  Our growth mindset allows us to reflect on our slips or mistakes and learn from them while moving forward.

Why do I relate the two – weightless and growing your business?  Because  the journey for me has been linked to the same negative inner gremlins.  If I am feeling bad in one area of my life, the other seems to suffer as a result.

So, how do we shift to a growth mindset?  We need to stomp to the inner gremlins and here is a way to do it:

Fixed Mindset:  “I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this (lose weight or make money in my business).  It’s so hard!  I don’t think I can keep going.”  See the negative inner gremlins feeding and growing stronger.

Reality Check:  “This is a challenge and I’m not sure how long I can keep going, but I won’t ever know if I stop now”.  This is where we make the conscious decision to try.  To give it one more day/week/month to eat healthy.  To give the business one more month to see if I can make money.

Growth Mindset:  “This challenge has been tough but if I continue to make small changes and try to keep going, I know I can do it”  Focus on the accomplishments – big or small.

I challenge you to start this week with a growth mindset, will you accept the challenge.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Change Your Thoughts

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”~Norman Vincent Peale

Over the past year, I have said these words probably a MILLION times “I am not good at recruiting new team members”.  I have watched others who are recruiting superstars and tried to study how they did it.  I have listened closely for cues to spot potentially new team members.  But the truth was that no matter how much I wanted new team members, I kept thinking “I am not good at recruiting”.

I made a conscious decision that:

• Other consultants also struggle with recruiting
• Other people did not really have a life much better than mine.
• Others were not really happier than me, smarter than me, and worth more than me.
• I would stop wishing that I was like someone else.

Have you ever felt like everyone else was doing better than you? Have you ever felt like the deck was so stacked against you that you would never catch up? 

I always dream big, but I seem to be unable to make those plans a reality because of the story I told myself.  As long as I continued to tell myself that negative story, I would continue to be not enough. The truth was there wasn’t a problem with my business there was a problem with the story that I was telling myself about my business.  My story about not being good enough showed itself in every aspect of my life—my job, my family, and my social life.  WOW!  Does that sound like YOU?

Did you know that the current state of your life is a direct result of the stories you tell yourself, and what you really believe is possible—not what you say is possible, but what you believe deep down in your core.

Okay, so you are wondering what I did differently, right?

I changed the story.  I have heard it a million times but this week, it clicked (again) “If you change the limiting stories you tell yourself, you will be able to change your life.”

I shifted my story to “I am as good as anyone else and I deserve it just as much as anyone else. ”  So, how could a VERY simple change in the words change things.  I didn’t just say them, I actually started believing what I was saying.  I looked for evidence that the story was true and I was amazed at what I found.

When I looked at my life objectively I realized that I’d actually accomplished quite a bit. I had helped in open an Atlantic City casino.  I had been successful in my career in the non-profit world.  I helped to change lives as a Social Worker.  I had started my own Thirty One business and I had a growing team.  I reached my goal as director and was consistent in sales and parties.  I always am kind and helpful to others. These are some of the things that, in my eyes, made me just as good as anyone else.

The comparison bug had attached itself onto one component of my life and as a direct result was infecting all aspects of my life.  Has the comparison bug bit you?

Why not be kind to yourself :

• Things won’t change overnight. You can change your story but that doesn’t mean that you will suddenly have millions of dollars in your bank account the next morning.  You will recognize the opportunities that will get you there.
• Don’t be angry with yourself or the universe if it doesn’t happen fast enough for you, or if you fail to make the changes you want all once. Taking small steps in the right direction every day will get you were you need to be. It’s important to be consistent.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you fall back into old habits. We are usually our biggest critics. Just pick yourself up and start again. If you keep moving forward, you will get to your goal.

So, who is ready to change their story?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!