How these 3 mindset shifts can change the trajectory of your life

Because you live a wholesome life not by accident but designing

It’s 6:00 in the morning and I’m sitting in front of my laptop with squinted eyes and a grudge on my face. I have never been a morning person but the necessity to write in the early hours is making me do things that otherwise would have been shoved under the carpet.

Sounding like some voodoo magic? But it’s more than that.

I find it extremely difficult to welcome changes and do things that are opposite to my nature. They require hard work. And that’s where some tiny tweaks in the programming of mind helps. ‘Mindset shifts’ can completely change the way you perceive life and untangle complications that act as a hindrance to your goals.

Why has‘mindset shift’ earned the title of a ‘buzzword’ in recent years?

People have been talking about how embracing some mental models can change our thought process and make us aware of what we want and ways to discard unwanted feelings and ideas.

It’s been scientifically proven that the pioneers, creators, thought leaders and the entrepreneurs train themselves to think in a way so as to maximize their profits in their businesses and excel in life.

Mindset shift is a way of reverting your habitual thinking and converting them into useful narratives that helps in gaining clarity driving you towards a much better and purposeful reality.

Habitual thinking #1 - “ I know everything.”

Recently I was listening to a podcast by Shankar Vedantam where he spoke about how mental barriers limit our imagination and make us run relentlessly on a loop where we believe we possess all the knowledge in the world and no one comes even close to our mastery and expertise.

Actively seek out change. This mindset shift embraces critical questioning and helps in continuous improvement.

If you are seriously trying to improve yourself, make changes to the programming in your head and be in better relationships, be it with your colleagues, friends or your family. You need to substitute your old beliefs with better statements.

A better approach :- I have some ideas about a situation/person but a discussion could unfold new concepts and open doors to my thinking.

Habitual thinking #2- “ I am not good enough.”

When I decided to start writing on LinkedIn my mind was filled with doubts and beliefs which I had programmed subconsciously into my brain. “ What will people think?”, “ I’m not an expert”, “ I have got nothing important to share about my life ” used to raid and paralyse my mind.

The statements reeked of

-fear of failure

-Fear of being judged

-A crass feeling of Deja vu

“ That which you tend to pay attention to is aligned with what you believe, and so that’s all you get.” -David Bayer

When you undermine your power, you are sending a signal to your brain that you are not worthy enough and you don’t deserve to be better. Fear increases your self-doubt, chips away the willpower and reduces your ability to think clearly.

Most of the thoughts that cross your mind depend on your past experiences, external stimuli, information overload, and exposure to influences that have zero correlation to the present.

Try giving yourself ample space and benefit-of-doubt to think the other way. Cradle the idea of ‘gradual improvement’ that removes the terror of experiencing change.

A better approach:- I may not possess the skills and knowledge right now but learning, analysing and experimenting will help me get through the challenges.

Habitual thinking #3:- “ I may be good at my hobbies but that doesn’t fit in my current job scenario or don’t serve a purpose in my work. They are useless.”

We are the biggest critics of ourselves and unknowingly this tendency makes us sabotage our wishes. I’m not saying being choosy and fretful about our work is off-limits but too much of anything can prove to be hazardous. Too much relience on our ‘frames of reference’ leads to you being a perfectionist which is a roadblock to actually doing the things.

Self-criticism should be used to sharpen your skills and not downplay your abilities.

There are opportunities lurking behind the obstacles. You have to have the eye to see through them.

A better approach:- I’m good at my hobbies. Let me see how I can bridge the gap, adjust and approach the situation that would showcase my skills, bring into limelight my capabilities and 10x the outcome.

Final thoughts: I’m not a psychologist but I’ve penned down the mental traps that used to be a huge hindrance earlier in my life.

Do I still suffer from mental barriers? Of course I do. But I’ve learned to handle them in a better way.

Instead of the thoughts controlling me, I find ways to control them either by tweaking and twisting the narratives or analysing the notions that make me believe a certain way.

Try to have a birds eye view of things and then go deep to identify where the thoughts are coming from. Getting to the source is the best way to fight against the mindset traps.