The Mindset Changes that Lead to Life-Changing Actions

I am human.

Because I’m human I am prone to make mistakes but it also means that I have the ability

to correct my path.

Sometimes it takes years before a good habit sinks in but they all have one thing in common:

it begins with a single step.

Changes take time.

For many we never see it sink in because we’re trying to tackle the entire issue rather than making

moves on the smaller routines that will eventually lead to an overall shift.

How many times did you promise you’d quit smoking? Lose weight? Save more?

I admit my faults – like I said, I’m human – but within the last two years I have been taking action

and seeing a change.

What I found was that it really came down to the mindset.

In goes the good, positivity comes out

I’m not one of those hip, fit guru types that believe everything can be taken care of through

holistic means, yoga, and eating nothing but whole foods.

But I’m not one to disregard the idea.

I’m getting older but my mind and personality is screaming to keep partying as I did in my

early 20’s – this doesn’t really work when you’re about to hit your 30’s because you’ve done

enough damage over those years with binge drinking, smoking, and eating junk food.

Small steps that worked for me:

*I made it a point to drink more water so

I didn’t feel so dehydrated all the time.

*I set a goal that after milestones I made in

projects I’d get up and do simple exercises.

*I took time to reflect and keep a journal

so I can understand where I was going.

The biggest of these was doing some research into alcohol addiction, which led me to rehab in Portland;

it taught me a lot about where I was, where I was going, but also assured me there could be change.

Once I started filling my body and mind with good food and thoughts I noticed I had a gradual shift

from being a generally negative person to one that was outgoing and sociable.

I can’t say I’m entirely an extrovert but I’ve noticed a difference because I’m now comfortable with

myself and I’m not having anxiety spikes that are the result of poor health.

There were other areas I dabbled in (though wasn’t about to become fully absorbed in their culture):

*Yoga

I didn’t become the type that does it multiple times a day, has a mat, and preaches it.

I used it as a way to stretch and also take time to reflect on the oncoming day or how

the day went if I was doing it in the afternoon.

*Literature

It’s odd that we can easily sit through and binge an entire season on Netflix but can’t be forced

into reading a chapter in a book (for some).

I flipped that around to where I read at my leisure.

Literature stimulates the mind – especially so if you’re reading autobiographies or history –

it can be used as a base toward future improvements.

*Media blackout

I go through my ups and downs (like many) but noticed it happened mostly when I got

too involved with Facebook or other comments.

It’s easy to get a sense of loneliness when you see pictures of others out having fun.

I decided I’d significantly cut my usage of social media and, instead, take more time to

be happy with what I had.

If I were to talk to my younger self I wouldn’t tell him to make big, lofty goals but to, instead,

focus on the little changes within yourself.

I enjoy this quote from Hunter S. Thompson:

“The answer — and, in a sense, the tragedy of life —

is that we seek to understand the goal and not the man.

We set up a goal which demands of us certain things:

and we do these things.

We adjust to the demands of a concept which 

CANNOT be valid.

When you were young, let us say that you wanted 

to be a fireman.

I feel reasonably safe in saying that you no longer 

want to be a fireman. Why?

Because your perspective has changed.

It’s not the fireman who has changed, but you.”

It assures me that I am changing and I need to adapt – when I reflect on myself I see that

the vices  and bad habits aren’t things I want to bring with me.

Maybe you, too, can make these gradual changes.

What key mindset changes have helped you transform your life?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.

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