CONTINUED FROM PART ONE…
In part one we’ve explored and become aware of how our mind chatter can negatively be impacting our mind-set and ways in which we can start to change its content. Now let’s look at some of the external activities, which can lead to further habits, that you could start doing to positively influence your mind-set on a practical level:
Step One: Make the environment and surrounding influences that you inhabit work for you. Add the necessary prompts to stimulate the self-talk that is going to support you in developing your identity and the necessary habits which will spur you into action. Identify and gather the resources that are going to help you on your self-development journey and put them in locations that will prompt you to read them; make them visible. For example, download that podcast or motivational talk on to your phone or handwrite your mantra and pin it up so that in a moment of negative self-talk, you can instantly tap it on and listen to some inspiring material that focuses your mind back on to the path of empowering self-talk. Our mobile phones are such a part of our environment that it makes sense to use them to our advantage. What can you listen to or read that’s going to instil a positive and motivating message? In practical terms, if you want to get fit and healthy, surround yourself with helpful prompts that you see daily such as fruit and veg or exercise equipment/ kit. If you want to become organised and improve your time management skills, then set phone reminders, populate your diary, or do both so that you get to where you need to be and do the things you need to do in a timely fashion. Maybe the very first step is to set reminders that instruct you to create the reminders! Tip: Populate the environment to support your self-talk to success.
Step Two: Take the time to appreciate something every single day and commit to a ‘no days off’ policy for this action; identify something that you are truly grateful for. Concentrate and immerse yourself in savouring how utterly grateful you are and then write it down so that you have a continuous list that you can look at to remind yourself of the true positives. How can you have a positive mental attitude or a motivational mind-set if you pre-set your mind to focus and find the negative? Time to change the programming by finding one great thing a day that you genuinely appreciate and then look for two, three, four, five etc every day and you will notice that it becomes natural to find the positive in a situation. The level of energy and effort required to undertake the process of finding a positive is the same quantity as finding a negative. The only difference is that the muscle for the negative focus is stronger because it has experienced more practice. If you want to change that focus, then switch it up and start the positive focus exercises so that it becomes the much stronger, dominant and automatic force. Once you dedicate and commit yourself to repeatedly finding the positives in your life, then it becomes a habit to find them in every situation. You have actively engaged in conditioning your brain to think in a different way and so possibilities, positivity and opportunities appear. Tip: What you focus on, your mind will become accustomed to finding.
Step Three: Engage in some nourishing hobbies or activities that you enjoy and that light you up; pursuits that make you feel good and absorb your attention. How much better is your positive mental attitude when you feel good? I would think, exceptionally better. Engage in an activity (or a few) which open the avenue for positive mind chatter to effortlessly flow and so bring a smile to your face. Some motivational mind-set tools can tap into your creative side and generate fun! When you feel good, you think good then you look at the world differently. You don’t have to become an expert in your activity or hobby, it’s about enjoying the process and the feel-good factor that it naturally brings. So where do you find joy? What energises and immerses you? Tip: Notice what you are doing when you experience positive and soul enriching thoughts that light you up.
Step Four: Consider who is currently in your quality support network. Who are you surrounding yourself with and how are they influencing your self-talk? Constructive feedback can be beneficial but make sure that the purpose is to help you and that the content is valid; helping and not hindering. Sometimes we need to ask for feedback and support to help us in our self-development but consider whether you are seeking it from those persons who constantly put you down or purposely keep taking you back to that negative frame of mind (stifling your growth). With regards to your support network, contemplate: do their words and actions truly provide support for you to develop into the person you want to become? Less quality feedback and support is better than being in a position where you are frequently exposed to toxic words and harmful intentions of others. Find those people that cheer you on when you tell them how much you are doing to work on yourself and who create a safe space for you to discuss concerns and uncertainties so that you can find ways forward. What you hear from external sources is important; what are you choosing to listen to and allow to influence you? Which friends are your cheerleaders? Who can you trust to be vulnerable with? Who can help you form strategies? Knowing and deciding who is in your inner circle has a big impact so make sure the right people who support and energise you are in there. For objectivity and concentrated focus on your motivational mind-set and priorities, maybe a session with this motivation coach is for you? Tip: Regularly be around those that actively support you in your progression and achievement.
In conclusion, be willing, dedicated and adaptable when continuously building your supportive and motivational mind-set; discover who you want to become and the habits you want to establish for your transformation to take place. I suggest building strong foundations (with the ways and methods which best suit you), being flexible so that you experiment and tapping into your sense of humour as much as possible because it is more than OK to have many laughs along the way.
Coach Kat
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(c) Katrina Ramsden