How To Change Your Attitude and Mindset – Shifting Your Trajectory

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Every day, people face worries and stress that affects mental health. While ever day stressors are a part of life, they often make us feel overloaded. Even a fixed mindset is not set in stone. You learn how to change your attitude and mindset by learning and consciously choosing to believe that your characteristics are not predetermined and that you can continue to grow over time.

How Do You Change Your Attitude and Mindset?

When you master how to change attitude and mindset you will make new friends, land a new job, or move into a new phase in life. The change in mindset helps in many ways:

• Embrace change
• Set goals
• Surround yourself with positive people
• Take walks
• Talk out your feelings

Identify Areas to Change

The first forward step to change is identifying both the negative and positive thought patterns. One of the ways to change your mindset is to decipher the negative from the positive self-talk. Here are some common forms of negative self-talk:

Filtering:

You only see the downside when facing a difficult situation. You automatically filter all positive aspects and only focus on the bad things. In fact, you magnify all the negative aspects altogether. Instead of giving yourself credit for all of your accomplishments, you fixate on how much you still have to do.

Personalizing:

If things don’t go right, you perceive that it is your fault. If the local theater canceled an upcoming movie, you assume that it is your fault.

Catastrophizing:

If you spill coffee at the breakfast table, you jump to the conclusion that the rest of the day will be janky as well.

Blaming:

You avoid taking responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings. Instead, you blame others for what happens to you.

You always use the “shoulda” excuse

You constantly say what you “shoulda / woulda / coulda” done.

Polarizing:

Some individuals have an all or nothing attitude. They see things as either good or bad with no middle ground in between.

Change to a Positive Script

The first step is to change your mindset. Recognize the state of your current mindset. What are your current beliefs, assumptions, and metaphors? Do they help or hinder your growth and success? Do you plan to change your mindset?

Change Your Mindset

Challenge your current mindset. Once you identify your current mindset, challenge it. Ask yourself if your beliefs, assumptions, and metaphors are helpful? Are they based on facts or just your perceptions?

Choose a New Mindset

Once you’ve challenged your current mindset, choose a new mindset that aligns with your goals and values. Your new mindset is based on facts, evidence, and positive assumptions.

Change Your Script

When you change your script and learn how to tune into a positive thinking pattern you learn how to implement positive thoughts into your daily routine, instead of a negative self-sabotaging mindset.

Use New Questions, Assumptions, and Metaphors

To reinforce your new mindset, use new questions, assumptions, and metaphors. How can I create more abundance? I “assume there’s more than enough to go around.” “I love the metaphor life is a garden, and I can grow whatever I want.”

The Health Benefits of Positive Thinking

Research studies show that there are many benefits of Positive Thinking. A positive mindset increases your overall well-being and promotes health, happiness, and longevity. A positive attitude takes practice and doesn’t happen overnight. However, the benefits are endless. Positive thoughts induce all positive things such as all the following:

• Better stress management
• Lower levels of depression
• Greater resistance to illnesses
• More creative thinking
• Better coping skills during hardships
• Better physical and psychological well-being

Positive Thinking and Positive Self-Talk

Positive thinking helps with stress management. It improves your health. Practice overcoming negative self-talk with examples provided.

Is your glass half-empty or full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking reflects your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you’re optimistic or pessimistic. In fact, it positively affects your health.

Some studies show that personality traits such as optimism and pessimism affect many areas of your health and well-being. The positive thinking that comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management (Mayo Clinic).

Automatic Negative Thinking

On the other hand, there will be times that you revert back to a negative mindset, but that’s okay. This is just temporary. This too shall pass. You empower yourself when you are aware of your automatic negative thoughts (ANTs). Learn to reframe these thoughts. When ANTs persist, ask yourself three questions:

• Is it true? Meaning: Is the sky falling, or is there another possible interpretation?
• Is it helpful? Meaning: Does this interpretation help me get through this moment productively or inspire me to find new solutions?
• Is it kind? Meaning: Does this thinking help me feel capable and able to reach out to others for help or support? (betterup.com).

What are 3 Kinds of Mindsets?

Did you know there are three types of mindsets – Growth Mindset, A Beginner’s Mindset, and A Mentoring Mindset?

Growth Mindset

Recognizes that you grow, learn, and visualize as you develop into the person you want to be. Your strengths and weaknesses aren’t fixed, and you are willing to step into possibility.

Beginner’s Mindset

There is a Japanese concept called Shoshin, which means” beginner’s mind.” Shoshin requires that you:

• Are open to learning from and with your mentor.
• Are eager to learn and excited to see what happens when you learn. A sense of enthusiasm makes a big difference.
• Let go of preconceptions about what it takes to become an expert at something. Part of being a beginner is being willing to challenge your expectations and to face what you don’t yet know. https://youtu.be/Nl2_NCY5aik

A Mentoring Mindset

A mentoring mindset is a series of attributes of successful mentees. A mentoring mindset means you:

• Have a learning orientation. American author Brian Herbert says “The capacity to learn is a gift: the ability to learn is a skill: the willingness to learn is a choice.”
• Take initiative. A mentoring mindset requires that a mentee take ownership of their own learning and ask for what they need.
• You are goal-oriented. This means you identify and work towards your goals.
• Show relational skills. Mentoring is as much about the relationship as it is about the learning. To develop a mentoring mindset, you must invest in building a relationship with your mentor.
• Reflect on your learning. Take the time to do a self-assessment, learn from your mistakes and share your insights with your mentor. (Dr. Lora J. Zachary, Mentor’s Guide)

According to Dr. Zachary, discipline is developed after mindset, not the other way around. Focusing first on mindset will set you up for success in your mentoring relationships. However, changing a mindset is not an easy task.

Why is it So Hard to Change Your Mindset?

First of all, your brain is hard-wired with preconceived ideas and opinions that were deeply ingrained into your consciousness early on in our life. These thought patterns and beliefs we carry around without being aware of it. Therefore, it takes time to make any changes in our mindset.

Final Thoughts

Your mindset matters. It impacts how you see the world and how you feel. Changing your mindset alters your perspective and helps you see your life differently. It takes discipline and intentional effort. However, the payoff of feeling your level best is well worth it.

How has Your Mindset Changed?

Let me know how things are going in your life. Let’s stay in touch. If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it with your family and friends. Most importantly, I’d love to hear about some of your most pressing issues. Let’s sort things out together.

Rachele, Founder

w: mybluegenes.com

e: rachele@mybluegenes.com