Unlock Your Potential: How Changing Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life
For many people, your life is laid out for you from the day you’re born.
Does this narrative sound familiar to you?
Listen to adults
Do what you’re told
Work hard
Go to college
Start your career
Get married
Have kids
And that’s your life. Woo Hoo. You made it.
As a personal development copywriter, I’ve experienced my own path that’s brought me to realize that I had the power to change this narrative, without feeling shame.
But, it takes years to undo the patterns that have been engrained since birth.
As a child, I watched my older cousins go to college pursuing a art degrees or dance careers and my parent's disapproval was very clear to my brothers and me.
Do the adults in your life sound something like this:
They’re going to waste thousands of dollars and end up with no career.
They’ll have to move back in with their parents.
What a waste of time.
I knew I didn’t want to experience this shame.
I decided to follow the safe route and avoid the risk of embarrassment that I’d face if I tried to do anything that wasn’t a clear path to a safe career.
As a teenager, I used my 10 years of gymnastics experience to become a coach.
While coaching, I noticed my natural ability to serve as a positive role model and be the type of person that my younger self needed.
I knew being a gymnastics coach was not a safe, respectable career in the eyes of all the adults I’d ever known, so that was out.
This brought me to teaching.
During college, I felt great on my path to becoming an elementary school teacher.
Everyone talked about the teacher shortage and how it’s such a reliable career that our world would always need.
I soaked in all the comments from women who admired my path because when I have my own children, we would all be on the same schedule.
I skated through college with these accepting comments from others pushing me forward.
I never questioned if it was what I wanted because everyone else thought it was a great idea.
Make a Change, Even if You’ve Not Seen it Done Before
At some point in life, you’ll likely find yourself thrust into an intense journey to find yourself and connect with who you truly are.
Maybe you’ve been there.
Or maybe that time is now.
Luckily for me, I found myself completely consumed in this journey of self-discovery the summer after my first year of teaching.
I woke up and realized that I did not need to continue to live the lives of my family members who came before me.
Every generation had hoped for just a slightly better life for their children.
But no one in our lineage had ever blown everyone away with MASSIVE SUCCESS and UNLIMITED, OVERWHELMING JOY.
It never seemed possible because our family has never seen it up close.
By implementing new habits, I created new, more positive thoughts, helping me gain the confidence to change.
Implement These Practices and Watch Your Life Change For The Better
Before I was interested in personal development, I didn’t understand what it felt like to live a life of true joy.
I credit these personal development practices for so much of my joy today.
When your body, mind, and spirit are all taken care of, you’ll feel AMAZING which leads to massive growth.
Start Journaling
Journaling is a great tool to help you connect and understand yourself more clearly.
When you see your thoughts written down, it shines a blinding light on the way you talk to yourself.
Do you talk to yourself the way you’d talk to someone you love?
Or,
Are you critical, mean, doubtful, and negative?
I know I was.
Journaling helps you be more intentional with your thoughts and free your mind.
What feels good to you?
Writing about what you accomplished that day
Writing about people you love
Writing about your dream life
Writing about what you’re thankful for
If you’re not sure what to write, I’ve made a list of journal prompts to help you get started.
Check in with yourself before your journaling session and after.
You’ll notice a major shift right away.
Listen to Podcasts
If you struggle with negative self-talk, the best thing you can do is focus your mind on something positive, especially when you’re doing mindless tasks like cleaning, cooking, or getting ready.
You naturally take on the qualities of the people that you spend the most time with.
This is why it’s so important to choose who you’re listening to wisely.
Surrounding yourself with high performers, even through audio, will impact your thoughts and beliefs in ways that your future self will be so thankful for.
The Skinny Confidential is a lifestyle podcast that offers so much value.
You’ll learn:
Wellness tips so you can feel your best
Mental clarity tips so you can be more productive
Business strategy to elevate your career
From which products to swap out, how to create boundaries, or starting a business, this podcast offers it all when it comes to living your best life.
There are thousands of podcasts that offer unique value.
Find some that resonate with the type of person you want to be and let their teachings knock out your negative thoughts and replace them with positivity.
Start Reading
Reading is a habit that will create more peace and clarity in your life.
30 minutes in both your morning and evening routine is just the right medicine for your inner peace and mental health.
Reading inspiring success stories, or positive messages from thought leaders is a beautiful way to spend time with yourself while gaining perspective on how the teachings in the book resonate with you.
Books that will shift your mindset and allow you to step into the person you want to be are:
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham by Esther and Jerry Hicks
A Return to Love by Marianna Williamson
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
I recommend being in nature or cuddling somewhere comfy with your dog, turning on some frequency music, and diving into your book.
Get Daily Movement
Moving your body is essential for mental health.¹
It helps you:
Relieve stress
Connect to your body
Move through emotions
People don’t often talk about the importance of understanding your relationship with exercise.
If you are not using exercise as a tool to improve mental health and to feel good, the stress will actually make it more difficult to achieve your desired body.
If you see exercise as punishment and a vessel to take out hate on your body, pause…
You do not need to kill yourself in the gym to get the body you want.
During my personal development journey, I realized it was time to cancel all the gym memberships, stop going out on 5 am runs, and begin to love my body.
Yoga and nature walks are loving ways to move your body while improving your mental and physical well-being.
Yoga forces you to focus on your breath while moving your body in ways that feel good.
Visualizing your breath moving through your body with each pose is so healing if you’ve struggled to find compassion for your body in the past.
Walking in nature is a beautiful way to find peace and practice gratitude while moving.
On your walk, notice the beauty around you, breathe in the fresh air, and begin to realize that whatever is going on in your day before, isn’t as big as it seemed.
Find peace with your go-to movement practice and continue to ask yourself, Does this feel good for me?
Putting your needs first and honoring those needs is huge progress on your personal development journey.
Show Up as the You You’re Proud to Be
Today, the joy that I radiate is noticeable to people around me.
It wasn’t until I found these practices that I began loving myself, which opened me up to believe that I can achieve more.
Through this journey, I gained the confidence to step outside my comfort zone, change my career, and completely change my life.
I know you can do it too.
While you’re on your path to living the life you want, loved ones may not understand.
But by focusing on what makes you feel best, naysayers don’t have an impact on you, even when it’s coming from people you love.
If you don’t have someone close to you who has lived the type of life you want, find your virtual community to surround yourself with the ideas and thoughts that feel right to you.
Listening to other people’s stories inspires you to find the practices that make you feel best and grow into the person you want to be.
Hearing people’s experiences succeeding in the type of life you want, opens you up to realize that YOU can do it too.
If you have a success story yourself, please share it and inspire the world.
When I look at my life now, I’m already living a life beyond what my younger self believed was possible.
Every single day is a step forward into an even more successful and happier version of yourself.
Make a change now starting with journaling. Click here for a guide to support you.
¹Mental health is... moving your body. Health & Wellness Services. (2022, August 25). Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://www.colorado.edu/health/2021/02/11/mental-health-moving-your-body You may also like…
