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Your mindset is made up of your thoughts, beliefs, assumptions, and interpretations. A positive mindset can help us achieve success, while a negative one can make us feel stuck or unable to reach our goals. One key to changing our mindset is to forget negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.
However, we aren’t always aware of our negative thoughts. And even if we are, we don’t always know how to banish them. We may be in a self-sabotaging cycle. Even successful people such as Oprah and Michael Jordan rely on some daily affirmations to change their mindset.
Below are five common mindsets that can hold you back and how to stop them.
Mindset #1: I Don’t Know What I Want
Ever feel like you are in an endless internal feedback loop that takes you nowhere? That’s kind of how it feels when you’re stuck on the “I don’t know what I want” wheel. You want to get off the wheel, but you just can’t. By not making a choice, you are giving up your power.
How to stop this mindset: It helps to know that you may make a mistake, and that’s okay. Making a decision is not only empowering, but it also gets you off the wheel.
Mindset #2: I Need to Feel Good All the Time
We’re so conditioned to think that there is something wrong if we don’t feel good all the time. That’s an impossible standard to live up to. There will be times when you feel sad, disappointed, or angry. These feelings are part of the richness of life.
How to stop this mindset: When you feel angry, sad, or disappointed, recognize that these are valid emotions. They may be appropriate at the time you feel them. Stay in the moment, acknowledge your feelings, and you’ll move through them more easily.
Mindset #3: Everything Is Going Wrong
How much time do you spend dwelling on things that are going wrong in your life? The longer you stay on the negative feedback loop, the longer you will be stuck in a negative cycle.
How to stop this mindset: Concentrate on what’s going right rather than what’s going wrong. Jot down ten things that are going right, even if they seem too small to be important. When a negative thought comes up, rather than dwelling on them, use your list to shift your mindset.
Mindset #4: Everyone Thinks You Are Better Than You Think You Are
Also known as imposter syndrome, this mindset can steal your joy. You feel like a fraud, but don’t want anyone to find out. Comparing your life to others is a waste of time, the time you could be used to create the experience you want.
How to stop this mindset: First, do a reality check. Acknowledge your accomplishments. Don’t compare your progress to others, no one has a perfect life, no matter what it seems like. Give up your old ideas of what success looks and feels like. Focus on your path, no one else’s, to create abundance in your life.
Mindset #5: Expecting a Quick Fix
When there is something in our life we want to change, we often wish for the change to be instantaneous. It probably took time to get where you are, so it will take time to change. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution. It just means it may take longer than you want it to.
How to change this mindset: Making lasting change takes both time and commitment. In the beginning, it may seem like it will take forever to achieve your goal. Often, change happens in small increments that you are not aware of as they happen. Track your progress and reward yourself as you achieve small goals along the way.
When you notice your thoughts and understand how they could be holding you back, you give yourself the power to change them. It takes practice, but creating a positive, solutions-focused mindset can help you make the changes you want in your life and yourself.
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