Keeping your mind during times of change

With each step, leap and jump you take on your journey of change and growth, you’ll experience a mindset shift. Some will build your momentum and increase your confidence. Others will rock your certainty, create doubts and confusion in your mind.

I’ve done some serious pondering at the end of 2015 review. Life, work, relationships, wealth and health all changed for me and my closest people. Some stood tall and kept moving. Others stopped, licked their wounds and needed time out. Some switched directions. Some surprised us all! Stepping back has given me the chance to look at where their thinking, mindset and approach was and see what we can learn to keep our minds during times of change.

1. Nothing is permanent – if you want it to be. Things can and will pass. Nothing has to stay forever; everything can evolve and change. And boy, that makes our journeys uniquely special and exciting.
2. Know your desired outcomes and have a plan. Progress and success will always be subjective, but can only be defined by YOUR intentions – not others and their sticky beaks.
3. Hold tight to your hopes and aspirations, but not so tight you suffocate them. Learn to be comfortable to shift and adapt them, as your become a better traveller on your path.
4. Keep your opinions yours and be willing to really explore different ones. They may enhance or redefine yours for the better
5. Down days are not lost days. Sometimes, it’s good for us to stop still and just be for a while, take stock and refresh our strengths. These help fuel your productive “in the flow” days. So enjoy them.
6. Don’t measure the size of the step or action you’re taking. Just do it. Movement equals goal getting, not becoming a hero.
7. Line up the right people around you. If you need an expert, get one. If you need a role model, find them. If you need a “kick me up the ar*e please” person, get one. You do not need Negative Nelly or Compare Claire. Only those who bring out your greatness need apply.
8. Accept plans are not intended to survive the battle and you’ll sleep easier. Heck, just like the weather changes are out of your control, so will some elements of your plan. Roll with it, not under it.
9. When something keeps popping up time and time again – physically or mentally – pay it attention. There could be a warning or a some brilliant spark of magic in it. Be willing to hear and see it.
10. Put setbacks in the past, where they happened. You can’t change what was, only what is. Carrying them around just weighs you and those around you down.
11. A smile always helps. No matter what. Crack one on your face. Not only will others follow your lead, it will fill your bodies and brains with the happy hormones and you’ll all feel more upbeat.
12. Gripped by fear? Breath deep and dive in. Your maximum growth, potential and strength of character is revealed in those moments. Embrace your zone of discomfort and all it offers you as learning.
13. Investing in your future may not require cash. It might be 10 minutes daily meditation, a stroll in the park, a drink with a friend. It might be using a skill swap or a generous gift horse. The return will always be more than any cash value.
14. Don’t compromise to please others. Do it only if it moves you forward. A job in the team and organisation you want with the potential to move up is better than a job elsewhere in a different team and firm. A relationship that’s takes more than it gives, keeps you from the one, who will set you truly glowing.
15. Admit you were wrong. Think deeply on it, share your understanding of the impacts your actions had and apologise. A genuine sorry with the intention to resolve a situation means you create the opportunity to move forward in harmony.
16. Hard work pays off. It lays the ground for success. It paves the way for progress. It builds a resilience in you to navigate the rollercoaster turns and twists. Put the hours in.
17. You’ll go farther if you don’t go alone. Asking for help and support is a sign of self-awareness and inner strength. It will propel you on in ways you couldn’t have found alone.
18. Seek out the grain of truth in negative comments and criticisms. Ask yourself how can they improve your approach, style or behaviours; do not use them to question your purpose or being.
19. The only person’s need for justification you need to satisfy is your own. Do the work. Fix your direction. You don’t need to explain yourself or your choices to others. Know your mind, but don’t force it upon others.
20. At the end of the day, believe in yourself and others will too. It will be ok.

I hope these 20 refocusing reflections of my 2015 help you keep your mind in times of change. These are not rules to live by, or guidance to achieve your goals. More something to refer to when you find your mind is out of sync with what you need. What you’re feeling and seeing right now is just a snapshot in time. Tomorrow the photo and your outlook will be different, and the next day, and the next…..

Keep treading your own path to your vision of success and know you will make it.

I’d be keen to know your reflections on what you use to keep your heads? Do you have a quote to bring you peace, a favourite tool to clarify your thinking or perhaps a way to lift your soul? Add to my list below.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin