25 Simple Mindset Shifts That Will Change Your Life: Part 2 of 2

This is the second part of a 2 part post. If you haven't read 1-12 yet, you can do that by clicking here.

13. Replacing Constant Doing with Intentional Being

Raise your hand is you’ve ever worn busy like a badge of honor (insert hand raising emoji here)!  Maybe you’re still doing it. I was the queen of busy-ness. Constantly busy. Constantly doing. Saying things like, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” and “There’s not enough hours in the day.” I believed that my mind always had to be going, I always had to be thinking, I always needed to be stimulated. There was always a TV on in the background. There was nary a 2 minute meditation in sight, least bit a 5, 10, 15, 30 minute one. Naps? Neverrrrrr! I was too busy!! If there is anything you take away from this, let it be the importance of BE-ing. Stillness. Meditation. Silence. Self love. Self care. A change of pace. The shift from “not enough hours in the day” to “time is my greatest asset” has been one of the most powerful and liberating of them all in my own life. While it didn’t happen overnight, it was possible through intention and practice and the willingness to step away from the constant DO-ing to embrace the importance of simply BE-ing.

14. Replacing “hustle and grind” with: “align and flow”

I grew up on the hustle and grind mentality. I was proud to call myself a hustler, because in my mind, that meant I was a hard worker, and for most of my life, I believed that was the only way to get anywhere in life—by hustling and grinding myself into a state of stress, no sleep, no social life, poor health (physical, mental, emotional), unhealthy relationships. I can tell you I was a workaholic. Everything was suffering. There was so much forcing, so much resistance, so much hassle and headache and stress. It wasn’t until I woke up to another way—the align and flow way—that my life began to take tremendous shifts towards more peace of mind, more calm, more joy, more time and economic freedom, improved health and sleep, healthy relationships, greater productivity, creativity, clarity, and fulfillment. Today, I’ve got systems and strategies in place. I’ve got tools and tactics to maximize my time and efforts, and there’s an emphasis on life and business alignment in all I do. I’m still a hard worker, but these days it’s in a much more healthy and sustainable way. The align and flow mindset has helped created a lifestyle that is rich in wealth, time, joy and peace. 

15. Replacing Lack Mindset with Abundance Mindset

So, what’s the difference between a lack mindset and an abundance mindset anyway?! Imagine your favorite band just released a new album and you have 10 CDs. If you give your neighbor 5, you will only have 5 left. And if you give your brother 4, you will only have one left. If you give your friend one, you will have none left. If anyone else wants one, you have none to give. In fact, now you don’t even have one for yourself. Bummer, right? Now consider the same album as an MP3. If 10 people download it, there are 10 downloads. If 100 people download it, there are now 100 downloads. A million people download it…a million downloads of their new album! The more people who want and download it, the BIGGER the number becomes, the MORE of it there is in the world. It is continually growing. This example illustrates the difference between a lack and an abundance mindset; it’s like CDs vs. MP3s. With a lack mindset (CDs), we believe there is a finite amount of something, like resources (jobs, money, housing, food, etc.—once it runs out, they’ll be nothing left for me) or people (that relationship didn’t work out so now I’ll be single forever), for example. It’s a limited way of thinking. An abundance mindset (MP3s), on the other hand, realizes there are infinite possibilities and always enough for everyone. As with love, the more we give, the more of it there is.

16. Replacing, “Be a problem solver” with: “Be a solution seeker”

I remember thinking how great it was to be a problem solver. I would even encourage my children to be problem solvers. Then I became aware that when we are being problem solvers, we are focusing on the problem. And since we know that what we focus on grows and multiplies because energy flows where attention goes, then it’s simple to see how making the change to being a solution seeker shifts the focus from the problem onto the solution. 

17. I deserve to live and work in a clean/tidy environment. 

This one right here! It’s a mantra. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a choice. I deserve it, my family deserves it, and SO DO YOU. The benefits of cleanliness, tidiness, and clutter free spaces are energetically unparalleled. You will feel (the benefits) in every aspect of your being, in every corner of your soul. Our interior and exterior living spaces hold energy. Our workspaces hold energy. Areas that have been neglected (dust, dirt, grime, buildup, in need of maintenance and/or repair, etc.) or become a catchall (papers, clothes, knickknacks, clutter, etc.) hold a different energy than those areas we tend to mindfully and intentionally. A stagnant, blocked energy. Low vibrational. You may be well aware of which areas could use some TLC, yet there’s a possibility that you’ve become blind to them. Here’s a powerful exercise I invite you to do. 

Begin walking around your home with your camera (you can do this with your vehicle and your workspace, too). Room by room, take a photo of the space as it is in the moment. No staging, cleaning, etc. Don’t view the photos as you go; instead, just continue walking around each room taking pictures. Open drawers and take photos inside. Open cabinets and take photos inside. Open your fridge and take photos inside. Open closets and take photos inside. Walk around the outside and take photos of the landscaping, the walls, the ground, the surrounding areas. Once you have taken all the photos, you will dedicate a time to sit down and look through your photos with a beginner’s mind. This means without judgement, and without glossing over what you see. Imagine you are a guest entering your home for the first time. What do you notice? What catches your attention (that beautiful artwork hanging or the week-old stack of papers and collection of empty cups on the table, the gorgeous tile surrounding your tub or the 15 bottles of bath products lined up around the rim, the sleek look of your kitchen remodel or the sink overflowing with dishes, the lovely shrubs in bloom or the dense layer of weeds taking over the bed, the quaint backyard seating area you built 4 years ago or the green algae that’s covering all the surfaces around it, an organized collection of your clothes and shoes or a total hurricane behind closed doors, those AAA batteries nicely sorted beside your resident scissors and ink pen or the most random assortment of odds, ends, keys, pens that don’t work, and other junk all mindlessly thrown into one drawer?). Sometimes, we become so used to living with the mess/clutter/neglect that we become desensitized to it. We don’t even notice it anymore, or maybe we have trained ourselves to ignore it. But if you find yourself noticing the areas where you have room for improvement, consider how addressing these spots (one at a time) will change the energy of the space, in turn creating a shift in your energy. If you notice it in the photos, imagine how this is weighing on your subconscious mind every time you’re in/looking at the space. Sometimes, you may even be conscious of it. Either way, every time you’re staring it in the face, it’s having an impact on the way you think and feel. This exercise is a huge eye opener when it is approached without judgement; this is intended for personal development as a tool for growth. Another way to think about it is to imagine your home is an AirBnB you rented. As you look through the photos, how would you feel about your experience staying at this place. Does it feel clean and inviting?

18. Replacing, “Shame on me” with: “Shame off me”

Shame is defined an unpleasant self-conscious emotion typically associated with a negative evaluation of self; a feeling of embarrassment or humiliation that arises in relation to the perception of having done something dishonorable, immoral, or improper. Perhaps you’ve heard things throughout your life like, “Shame on you” or, “You should be ashamed of yourself.” Or maybe you didn’t hear these things but were made to feel a sense of shame by the way your were looked at, judged, treated, talked about, etc. Have you considered that the things you’ve been shamed for or felt shame for could be as a result of the beliefs of others? For example, your religious relative telling you that you should be ashamed of yourself for not going to church (when you’ve chosen another spiritual path), someone saying shame on you for having a child out of wedlock (when you’re in a healthy and happy relationship with your partner), someone shaming you for what you wear (when they’ve been dealing with body issues and low self-esteem their whole lives). Saying shame off me is like forgiving yourself. It’s forgiving others. It’s like releasing layers and layers of conditioned thinking, subconscious programming, and dense energy. It’s like claiming your life as your own and stepping into your power as a conscious creator of your reality. 

19. Replacing, “This is how I was raised” with: “This is the person I’m choosing to become”

This one really is about being your best, most authentic self. It’s about breaking/rethinking generational cycles, conditioned thinking, indoctrination, limiting beliefs, subconscious programming, habits and processes. Just because generations before you were racist, religious, screamed at/spanked their children, had a lack mentality, hoarded, had toxic relationships, lied, cheated, gossiped, didn’t prioritize their health, were homophobic, believed gender defined roles, overworked, complained about everything, were small-minded, were obsessive, had certain political beliefs, were poor, were lazy, were loud, were quiet, were fighters, lacked good hygiene, etc. doesn’t mean you automatically must follow suite. You have the power and ability to blaze your own trail. It is up to you to intentionally design and create the kind of life you want to live. To become the kind of person you want to become. You can repeat generational cycles on autopilot, or you can stand up and confidently say, “The cycle stops here.” When is the last time you evaluated your beliefs? Questioned and challenged them? Are they even your beliefs at all? You have a choice. Be you.

20. Replacing, “You have to work hard for money” with: “Your money works hard for you”

This is the difference between living off earned income and investing earned income into your asset column and living off your passive income. You do not have to trade time for money. Money is not hard to make. Money is not evil. If some of your limiting beliefs are that you do and it is, I encourage you to invest in yourself by investing time and energy to increasing your financial literacy. Read books, listen to podcasts, take courses, hire coaches. Surround yourself with people who have multiple streams of passive income and ask them questions. They are hard workers, yes, but they do not work for the money they spend. They work for the money they invest into building their assets, in turn creating wealth. ‘Wealth’ meaning their assets generate enough passive income to sustain their lifestyle, even if they’re not working. 

21. Replacing, “I can’t afford that” with: “How can I afford that?”

22. Replacing, “We inherited this Earth from our ancestors” with: “We are borrowing this Earth from our children”

My love for Mama Earth is deep and true. It’s important that we honor and respect our planet and make conscious and mindful choices that will ensure it is alive and healthy, thriving and abundant for generations to come. The choices we make today are directly impacting the quality of our children’s and grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s and great-great-grandchildren’s futures. Educate yourself on how to live more sustainably. Be a conscious consumer. Reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle. 

23. Replacing Pharmaceuticals with Holistic Health

I wrote an entire blog post on this, which you can read here.

24. Replacing, “What is meditation?” with Daily Meditation

I wrote an entire blog post on this, too, which you can read here. And I’ve created a collection of guided meditations you can access for free by clicking here.

25. Replacing, “I know that already” with a Beginner’s Mind

A “beginner’s mind” is a concept in Zen Buddhism that refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner would. When you are a true beginner, your mind is open. No matter how knowledgeable, how skilled, how advanced, how practiced, how familiar, you recognize that there is always something new to see, new to learn. I was once attending a guided meditation where the monk shared a story on Beginner’s Mind:

Once, a professor went to a Zen Master. He asked him to explain the meaning of Zen. The master quietly poured a cup of tea. The cup was full, but he continued to pour. The professor could not stand this any longer, so he questioned the Master impatiently, “Why do you keep pouring when the cup is full?” “I want to point out to you,” the Master said, “that you are similarly attempting to understand Zen while your mind is full. First, empty your mind of preconceptions before you attempt to understand Zen. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind, there are few.”