MINDSET: THE ART OF SETTING THE MIND

Webster’s II New College Dictionary defines mindset as: A mental disposition or attitude that predetermines one’s responses to and interpretations of situations. Everyone chooses their own attitude; negative attitudes bring about negative responses to and negative interpretations of situations, the converse can be said about positive attitudes. So if one wants positive outcomes one must choose positive attitudes. It’s all in the mind.

Our ultimate desire is to feel happy whether we realize it or not. No one ever born ever had a desire to feel bad or unhappy. We all want to feel good but do we always choose the attitude that brings about that end? So then, it makes sense that, whatsoever it is in life we want to achieve, we begin with the end in mind. That end is to feel good. We have to set our mind to feel good, but how do we do that? Take to heart this famous quote; “Whatever you desire is in your head, just think about it and feel it.” Paul Martin.

Dr. Joe Vitale, author of The Attractor Factor and The Key has given some tips as to how we can set up our minds.
1. Know what you don’t want.
2. Know what you do want.
3. Get clear about what you want. Make it your intention.
4. Feel your intention already achieved. Get into an attitude of gratitude, giving thanks. Have real faith.
5. Let go… that is, don’t think about how you will achieve.

On one sheet of paper write down all that you don’t want in your life, all the negatives that are there now. Feel the emotions associated with the situation(s). Feel the bad feelings, because you want to get rid of them once and for all. The more you allow yourself to feel them, the more you release them.
Put that sheet aside and take another sheet of paper and write how you want that situation to be. Feel the joy of achievement as you write just as you felt the bad feelings so you could release them. Now experience the positive emotions, create a new picture to deposit into your mind. The more you immerse yourself in this new image and feelings, the faster you will manifest them. It all starts in the mind.

Now look at what you wrote on the 1st sheet and then tear it to bits and trash it, getting rid of those negative emotions. Take sheet 2 fold it up and carry it around with you for a week, deposit the contents into your subconscious, feeling good, giving thanks.

After trashing those bad feelings, you still have to do something to achieve your dreams. You want to take Inspired Action…any action taken based on a gut feeling or intuition. Have you ever felt an urge to go talk to a stranger or go to the corner store? Inspired action takes you closer to achieving your dream. Recognize the signals.

Place good images in your mind and you will have good feeling thoughts. Look around at people and things, there is something to appreciate. Once you start to
appreciate people and things around you, you will be happy, you will feel good.

Remember, our ultimate goal is to feel good. So we begin with the end in mind.

Potential Desires

Do your desires have potential? Or does your potential carry with it, desires? A tremendous number of people have great potentials which are for the most part, unfulfilled. They merely exist in jobs and professions that stunt them rather than enhance their growth. Quite a few actually don’t like what they are doing for a living but there is some sense of security; a misplaced comfort. We sometimes trap ourselves in situations we are familiar with but don’t like, rather than explore something new that we don’t know but may fall in love with. Will I step out of the old box and dare to reach for the sky? I am afraid of heights so I won’t go to the 50th floor. I believe that the knowledge, skills and drive within us are the qualities that make us great and we can exponentially multiply these qualities by investing time, effort and money in ourselves. What better investment can we make than in ourselves? If you believe that there is nothing better that investing in yourself, shouldn’t you commit to practicing this as often as possible? I think it was Benjamin Franklyn who said “Empty the coins in your purse into your mind and no one can take it from you.” Another version ends a little differently, “Empty the coins in your purse into your mind and your mind will fill your purse with gold.” My thought is that some of us accept and accommodate our own poverty (guilty as charged), but change of mindset can encourage us to exert more effort in investing more into ourselves so that we get ahead and get more. It is time for change; yes we can, because change is constant. I ask people what it is that they really want and they begin their answer by stating what they don’t want. You should stop thinking about what you don’t want because that is what you will get. Focus on what it is you do want and that is what you will get. Change your mind, invest in it and you shall see your life improve beyond your wildest dreams.

Creating Our Own Futures

In today’s society we see firms failing, bank bailouts, housing busted bubble and a mortgage meltdown. In many communities across the U.S. there is an extermination of employment and a crushing of credit, so now, more than ever, people are fearful for their futures.

How do we combat these negatives? How do we save ourselves from drowning in this tempestuous sea of disaster? And how do we find safe ground? When will we be able to awaken from this nightmare and start to dream the American Dream again? These are serious questions being asked all across the states by single mothers, jobless fathers, retirees and veterans.

Many people are going back to school, retooling themselves to become more marketable within different industries and sectors of the society. Others are turning to home businesses, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. A lot of people are being forced to re-locate their families. All are seeking a better life, a way out or a bailout, more opportunities (dwindling they are).

The old adage “the harder you work the more you succeed” just doesn’t hold true in these times, does it? The new adage “work smarter not harder” may hold some truth for us now. More millionaires were made after the 20^th century depression; will that be the case after this 21^st century recession?

How many of us can spot a good opportunity if it slapped us in the face? Many of us sit waiting for an opportunity to come along and we were still not prepared when it finally came along. Let us no longer sit and wait for opportunities, let us begin to create our own for our futures.