What do you think of when you hear the words, âIron Disciplineâ and âUnwavering Willpowerâ? Superheroes? Some guys at the gym? A trusted Mentor?
Such qualities of great strength, endurance and self control can often seem out of reach. It might seem as if itâs something others are able to achieve, but may be too hard to find for ourselves. If youâre looking outside of yourself, you may struggle to find what youâre looking for, because those qualities come from within.
Have you heard the notion that humans use only 10% of their brains? Itâs a common theory, but actually it isnât really true! The average human brain is full and actively engaged with all of its parts. However that doesnât mean itâs unable to do more!
By creatively adapting new pathways through skills, knowledge and experiences, you may find hidden potential you never knew existed. But how do you do that?
Confidence is much like the wind. It wields immense power and can sweep you away at a momentâs notice, yet it can fall flat in an instant. Its speed and ferocity change day by day and can alter the way you live your life in small and dramatic ways.
For instance, one day you may feel flat, only for a wave of confidence to wash through and propel you forward into a previously unanticipated state of being. Then thereâs the gentle breeze – a stable confidence that continually nudges you in the right direction.
Most people have regular routines and habits they do each day. And most of the time, we do them without thinking too much about it. Things like getting out of bed in the morning and having coffee, brushing our teeth, and getting dressed are common habits we do without a lot of preplanning.
Habits are established by consistently connecting neural pathways in our brains that create strong bonds. According to research at Oxford University, the average adult has 41% fewer neurons than the average newborn baby. So why arenât babies smarter than adults?
Do you ever wonder how you got where you are? Have you considered the circumstances and events that brought you to this point in your life?
In his book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Aron Ralston recounts the steps and choices he made that led him ultimately, to a life-threatening situation that changed his life. If anything had been different, it could have resulted in an entirely different outcome.
Picture yourself for a moment. Itâs 12:30 am on the 1st January. You and your friends are cooling off from the countdown and start thinking about the future. What goals do you have? Are they short or long-term? How achievable are they?
Itâs not just when setting New Yearâs Resolutions, either. We tend to focus on what the end goal looks like rather than the journey required to get there. Itâs all well and good picturing yourself in your new apartment or job, but not focusing enough on the small wins required to reach that stage could prove detrimental in the long run. After all, day-to-day life doesnât consist of big, life-changing actions. Itâs the âgrindâ – small, consistent actions that propel you towards bigger targets.
So, to keep those in mind, itâs worth remembering the difference between short-term and long-term gratification. Letâs say your goal is to get in shape for the summer. Itâs challenging to turn down a delicious takeaway, for example, because the long-term gratification gained from choosing the healthy option is too far into the distance to perceive and benefit from. Short-term gratification – the taste and ease that comes with a takeaway – is immediate and therefore more desirable for your present self.
What do successful people all have in common? Money? Fame? Fantastic lifestyles? Maybe! But one thing that really sets them apart from everybody else is failure. Thatâs right! Successful people embrace failure as a way to succeed.
It might seem counter-intuitive to think failure can aid in the path to success, but when you hear the reasons why successful people find failure to be helpful, you might start to rethink how you view failure in general.
Life is full of challenges. Not everything we attempt or wish for will materialize the way weâd hoped. But seeing failure and adversity as part of the process can help put things into perspective.
Business woman Arianna Huffington said,
âWe need to accept that we wonât always make the right decisions, that weâll screw up royally sometimes – – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, itâs part of success.â
Being resilient is not necessarily something youâre born with, but you CAN learn it. Even if you didnât have the environment or opportunity to build skills of resilience as a child, itâs not too late.
In the pantheon of self-improvement buzzwords, âempowermentâ feels among the boldest. To empower is to literally give power to yourself. It feels intimidating in its grandiosity – as if the act of personal empowerment requires a life-changing act (or something to remember, at least.) It may feel difficult, then, to actively push for a personally empowered life. However, misvaluing its importance in the grand self-improvement scheme of things is an error not worth committing. To personally empower yourself allows you to organically grow confidence as you can firmly say yes, I did choose myself today. Achievements become more likely when you instil empowering levels of confidence in your mindset.
How are things working for you? Is your life going the way you thought it would?
If youâre like most people, there are things that could be better. There are most likely some areas of your life that youâd like to change or improve upon.
So, if you want to make changes, how would you go about it? What could you do to implement new thoughts, feelings and experiences?
Well, if you want to change your life, one way to do it is to change the way you think. Here are five mindset shifts that may help you to do just that.
