"Things work best for people who make the most of the way things develop." ~ John Wooden
Aside from the fact that I always wanted to celebrate the fact that I will be forty on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, I had another special birthday dream: to run an international marathon.
My flight and hotel were booked and I wanted to go to Cyprus with some friends to run Limassol.
That was the plan.
And this plan, along with the plans of my eight billion fellow human beings, was suddenly concluded with the whole world – literally in a few minutes.
It seemed almost impossible to understand that an entire planet had come to a complete standstill, but the past five months have disrupted any experienced or perceived form of normality or control over our plans that we had accepted and believed.
Everything I wanted to do was canceled: my trip to Cyprus, visits abroad to see my parents and family, my daughter's birthday party, Passover Seder with the whole family, school, all our social and extracurricular activities, my key note speaking engagements and leadership training for teams; Attending a funeral or mourning with grieving friends was not allowed.
We have never before experienced the emotional and mental turbulence with which we have been confronted in the last few months. And amid all of these cancellations, the lockdown and emotional, health, and financial threats reminded me that we are always in control of our mindset and the decisions we make to develop and strengthen our ability to choose our perspective and change Our narration and practice emotional agility.
As someone who is deeply absorbed in personal development and mastery of the mindset, I also know that there are very practical and tangible ways to make this time a little easier and more positive.
As a result of going back to basics, I've used the last five months to spend time with loved ones, appreciate the break and rest, complete two new exercise programs, and make progress on a number of professional goals I should have couldn't do it if I'd focused on the negatives.
Trust me, anyone can go back to the basics. It's about setting an intention and sticking to it with consistency and discipline every day. And even if you only work on one of these points, your way of thinking changes significantly.
A – Affirmations
Choose and repeat short, powerful "I am" or "I can" messages each day. For example: I am brave. I can handle what comes my way. It is not enough just to say your affirmations, you have to close your eyes and feel and embody them. When approached this way, affirmations have the profound effect of changing your state of mind. The more you repeat it, the more you start to internalize it.
B – Beliefs
Make sure that your beliefs are helpful. The thoughts you have about what is possible for you and your life determine your feelings and achievements. Make sure that your beliefs move you forward and keep you moving. We never go against a belief, so it is up to us to make sure that our belief drives us to what we really want to be, do, and have. The best news is that we can change our beliefs.
C – Clarity
Clarity and motivation are very closely related. When we know clearly and precisely what we want, who we want to be and what we want to do and have, this clarity drives our motivation. Vague desires lead to vague results. Clear goals lead to clear results. State exactly what you are asking for and what goals you are working on. Nobody is driven by ambiguity.
D – dream big
The rule for a dreamer's mindset is: "Anything is possible!" Give yourself permission to imagine what you would like to achieve, how you would love it if your shapely result looks and feels this way. Get out of the way and leave the practicals for later. First you have to dream.
When we dream, we can separate the mindset of our dreamer from our "realistic" mindset, which holds us in the strategy and often cloud us of what could go wrong and why it doesn't work. The dreamer's mindset gives us permission to see beyond the here and now and create the future we deeply desire.
E – Exercise
Our way of thinking lives from good hormones. Dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, and estrogen are all affected by exercise. These hormones reduce stress, aid sleep, cause aging, and help with menopause.
Exercise is a crucial part of a fantastic morning ritual. Nobody regrets a workout and your body, mind and soul will thank you too! The natural endorphin high makes us feel good, and when we feel good, our attitudes, outlook and behavior improve for the better.
F – focus
Whatever we focus, grows. Focus on your strengths, on what you enjoy and appreciate and what you want to create for yourself and others. There will always be distractions and temptations to throw us off the path. Let us make a concerted effort to focus on what matters most. We can always choose what to focus on.
G – growth mentality
People with a fixed mindset believe that qualities are innate, fixed and immutable. Those with a growth philosophy, on the other hand, believe that these skills can be developed and strengthened through commitment and hard work. A growth philosophy plays a vital role in overcoming life's challenges.
H – happiness
The happiest people I know have an attitude towards appreciation, gratitude and gratitude. They live in the present moment and are actively looking for the positive. They see opportunities in adversity and lessons in difficult challenges. Happiness is never a goal mindset. It's about being where you are and enjoying the moment.
I – Integrity
People with great mindsets live with integrity in accordance with their core values. They “go their why” with authenticity and use their values as a guide to make decisions.
J – Jump to Conclusions
One way to train our brain to fight cognitive biases is to become aware when we come to conclusions about ourselves, others and events. A healthy mindset enables us to remember that our "mental map" is not the real terrain and that we are looking at the world through a subjective lens. Our brain erases, distorts, and generalizes information. Our job is to put things into perspective, to question our assumptions and to unlearn unhelpful thoughts.
K – quality
A friendly attitude reminds us to practice self-compassion and empathy for ourselves and others. Life is tough and kindness allows us to take risks, try again when we fall, and grow from our mistakes. It also reminds us that we don't have to accomplish things ourselves and that collective leadership is important. Everything in life is interrelated, and kindness reinforces how we influence one another and how our common purpose and responsibility for a greater good bind us together.
L – learning
A strange way of thinking enables us to ask powerful questions. The greatest asset a person can have in a disruptive, uncertain, and complex world is the ability to unlearn and learn. Which of your assumptions need to be challenged? Do you question your limits and emerge in the world with a healthy curiosity and openness to see things with new eyes? Do you show yourself to be an expert or a life student?
M – Meditation
Meditation is the most wonderful gift to rewire our nerve pathways and to live with greater mindfulness, calm and balance. There are so many ways to incorporate meditation into your life using simple techniques and apps. In mindfulness practice, we learn to return to the present moment and stay in it – to anchor ourselves in the here and now on purpose and without judgment.
N – New
Scientists have discovered that novelties invigorate our brain's reward system and stimulate our sense of adventure – exploring or learning something new. Our brains are drawn to novelty. And it turns out that it could actually improve our memory and learning ability.
In our middle of the brain there is a region called the substantia nigra / ventral segment area. This is essentially the most important “novelty center” of the brain, which reacts to novel stimuli. This is closely related to areas of the brain called the hippocampus and amygdala, which both play huge roles in learning and memory.
O – optimism
Optimism is the ability to see the glass half full rather than half empty. This outlook enables trust and hope. It creates the emotional space that will help you stay positive in the face of adversity, find creative solutions, and overcome obstacles on the way to achieving your goals.
P – perfect
Actually there is no such thing! Life is chaotic and tough, and nothing (and nobody) is perfect. The moment we realize this, we can move forward and make progress without “perfection” holding us back, holding us back and limiting us.
As soon as we drop the need for "perfect", we drop the cheat syndrome, which says that we are not good enough, and stop comparing ourselves to others. When we have the courage to embrace imperfection, we stop hesitating and bring our creations into the world, even if they don't seem perfect enough. We move away from the “waiting place” and begin to live fully.
Q – Quiet
Spending time alone in silence is a wonderful way to calm the psychological noise that we endure on a daily basis. It's harder than it seems. Our lives are full of stress and the noise in our heads has many causes: fears, doubts, excuses, opinions and expectations of other people – so much pressure.
Quiet time is exactly what we need to relax, rejuvenate, replenish and take care of ourselves. Self-care is not a luxury. A healthy mindset requires a quiet break. Sometimes the best use of your time is to do absolutely nothing.
R – reflection
True transformation and growth is about action and reflection. We don't want to live off the autopilot, we just want to do what we've always done. We want to consciously pause and think about what works, what we want to adapt and change, and what we want to continue to do. When we make reflection part of our thinking development, we value pause and improvement and are determined to do better.
S – Scribing
Journaling is the most magical way to bypass knowledge and get into your subconscious. When we write, we can use our deepest thoughts and feelings and become aware of valuable insights that can fuel our success.
Journaling helps us understand ourselves and gives us a safe space to clear our minds and connect with our feelings. Emotional intelligence always starts with self-confidence. Journaling helps us solve problems, solve complex problems, and understand things that get tangled up in our minds. Journaling provides a private space for self-talk and opens doors to discover limiting beliefs and warm desires.
T – time management
A healthy mindset is a mindset that takes priorities into account. Do you take time for what is most important to you? Do you get your highest value activities first thing in the morning? How do you prepare for success? When we manage our time and realize that time is the only resource we can never regenerate, we live with purposeful intentions and are less fearful. In fact, time management is much more about freedom than getting more things done.
U – Unique
What makes you special? There is only one you! You have an exclusive combination of talents, gifts, and traits that no one else has, and your goal is to unpack them and share them with the world. There is only one you. This is your superpower.
V – Visualize
The most successful people know what they want and they imagine how they are already living this life. When you can see in your head what you want to achieve, you can start creating it.
Many people are not aware of how powerful visualization can be. The trick is to always visualize what you want as if you already have it. It is so important to recruit all of your senses so that you experience the high resolution details of your vision. This creates a powerful mental test so that you can familiarize yourself and familiarize yourself with what you want to achieve and who you ultimately become. You get to know your future self!
W-Winning
A healthy mindset begins when we create our own definition of success and stop comparing ourselves to everyone else. It is important to focus on winning (i.e., living your own ideal life), not winners (other people who you think will do better than you), and feeding your mind positive thoughts about them , which is possible.
X: expectation
Manage your expectations to put yourself in a better mental state. Failure can put a massive strain on your emotions. What is important is your attitude before and after the disappointment.
Disappointment sometimes comes from the discrepancy between reality and expectation. If you are disappointed, ask yourself: what were my expectations of these circumstances? What expectations did I have of myself? What do I expect from others and circumstances beyond my control?
Y – Yes !!!!
Say yes to opportunities that challenge you. Leave your comfort zone. Say yes to new experiences, say yes to challenges that will propel you forward, say yes to investing in yourself and your dreams, say yes to making a difference to others, say yes to being as helpful as possible, to empower others. To win, say yes, love yourself and give yourself permission to try.
Z – Zest
Zest for life will change the way you deal with difficult times, failures or roadblocks. It's a mental shift that opens up belief, excitement, opportunity, new horizons of success, and a much deeper level of satisfaction. Change is difficult, but joie de vivre will help you deal more effectively, rotate and adapt, and most importantly, it gives us the breadth to truly appreciate the magic and wonder that life has to offer.
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Everyone I speak to is experiencing a sense of sadness, insecurity, frustration, exhaustion and concern right now. I know that going back to basics doesn't magically resolve the real difficulties and mix of emotions we all experience. But they really help us feel better.
And if we cultivate courage, resilience, hope, optimism, faith and gratitude, we can work much better with what we have, learn through and from difficult times and find strengths that we never knew we would and do our best and make the most of our challenges.
Challenges change us.
Let us use this challenge to change ourselves for the better and to move ourselves to become the best directors of our lives and our decisions.
About Andi Saitowitz
Andi is a professional life coach, global personal development strategist and lumina practitioner, published author, motivational speaker, blessed mother of three great kids, and lover of books, coffee, kindness, and exercise . In her free time, she is involved in charity and the community. Andi's coaching practice includes techniques and tools from the fields of behavioral research, organizational communication, psychology, mindfulness and NLP. andisaitowitz.com
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