Mindset: The First Step

           Many people believe that they would love to change their life. They think about all of the things they would love to do some day. Perhaps there is a goal in mind or a course of action. It surprises me how often people really do believe that this is the first step. I have been to a number of marketing presentations for various businesses and this is something that is almost always pushed on the crowd. “You have to have a big dream, you have to establish your reason, and it has to be big and powerful.” I really don’t disagree with this; I simply understand that most of the time it is being discussed at the wrong time. The reason they like to talk about this part of your big life change is that it is a whole lot more exciting then what I am going to talk to you about.

            The difference between me and many of these people is that my information is not a hook for my product… my information, delivery, and its effectiveness is my product. If my product doesn’t work then I have not only wasted your time I have wasted mine. The fact is; you can change your mindset and you will be able to change your mindset if you listen to a few of the ideas that I am going to present to you as we proceed.

            The very first step in changing any portion of your life is to discover what your mindset actually is. For a moment stop thinking about what you would like to be doing and how you would like to adjust your thinking but begin to focus on what you have been thinking and what you are thinking about right now. Take some time to examine the behaviors that you would normally not even think about because they will inevitably have an effect on what you are trying to accomplish. Take time to examine the reasons why you are doing the things you are doing now. Is it because a particular person convinced you that was the right thing to do? Is it because you have become comfortable and complacent with the behaviors you have? Are you lazy and try to do only what is needed to get by? I think that is a big one for most of us but only you have the answers when it comes to what you are doing and why.

            The reason for this focus is to discover what your goals actually are right now. Many people actually believe that they are trying to accomplish some goal or another but when you ask them how close they are they will give you excuses. If you look a little closer you will often find that the behavior does not line up with the goal. So by examining the current behavior we are revealing the actually goals. For example; consider someone who is 100lbs overweight. Perhaps they have a realistic goal to lose 50lbs in the course of the next year. This is not an impossible task but it will take work. If they have not lost any weight after 6 months then they are probably doing something wrong. I am no doctor of nutrition but I am betting that their behavior of snarfing down 3 greasy burgers and a super sized bucket of fries plus a milkshake every night is probably not helping them lose the weight they say they want to.

            I exaggerate for good reason; I want you to understand that your behavior actually reveals your true goals. In the above scenario the true goal (no matter what some part of them tells themselves or the world) is to enjoy greasy foods to their hearts content. The truth is that their mind is not their enemy here; their mind knows what their actual goals are (to enjoy greasy foods) and so their mind works on bringing all of the necessary things into their life to accomplish this goal; of eating greasy foods to their hearts content. It does not matter that they had a thought about losing weight… you see things try to take us away from our “Big Goals” all the time. This person’s mind will not be manipulated into believing they want something that they obviously do not want to put the work in to achieve.

            The first steps to change are being honest with yourself… it is really difficult for most of us to do this; but simply admit that you have wanted exactly what you have been getting out of life. When you do this you’re laying down the weapons that you have tried to use against your mind; you are saying in effect that your mind has been right all along, you have wanted things to be the way they are. The first step includes this diametric shift that is about to take place… listen to our friend now, “Yes… I have wanted to eat greasy foods to my heart’s content but that is going to change.” Now you are ready to work on your Mindset.