Change Your Life in 2019 - Week 2

Mindset Determines Reality 

 [not the other way around]

If you’re like me, you’re trying desperately to hold life together during this season. Between family, work, friends, and day-to-day chaos of life, I find myself caught up in the stress of it all. Most of my clients find themselves in a similar boat. However, I also meet people every day who find themselves on the other end of the spectrum. When they are honest the discover they are bored and disengaged.

Recently, I had a revelation: Whether we find ourselves in the middle of chaos or in the middle of the “blind grind” we are the victims of the same mindset: “I just want to get by.” This mindset is crippling. We weren’t designed to just get by. We were designed to thrive. 

Last week, I challenged you to find contentment as a step to discovering your deepest sense of purpose. This week, I challenge you to shift your mindset. I invite you to assess whether the “just get by” mentality has snuck into your thinking. 

Zoom In and Zoom Out 

One of my favorite exercises is Zoom In and Zoom Out. When we get stuck in an unhealthy mindset, we tend to either zoom in or zoom out.

Zoom Out - Some of us see the big picture. We understand why we’re alive, and we want to make an impact in the world. Two things happen at this phase: we can either be healthy, meaning we can see precisely where our lives are headed. Conversely,  we can be unhealthy and become so fixated on the big picture we fail to chunk it down into [Simple Actions - Done Daily] because we are either overwhelmed by the scale or don’t know where to start.

Zoom In - Others of us try to survive one day at a time. So many factors fill our lives and steal our attention that we just try to make it through. Maybe, we don’t know what the big picture of our life is, so we take solace in the small. Again, there are healthy and unhealthy versions of this phase. When healthy, we zoom in to interact with the world around us and make a measurable impact. When unhealthy, we get caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of where our lives are headed. 

When was the last time you objectively adjusted your mindset? 

I don’t just mean the minor adjustments we make throughout the day. When did you consider a complete overhaul of the system? If your answer is over three months, I challenge you to take 15 minutes today to adjust your mindset. Here is what it looks like: 

Zoom Out - Where are you headed? Are you moving in the direction of goals that make you feel alive? 

Zoom In - Are you Happy? Is your life filled with more joy than stress? 

Zoom Out - Where do you want to be headed? What do you want your life to look like: personally, relationally, and professionally? 

Zoom In - What needs to change in your day-to-day life to bridge the gap between your life now and what you want in life? Do you set up your day to increase wonder and joy, or does some other factor set your schedule?

Get Unstuck

If changes surface through this exercise, make an action plan to execute them. Highlight 3 simple actions you can do daily to better align each day. 

The best way to change your mindset is to start living in a way that the person you want to become would live. Then see if you don’t start becoming more like that version of yourself.