Habits are key to change your mindset
What are habits?
Habits are decisions, big or small, that you carry out every day. Your current habits (reading my blog, which I appreciate, thank you!) determine and shape how your life is today.
Every aspect of your life; your eating habits, how you talk to people, how physically active you are, what your career looks like and so on.
How do habits form?
Like many things in life, it’s a process. Something triggered your brain to pay attention to processing this behaviour. Maybe you were exposed to the behaviour, and your brain told you, ‘Hey, I like how that made me feel. I wonder how it will make me feel after I do this or that.
Once you do a new action/behaviour for the first time, you may think, ‘That wasn’t too bad!’
Then you do it again and again, and BOOM, a habit forms.
In contrast, a habit then becomes second nature; we need to have certain habits to survive. We’ve got to eat; we have to work to pay bills and keep a roof over our heads.
Those are the good habits that we must sustain. But along with growth and exposure to different things, we may pick up some not so good habits, which may harm our mindset.
Why would you need to change your mindset?
Sometimes, we realise that our current habits are not setting us up for growth, but they may be stifling us and causing us to not show up as our best selves. If you are like me, you like to reflect and see how you can improve some areas of your life.
Having the awareness alone that you need to change your habits is great!
Mindset matters, and working on change, you are already taking steps towards bettering your circumstances.
So now, take some time to reflect and decide if you need to change your mindset.
Below are some useful questions to think about
Q1. Do you exhibit self-sabotaging behaviour? Self-sabotaging behaviour is a roadblock to growth and may cause you to reject your blessing, impacting your mood. If you would like to know more about self-sabotage, click here.
Q2. Are you aware of how your mindset plays a role in your life? For example, do you tend to think of the worst-case scenarios in a lot of situations?
Q3. Are your current habits stopping you from achieving your goals? E.g. You have fitness goals that you would like to accomplish before summer. Are your eating habits reflecting your goals, or do they not support your goals?
Q4. Are you surrounded by people that aid in your growth and want the best for you? They say that birds of a feather flock together. Although this is not always the case, look at your friendship circle. Is it full of drama and negativity, or are your girls/guys supportive and speak optimistically and positively about each other’s lives?
And lastly, most importantly.
Q5. Are you happy? Are you content with the current habits you do have (the good, the bad and the ugly), or are you ready for a change?
15 Habits that are key to changing your mindset
- Practice mindfulness
It is all good to focus on things you want to achieve in the future but try not to forget about now in the process. Staying present is a form of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your thoughts, feelings and sensations in a non-judgemental way. Examples of mindfulness can include meditations. This is when you focus on your breathing. It has both physical and psychological benefits also!
If meditation is not your thing, you can journal! Yes, I am mentioning journaling again. It is a reoccurring thing on this blog because it is just so good!
Journaling can be anything you make it. You can keep a food journal, a dream journal, or if you want to write about how you are feeling, that is great too. If you would like to know more about journaling, make sure you check out my YouTube video.
2. Get moving
Guys, exercising is one of the best things you can do for your body and your mind. Even if you can only schedule in 20 minutes a day, your body will thank you.
Exercise should be a non-negotiable habit! Don’t like going to the gym? Go for a walk. Don’t like HIIT (High-intensity interval training)? Go to a dance class. Can’t afford to go to a dance class? Find a YouTube video that you can do in the comfort of your own home. The options are endless.
3. Stop trying to please people
If you read my previous post, you know exactly where I am going with this one. Life is far too short to live a life that is not your own. You can help people and be a support system, but it is impossible to please people all the time. Focus on your energy first.
4. Have a hobby
Your life shouldn’t be work, taking care of kids and work some more to take care of the kids! You need to enjoy your life! Find a hobby that you enjoy. It could be painting, making pottery, going to a dance class (as you can see, I love dancing) or it can be something at home such as gardening or why not start crocheting.
There are so many choices to pick from. You don’t want to get to the point when you start resenting things because you have no YOU time. And having a hobby is a form of self-care. Do you need more inexpensive self-care ideas? Click below!
5. When in doubt, smile it out
Sometimes, we have got to fake it until we make it. Studies show that those who smile (and are sincere when doing so) tend to have a happier life. Imagine that.
I know you will not want to be smiling 24/7 as sometimes we are just not in the mood but try to give it a go. When I am in a bad mood, I walk past a mirror and make a silly face. Honestly, I am goofy, but I always know how to make myself laugh, which lifts my mood almost immediately.
6. Have a good morning routine
This helps tremendously. Setting time for yourself in the morning is key. You want to make sure that you are prepared for the day and, most importantly, eat breakfast. Eating breakfast is essential. If you want to be healthy, strong and actually have energy for the next few hours, make sure you have breakfast every day.
7. Make to do lists
Having ideas in your head is amazing but write it down! If you have many things to juggle and need to accomplish your tasks on time, make sure you write a to-do list. I have found that having a to-do list makes me manage my time effectively and be more productive.
When you make your to-do list, schedule in some downtime: lunch breaks, breaks to stretch your legs and breaks to get away from work for a least 5 minutes, then come back to your work feeling refreshed.
8. Set goals
What are your short-term goals? What are your long-term goals? Do you know how to set goals effectively? Goal setting helps you to remember your why! Why are you putting so much effort into your work? Why are you going after the new promotion at work (aside from more money)?
Furthermore, are your goals SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timed)? Do you need more information about how to set effective goals? I’ve got you!
5 Helpful Tips For Goal Setting
9. Save!
One thing you guys need to know more about me is that I am frugal Fran. From saving money for holidays to finding the cheapest gas in my area to grocery shopping. I like to save. I love discounts, and I love to keep my money in the bank.
Now, I’m not advising you not to spend money on the essentials but to save money for a rainy day. We’ve got to think about the future, which links back to my previous point.
What are your goals? Do you want to go on a summer holiday with the family (if you can)? Do you want a new car? Then you’ve got to save, my friend. My dad likes to say, ‘Spend a little, wear a little, save a little. Now that I think about it, I definitely get my frugal ways from my dad.
10. Always be on the hunt to learn something new
We are blessed to have information at our fingertips. Something that I love is that there is so much information that we don’t know. There is always something to learn! Learning has no expiration date. We can learn a new language, learn a new skill, learn how to set up a blog (Blue host has got you!) …the possibilities are endless.
11. Declutter
Having a clean environment to live in and to work in is key to maintain your focus. Plus, it makes you feel good. Who wants to come home to clutter after work?! Not me! If you don’t have time every day, schedule in time. Perhaps you can go through your bedroom for an hour then move on to another room once you have finished! You can do it.
12. Give back
Volunteering is one way that you can give back. I’ve been volunteering for about 10 years. By simply providing a listening ear and talking to someone, you can positively impact their lives.
13. Be positive
Thoughts become things. We attract things into our existence, so we must try to be positive and attract positive things into our lives. Positive affirmations help!
14. Get rest
Running on empty constantly impacts your mood and problem-solving abilities. You need rest to recharge and recover.
15. Show up
Put your best foot forward. Show up to work early. Be on time. Show up for yourself. Be kind to yourself. Reward yourself and take care of your mind and body. We only have one.
Take away
Habits are key to change your perspective. If you are not happy with your current mindset, you could start on things in your immediate environment then go bigger.
Constantly work on yourself.
Try not to let negative influences distract you. If you need a break from everything, take it but then get back up.
Keep trying. Keep going and never give up on yourself.
amazing tips thanks for sharing
Thank you for reading!
This is a great list, I need to work on some of these! It’s good to have reminder sometimes.
Thank you for reading! I am glad you found it useful!