April 5, 2024
Mindset Mojo: You Can Change Your Mindset!
Mindset Mojo
You Can Change Your Mindset!
Did you know you have the power to change your mindset? To change how you experience challenges and hardships? To transmute them so they help you grow and develop emotionally, mentally, and spiritually?
It’s true! You have the power to change your mindset.
Change your mindset, and you change how you react and behave when faced with life’s trials and tribulations.
What is mindset? Your mindset is your way of thinking and making sense of the world and yourself. It is a mental attitude or inclination—a fixed state of mind.
And it didn’t just show up one day while you were walking down the street or choosing what grande latte you wanted your favorite barista to make you. Your mindset was learned over time.
And here is the cool thing. What was learned can be unlearned and replaced.
Our brain is busy 24/7/365, making sure we are safe and staying alive.
It takes data from our five senses, emotions, and thoughts and figures out a way to process, assess, and categorize that data so that it can be interpreted, stored in your memory banks, or acted upon.
The way in which we do this is unique for each person. Everyone has a different way of experiencing the world and categorizing that data in their brain.
As we experience the world, we learn. We continually take in information and store it in our memory banks for future use when and if we need it.
For example, when we are toddlers and reach for the stove, we are told it is “hot” and to “move away.” If we do not follow the direction to move away, we experience pain. We learn to associate a stove with “hot” and the sensation of pain and act differently after that. We avoid touching a hot stove to avoid pain.
In much the same way, we learn about our whole world.
We have specialized nerve cells called neurons, which turn what we feel, smell, or taste into small chemicals called neurotransmitters and into electrical impulses. Ten percent of our brain is made up of these neurons, and there are about 86 billion of them in our brain and nervous system. Not only that, but each neuron also communicates with around 1,000 other neurons. That means we have trillions of neural connections.
Yes, trillions.
This system of neurons turns our sensations into chemical and electrical signals that pass from cell to cell. It allows our brain to take what we sense and think and turn that data into something we can process and respond to.
It is like a giant complex set of highways that help us experience the world and make sense of it in our subconscious and conscious minds.
As we experience the world, we store and categorize information in a way that is unique for each individual. This process is the way we learn. And it is very much influenced by our interactions as young children. By those we love and trust the most.
Our friends and family, our teachers and coaches. Our peers.
It is how we create our story — our personal narrative of how we experience the world and perceive ourselves. This narrative influences how we think and how we act. It is the set of beliefs we use to make sense of the world and ourselves. It results in our mindset.
Here’s the thing. It was all learned.
Chemical and electrical connections lay down pathways in your brain so you can use the information for the future. And just like you learned to ride a bike, drive a car, or use the latest software update on your iPhone, you can learn new ways of thinking about yourself and experiencing the world.
You just need to lay down new pathways in your brain and get them to become your preferred mindset.
Sounds simple, right?
Well, it is, and it isn’t. It is simple in that you just need to retrain your brain by not using the old and outdated chemical and electrical highways that have become ruts. And create and start using new pathways instead.
To do this, you first have to be aware of your unique mindset and narrative. To be very conscious of how you act and behave in certain situations. And that takes work.
Why? Your conscious mind is related to only about 3% of the brain’s activity. It is just the tip of the iceberg of your brain’s work. 95% of your brain’s activity is related to your subconscious mind. The part of your mind that keeps your heart beating, the digestive system working, and your breathing continues whether you are awake or asleep. It never stops sensing. It never sleeps and uses not only what it is sensing from the environment but also emotions, symbols, intuition, and your thoughts to identify potential dangers for you.
What is awesome is that your conscious mind is the captain of the brain and can tell the subconscious mind what to do. Yes, you are in charge of what and how you think.
For example, maybe you have had the mindset that you are afraid to speak in public. Whenever asked, you make excuses and feel sick to your stomach. Your subconscious mind remembers that you tripped walking to the podium to speak in fifth grade, and you were embarrassed. Now, public speaking feels like a danger to your brain. Your subconscious mind tries to protect you from feeling embarrassed.
You can tell your subconscious mind that you have unlimited potential, are awesome, and are an expert in your field who enjoys sharing your expertise with others. Say it daily, and write it down. Being conscious of what you desire and telling your brain your newfound truth will lay down new pathways of thinking to be used in the future.
Next time the opportunity to speak to a group comes up, your subconscious will not raise the danger signal and instead will send a powerful message to your conscious mind that you are an expert and love to share with others what you know. Oh, and you are awesome to boot!
Mindset is what you make it. You can live with your current mindset and your narrative of how you experience the world and how you act in the face of challenges.
Or, you can decide to transform your mindset and create a new narrative for yourself that sees life’s challenges as lessons and opportunities for growth. One that replaces outdated limiting beliefs with ones that are focused on growth and limitless potential.
It is all up to you.
You are what you think. Be empowered to think of your best life, your best self.
You can change your mindset.
For more on mindset mojo, visit our website at Deleaninstitute.com and become part of a community that supports personal growth and development.
Love and Light
Jackie
References
Hyatt, M, Hyatt Miller, M, Mind Your Mindset, The Science That Shows Success Starts With Your Thinking, Baker Books, Grand Rapids Michigan, 2023.
Jain, Jim, June 23, 2022, How To Adopt A Possibility Mindset And Enhance Your Strategy (forbes.com)
Merrium Webster Dictionary, Encyclopedia Britanica Company, Merriam-Webster: America’s Most Trusted Dictionary
O’Keefe PA, Dweck CS, Walton GM, Implicit Theory of Interest; Finding Your Passion or Developing it?, Psychol Sci. 2018, 29 (10) 1653-1664.
Don’t miss out on our empowering webinar, “Being Mindful of Your Mindset,” on April 10th at 12PM EST! Discover the power to shape your mindset for growth and empowerment. Register now for insights on conscious change and personal development. Reserve your spot today for a transformative experience!
