A blog by Lea McCullough, Certified Life Coach
What is in a Mindset Shift? And why do we seek it? As a mindset and clarity coach, I’m always curious what my clients hope to achieve from seeking a mindset shift. Is it a new skill? A new focus in life? A new direction?
For me, I’ve needed to shift gears a few times in my life – and for the longest time I did it without my own personal life coach. But once I leaned in, focused on me, and discovered a mentor, I became unstoppable. In my process, I realized that mindset shifts come with a few components. Like a recipe in a kitchen. Sometimes you need a dash, sometimes you need a whole heap of an ingredient.
I’ve identified seven components that work in tandem together that assist with creating new patterns of thought.
· CLARITY
· COURAGE
· DISCIPLINE
· COACHING & MENTORSHIP
· DESIRE
· CHALLENGE
We seek mindset shifts when something feels out of balance and your intuition suggests something needs to change. You wake up one morning and feel you can no longer continue to remain stuck in the place you are at – and to get where you want to go – you need to break the chains that’s binding you to the present.
We nearly always know WHERE we want to go – it’s the path that becomes fuzzy and unclear. Other times the path forward is so embodied in fear, that we remain paralyzed in the present, unable to walk forward to your desired future. But you know the only way forward is to take that step.
So, you puff up our chest, you set a goal and you muster the courage to march with vigor towards a desired outcome. You do impressively well for a few weeks and then you find yourself losing motivation, falling off your routine and veering course from your goal. You ask yourself as you sit on the couch eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream feeling defeated, “Why do I always fall short of making shit happen in my life?”
The first thing to understand and accept as a truth is this – You are NOT alone and there IS a way. There is solid formula to help you through.
Our minds are the most powerful muscle we have and it’s all ours to use whatever we choose to do with it. The mind can play games, it can alert our inner critic to keep us playing small and it can also be your own superpower. But one thing is known for a fact – ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE THE POWER OF YOUR MINDSET. You own that choice.
A mindset is a grouping of assumptions we have that has been developed and learned over time, perhaps throughout our entire life. It’s like someone stuck you in 4th gear and left you there, not telling you there was a 5th, 6th, or 7th gear. These assumptions are so deeply engrained in us we end up adopting prior behaviors and choices without ever second guessing what could be possible.
So, if your mindset is a muscle that you can flex, then it can also get stronger. Just like your biceps and triceps if you exercise them often, except your mindset can be exponentially more powerful.
CLARITY: Your first step in gaining a new mindset is finding clarity. Clarity around what you want to achieve, what your value system is and exactly what you hope to achieve by discovering a new mindset. Is it greater health? Improved habits? A new line of income? A validating and fulfilling line of work? A personal goal you’ve been thinking about achieving for years? Whatever it is, finding clarity on the END GOAL is top priority.
COURAGE & DISCIPLINE: So you’ve decided to make a shift. Our first thought is to hold this “outcome” close to our chest like we are playing a mean game of Texas Hold ‘Em and our poker face is The Dead Sea. If this is you, I’m about to rattle your cage a little bit. Staying silent about this shift will not serve you well. It gives you an “out” when motivation starts to subside and your voice of self-doubt starts to creep in. This voice reminds you of the safe place to stay. It rekindles the old assumptions and stories that have kept you playing small all these years. You need to roll past that.
Shifting your mindset takes tremendous courage, passion and discipline. For 95% of us, you cannot do it alone. You must share out loud with passion the shift you desire. Saying it out loud is preaching it to the Universe. And once the Universe has ahold of your desire, anything is possible. It gives you accountability to at least ONE person. That one may just be enough to keep you moving forward. It could be your spouse, a family member or someone you trust and admire. My recommendation is to share this with a trusted friend or even a life coach who has your best interests at heart.
COACHING & MENTORSHIP: When it comes to making a mindset shift it’s important to have someone in your court, on your team rooting for you all the way. A certified life coach that focuses on clarity, mindset, goals and growth is very helpful in this context. A good coach that you connect with will reflect your own thoughts and emotions to a point that they become crystal clear and allow you to find your path – “coaching” yourself to your own vision. “Mentorship” is the process of sharing years of experience to offer a solution that aligns with the reflection of your goals. I believe you need both… Reflection and direction go hand in hand.
DESIRE AND CHALLENGE: Having the desire to change and create a new mindset is certainly the start. But it’s just that… a start. Desire gets you to the starting line of a mindset shift. But you must be ready to dig in and make meaningful change and that is a challenge. The challenge is leaning into pain. Leaning into the process of shifting patterns. Leaning into the process of strengthening the muscle of the mind. You’re going to feel like an athlete training for a marathon. You will feel discomfort, frustration, fear and sometimes even isolation. The challenge is pushing through it. You are elevating to a new space where bigger dreams happen and new realities take shape. To create the mindset shift, your desire to change has to be greater than the frustration of being stuck.
So, are you ready for the challenge? Are you ready to lean in and do some amazing work that will lead to mindset shifts that last a lifetime? My passion is guiding others to a better place with easy steps. You deserve the fruits of your dreams. Having a life coach in your corner to break down the steps and outline your roadmap is the key to your success.
Change your mindset, change your world. Mindset shifts are truly magical.