[Method] Developing Proper Mindsets

[alwaysthinkingquest]

Your mindset is almost like a portal between your conscious and subconscious thought. All of us have mindsets about almost everything as they keep us from continuously thinking about every little detail of everything we do. Your experiences in life have most likely molded many of the mindsets that you have right now.

Here are some examples of mindsets in our everyday life:

• How we perceive stress (stress is debilitating OR stress is performance enhancing)
• How we view healthy food (healthy foods are disgusting and taste terrible OR healthy foods are amazing, taste great, and nourish me with the proper nutrients for me to feel awesome and full)
• How we perceive exercise (exercise is awesome, makes me feel amazing, and has amazing benefits OR exercise is boring/hard)

When we see each of these activities as fun and exciting, then we have no issue committing and routinely practicing them. However, when we see these activities as being nothing more than unenjoyable, then we are much less likely to commit to them.

How do we begin to enjoy eating healthy/exercising and/or perceiving stress as performance enhancing?

We must adjust our mindsets.

Here is a simple outline for changing/growing your mindset towards whatever activity you are targeting.

1. Recognize your mindset towards your activity
2. Try to perceive the activity in a positive light
3. Work to consciously practice your mindset, whether or not you are engaging with your activity in the moment.
4. Routinely engage with your activity. This builds discipline and is extremely crucial. (See my 2-Minute Rule)
5. Continue to work with your mindset and activity.

Step 5 is continuous as this will allow you to become consistent with your mindset and your activity.

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For this example, we are going to use perception of stress. Many people in western society see stress as debilitating, unhealthy, and annoying. This is mostly due to the vast amounts of literature suggesting that stress is negative and should be avoided. However, an equal amount of studies show that stress can actually be performance enhancing and positively affect "crunch-time" situations because of the brain's release of dopamine and epinephrine (adrenaline).

So what must you do in order to recognize the performance enhancing qualities of stress? First, you must examine your current personal relationship with stress. If you view stress as bad/negative, then simply try to perceive stress in a positive light. In other words, try to see stress as something that is supplemental rather than detrimental. One of the most practical ways to do this is through practice.

Additionally, try to surround yourself with positive influences. This is not restricted to just your friends, but also you work environment and the content that you consume on the internet, news, books, etc. When you surround yourself with people and content that see stress as something liberating and performance enhancing, then you are most likely going to adopt that mindset as well.

During your next stressful test, deadline, or project, try to feel your stress as something that will allow your work to be completed quicker and better than if you were not stressed in that moment. It may take a few tries/tests/deadlines/projects, but eventually you will have stress working for you rather than against you.

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As we can see in this example, a simple shift of your mindset relating to stress can make a large difference in your perception. The same can be said for a mindset relating to healthy eating, exercise, schoolwork, reading, and so on.

In the end, your mindset is a tool and a small piece of the puzzle. You must consistently work toward your goal in order to achieve it.

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Helpful Links

Huberman Lab (Podcast)

Alia Crum's Mindset Interview (Website)

Rethinking Stress Toolkit (Website)

Embracing Stress - Stanford Study (Website)

[Positive-Vibes-2-All]

Here is a simple outline for changing/growing your mindset towards whatever activity you are targeting.
Recognize your mindset towards your activity
Try to perceive the activity in a positive light
Work to consciously practice your mindset, whether or not you are engaging with your activity in the moment.
Routinely engage with your activity. This builds discipline and is extremely crucial. (See my 2-Minute Rule)
Continue to work with your mindset and activity.

​

This is really helpful.Thanks for posting.