I have been thinking a lot about what it is to have a mindset, and how to truly define mindset. As I ponder, I get this idea of a foundation for that which we operate and go at the world. Our mindset is about our principles, values, morals, experiences and more that are all operating at this very point. It is how we go about our life and with what we apply to this life’s challenges. For some, this is something that just is, while others, it is something cultivated and with which we bring awareness to.
In my life I have developed a mindset that is ever growing and changing, which I like to think of as part of consciousness. Even if your mindset never changes, having awareness of that mindset is different than not. A fixed mindset may come from a long line of religious practice where we see a person who is very set in their understanding of life, and so to when life shifts in front of them, they already have a way of handling that sort of on autopilot.
The opposite mindset where we are ultimately always evaluating and re-evaluating as the moment arises may look more like someone who doesn’t necessarily have their mind made up about how something should go down. This person may change their mind, be open to the moment and find compassion for others in their way of managing the world.
Amidst both of these styles lies healthy and not healthy mindsets. Both a fixed and a growth mindset can be healthy. We may look at a fixed mindset as being something bad or not congruent to the ever-changing world, but that isn’t so. There is plenty of good that comes from a fixed mindset. Where we need to focus our attention is what makes a mindset not healthy, and how to shift our mindset to create a healthy life.
In looking at our mindsets, we first find it important to question our ideas about the world, from where they came and if they truly support our lifestyle. It is interesting, and totally common to be living within a construct that doesn’t suit our lifestyle, and all the while that we attempt to grow, this thing that we are unaware of is sabotaging our lives. An easy one to identify is our views about money. Within our mental construct, or mindset if you will, we may have been taught that “money is the root of all evil,” however we may be attempting to build a successful business. So, while we are trying to achieve something in our life, that to us means freedom and purpose, that belief system may be holding us back. This is why it is important to truly look within at where and what our ideas of the world are. This is the beginning process in discovering our mindset.
It is important to do this exercise with everything surrounding wholeness in our life. Our relationships, jobs, health, wealth and spirituality. One dynamic that I concentrate on with people is health and where our ideas surrounding health have come about. If we were taught little about health and not to look at our habits surrounding food consumption, exercise and what’s good or bad for us, we may be walking around not holding health of high importance even though we aspire to be well and balanced. A healthy mindset surrounding diet would sound like, “I have control over what I consume, and I pay attention to what makes me feel good.”
Relationships are a big one when it comes to mindsets. What are the ideas that we hold about having a healthy or unhealthy relationship, and where did we learn those things? Its common for people to have unconscious underlying mindsets about intimate relationships not being attainable, available or that they must be hard or dangerous. Without looking at this information, we may go about embarking on relationships that fail time and time again. This only strengthens that mindset within us as we continue to be misaligned with our intentions.
So see, intention may not always be enough to create a shift in our lives. The foundations that are not yet brought to our awareness will continue to run our lives until we take the time to understand and correct them. Priorities are often times portrayed in a similar way. Our priorities are tied to these unconscious belief patterns because they are operating in the background without our attention. Which often times may look like a person who prioritizes let’s say family, or a relationship, but when truly examined spends more time on their career. We once again see where the goals although intended mentally to be in one place, are not in alignment with the behaviors that are actually taking place. That is about that strong mindset operating over the intention. In this case perhaps this person has a mindset that was instilled from their childhood where they mimic their father’s behavior of overworking. Those beliefs back then may have been what was needed to support their family. However, now his family needs more of his attention, and this overworking may be affecting the family dynamic. In this case, a mindset shift must occur in order to prioritize family.
A portion of mindset that I find to be very powerful in working in my own life is being able to adjust to change. If we have a fixed mindset about change, in terms of not wanting things to change. We might struggle with change significantly, because the truth here is that life is always changing and if we are resistant to that and never want change, we are in for a rude awakening whenever change does occur. A better mindset surrounding change may be, “I accept change as it comes my way because I know that life is filled with ebb and flow, I recognize change for what it is, and I give myself time to adjust and re-configure when it occurs.” This way, we are able to work through lives challenges with courage, clarity and strength.
A positive mindset is something I hear a lot. I like to address this one with some caution, as to not confuse being positive with being full of rainbows and roses. Having a positive mindset is about a foundation where we look for the good in situations rather than the worst. When we do this, we are given freedom to seek lesson rather than disappointments. This helps us to learn from even what feel like the pitfalls in life, because instead of brush them off with sadness and anger, we choose to gain knowledge from them so that we can apply that knowledge to similar experiences down the road. This is important for the purpose of vibration. Positive is about a vibration. Learning, growth and wisdom rank higher vibrationally than fear, anger and frustration. It does not mean putting a smile on our face when we would rather be crying, on the contrary, it means working to understand what is being placed in front of us rather than reacting poorly. It is wisdom. That is why we would approach life with a positive mindset, so to maintain a healthy and wise vibration in the world, not just for ourselves, but to inspire and activate our brothers and sisters.
Now these are simply foundations, mindsets. Which means doing the work and applying them is an entirely different game that requires tools, practice and more practice. Awareness first is taking an inventory of from where our mindset has come to be attained. Then we must re-calibrate our mindsets to fit who we are and what we are doing in this life. And after that, comes the practice. That happens when life, does its’ extraordinary thing that it does of giving us many lessons and responsibilities to which we will have the opportunity to respond.
My mindset seems to always be shifting, but underlying everything for me, there is a root mindset (an operating system if you will) that says that above all, I am a spiritual being having a human experience. Faith for me is my number one. I am not in control of this great world; however, I do have a choice, I have a voice and I am able to respond to life with grace.
If you would like some help identifying, understanding and shifting your mindset, please reach out to me by booking a consultation through my website.
So much Love. So much Peace.
Mindset Mentor and Intuitive Guide,
Sheena Dressel
Evolved Being
‘For the Love of Being’
Evolvedbeing.com
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