Whatever the reason, all of us at some time or another feel the need to make change in our lives. For some it comes as a choice, for others its as a result of events that occur outside of our control. More often than not, it's because something within our life simply isn't working for us and when we feel unhappy, we seek to create change. For most people, this starts with transforming our external environment in variety of ways, certain that this will bring about the change we seek. This transformation can take many forms both big and small, we might change our hair or wardrobe, we might take up a new hobby or we may decide to make much more significant changes such as changing our job, ending a relationship or relocating. But how effective is this?
Altering our external world does indeed contribute to creating change within our life, however what most people experience is that after a while, those old feelings and issues resurface and we find ourselves in a cycle of change, temporary contentment before needing to make change again. The reason for this is that we are failing to address the root cause of the issue, the driving force behind your unhappiness, your internal experience.
If we want to create real and sustained change, we must first focus on the inside. The reason is simple, what we think directly influences how we feel and how we feel influences how our body reacts, how our body reacts influences the way we behave and how we behave defines who we are and what we experience in life.
When we only make changes in our external world, those old thought patterns, behaviours and beliefs remain and the reality is they are simply going to creep back in. If we want change to be sustained then we have to do the difficult and sometimes painful work to address these limiting beliefs and negative thoughts and release them. And this can be the most challenging part of the whole process!!! It takes times and commitment but without it, change is never going to be permanent. But why is it so hard? As difficult as it is to believe, those destructive thoughts have become a habit, we feel comfortable with them and often we simply don't know how to think any differently.
The reality is that if negative beliefs are consuming you, then you will be unhappy. On the other hand, if you have a positive mindset (even when navigating tough times), then you will be happy. Ultimately, perception creates your reality, so changing the way you look at your life can make a difference, you never know you might even find that you don't need to change as many things as you first thought!!!!!!!
Here are some signs that it's time to change your mind set......
You constantly focus on what is "wrong" in your life.
Do you find it easier to focus on your worries and disappointments, rather than the things that are actually going your way? The reality is that there may be a lot of bad things happening right now, but chances are there are also some pretty good bits too (even if you have to look quite hard). Where are you focusing your time and your attention? Where we focus our attention is what we call in, so the question is do you want to spend your time and attention on the good or the bad??????
2. You mourn your failures more than you celebrate your successes.
Similar to the point above, do you find yourself spending an inordinate amount of time focusing on the things that you didn't manage to achieve rather than celebrating the things you did. Again where are you focusing your time and attention because that is where you are expending your energy.
3. You don't face the truth.
You can complain about the weather all day but that isn't going to make the sun shine!!! The fact is that this behaviour is simply an avoidance technique so as not to have to address the truth. The reality is that often in life, there are situations that we can't change and complaining about it will achieve nothing. What we can do is change the way we react to it or the effect it has on our lives.
Changing your mindset, can instantly change your life. Choosing to simply look at situations from a different angle and with a positive perspective empowers you to show up in your life in the way you want to.
Love and light
Sharon
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