🎵Be careful little mind what you think. 🎶
Do you remember that song? I wasn’t thinking about it when I started typing but then it suddenly came back to my mind.
As I listened to Grant Cardone talk with Tyler Perry at his recent 10X event, I was continually reminded of how important it is to guard your thoughts. Anyone who has been in the personal growth space knows that this is key to achieving your goals.
Too often, many people lose sight of goal setting and instead start settling. And with settling comes a less focused mind – one that allows the mind to go wherever it wants. Did you know we can train our minds?
It has been proven that we can even create new neural pathways! If you are not sure what that means, it is the brain’s ability to create new paths for signals to travel which then lead to behavior change. Check out Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast for lots on that topic.
As with many common expressions, we find this principle in the Bible. Proverbs 4:23 tells us “More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.” (CEB)
So how do you begin to train and guard your mind? Here are a few steps that have helped me take advantage of the marvelous matter inside my head.
Acknowledge that you do have the ability to change your mind and your mindset.
This may be good and bad news – good because you realize hey, I’m not stuck here, but bad because you now know it relies completely on your ability to change your mind. Hmmm. So, embrace the fact that you’re not stuck with your current mindset. Yeah, it’s a double-edged sword, but knowing you can change is half the battle won.
As with most things, awareness is the first step. What is not explicitly stated but implied here is that your mind is likely filled with or focused on the wrong things. See the Law of Substitution below for tips to tackle that.
Let’s take an example of a student in school whose inner voice always reminds him that he is terrible at test taking. Historically, he has performed poorly. A simple first step would be to stop repeating out loud, “I suck at tests.” A second step would be to begin saying, “I am improving my test taking day by day.”
Stay Green.
Fill your mind with things that support how you want to change. Listen to podcasts, read books, and follow people who align with the direction you seek to go.
This seems very basic, but unfortunately it is often skipped. In today’s world, the average American is on a cell phone for 3-4 hours a day based on multiple sources. What are you doing with that 3-4 hours? Scrolling socials or news feeds? Consider shifting just 15-30 minutes of that time for a motivational podcast or YouTube video – something that will move you closer to where you want to be.
So basically, I could also write this as Stop Filling Your Mind with Garbage.😖 And I mean it. Be careful about what you allow into your mind – it is an incredibly powerful place. And YOU get to choose what kind of food it gets.
Use the Law of Substitution to your advantage.
The Law of Substitution exists on the premise that you can only think one thought at any given time. So the goal is to train yourself to switch your thinking when a wrong thought pops into your mind. Thereby you essentially remove the negative thought.
A personal example – To be honest, aging as a woman in America isn’t easy. We honor youth both directly and indirectly in our culture. As I look in the mirror each day, I am tempted to focus on all the wrinkles on my face and mentally compare that to the youthful photos I am surrounded by. Instead, I say (out loud sometimes) something like this, “I am so glad for the character I have developed over the years. My physical appearance does not define my worth. Wow, you look hot today.”
If you’d like to learn more, watch below to listen to one of my favorite mentors, Mark Januszewski, talk about the Law of Substitution and Dual Thought.
Celebrate little wins.
Celebrate when you recognize change in your responses, thoughts or interactions with others. Changing your mind will take time, but you will see small improvements quickly. Take notice and celebrate your progress.
Keep in mind, any time you learn something new it takes time. I love using athlete examples because they are so easy to understand. When a couch potato decides to start a Couch-to-5K program (training intended to help a person who does not run at all complete a 5K run – that’s 3 miles by the way, no small feat!),I do not get up off the couch and run a 5K on day 1! Day 1 is actually a 60-second run alternated with a 90-second walk for 8 cycles. That’s all. But as my body adjusts to running and becomes more comfortable and efficient at running, I am able to run for longer periods of time. Before you know it, I will be running a 5K in about 8 weeks. 🎉🏆
There is a similar effect with training your mind. It begins with small steps (see above) that lead to your ultimate goal – a changed mind!
One of the greatest lessons I have ever learned in life is the power that is available to me when I set my mind correctly. There are endless applications here.
Today, pay attention to where your mind goes and be encouraged to know that you can indeed shift the direction of those thoughts by starting with the steps above.
“The point I’m makin’ is the mind is a powerful place
And what you feed it can affect you in a powerful way”
Lyrics to ponder from “The Search” by NF