Have you ever said or thought, “I’ll be happy when [fill in the blank].”? The blank can be anything from:
- My debt is paid off
- My business/income reaches X level
- I start exercising
- I lose 20 pounds
- I get married
- I get divorced
- I have more time
- My kid(s) graduate
- I get a promotion/raise
- I retire
The list goes on and on. I’ll be happy when…
Now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting more in your life, to better yourself, to create a better, more powerful life. However, left unchecked, this will drive you to a never-ending focus on what you don’t have rather than what you do have. Rather than focusing on what you have accomplished, feeling positive and confident, you focus on what you haven’t.
Rather than focusing on who you’ve become, the progress already made from your old self, you focus on who you haven’t. This of course moves you into a negative mindset, and the irony of that is the same thinking that moves you into this mindset also keeps you from creating the more powerful life you want. It can be a tricky loop. The good news is that you can put the brakes on quickly and make a mental shift any time you feel yourself in this negative space.
Here is how:
1 – Take an honest look back at where you were and look at the changes you have made through today. Make a list, actually write it down. My business mentor had me do this because I was in this same place. When I did I realized that my list was really long and solid when I cleared my head. It moved me to a different mindset immediately.
2 – Make a gratitude list. At that moment you feel negative, or every day, write 10 things you are grateful for and why. Include your current state of progress, your current struggles, and be sure to include the single most powerful part of a gratitude list which is to add the reason why. I am grateful for this BECAUSE _________.
3 – Give yourself permission to be where you are. Life is a journey and we have peaks and valleys. When you acknowledge where you are and own it, be grateful for it (even difficult times), and look back at your growth, you open yourself up to more.
- More growth
- More opportunity
- More gratitude
- More abundance
- More joy
Give it a try. Get out your journal, or any piece of paper, and take a few minutes to power yourself up for the day.
Well done.