Masterful Mindsets

“Another day, another blessing and another chance at life. Take nothing for granted and think of every breath as a gift.”  ~ unknown

As you know, if you’ve been following along the past few weeks, I’ve been focusing this month’s posts on Gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful thing. So much so that it can actually boost your happiness by up to 25%. So today, I want to explore the power of focusing on the gifts and blessings that we often overlook so that instead, we can make certain we take time regularly to look at them through the lens of gratitude.  

It can be easy to take people, experiences, and things in our lives for granted. But to practice gratitude from a higher level of consciousness, we must not take things “for granted” but rather see them “as granted”. This small shift in language creates a powerful shift in mindset and moves us from an attitude of entitlement to humility. And even if we don’t like to admit it, an underlying sense of entitlement is actually the #1 thing...

“Let us be thankful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ~Marcel Proust

If you live in the US, odds are you’re preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow. Which can mean many different things for people. For some it’s no more than an excuse to eat and drink too much. Or a much-needed day off from work. But for most people, it’s a day to get together with family and friends to remember what we are most thankful for. And if you’re lucky, the two go together… the people you’re with are in fact what you are most thankful for. So, as we prepare for this day of thanksgiving… why not use this as a time for reflection and sharing with those we truly are grateful for.

Going back to the research I’ve been sharing with you over the last couple of weeks from Robert Emmons, who wrote the book Gratitude Works! I want to share another idea for how you can practice gratitude in a powerful way and in fact, share the gift of gratitude. ...

“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” ~David Steindl-Rast

Last week I gave you an interesting statistic on the power of gratitude… I shared that people who have a gratitude practice of writing down at least 5 things they are grateful for once a week can boost their happiness by as much as 25% in as little as 10 weeks. Which is a compelling statistic in and of itself. But today I want to share a few more facts with you about the power of gratitude. (Just in case a 25% increase in happiness isn’t enough to convince you that it’s worth it to have a gratitude practice.) 😉  

So Robert Emmons, who is one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of gratitude along with his colleague Mike McCollough were the first researchers to discover the profound benefits of gratitude through their studies.

What they found was that people who regularly cultivate gratitude “experience a multitude of psychological, physical, interpersonal, and spiritual...

“If you need something to be grateful for then check your pulse. Always be thankful for the gift of life.” ~unknown 

My birthday is this week, and I will admit, I have moments periodically when I feel a little ho-hum about getting older. It’s usually when my body or brain doesn’t allow me to do some of the things I used to do with ease…

I tried to “limbo” under our split rail fence recently and wasn’t sure I was going to get back up. I’m sure if my husband watched the security camera, he got a good laugh. 😉

Anyway, my point is, that it’s easy to take life and all its moments for granted. We can be quick to complain about the passing moments without appreciating them. But life is made up of all those moments, the good and the not so good. And aging… well, that’s a gift that not everyone gets to experience. Yet most people are quick to complain about it instead of being thankful that they get to breathe life into each new day.  

Here's the thing though, if you’re only living life...

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~Dale Carnegie

Halloween is over but for many, the fears they experience every day are much more frightening. If you know that your fear often gets the better of you then let’s unmask those fears and see them for what they really are, so they can lose their power and stop holding you captive.

If you read last week’s post, then by now you’ve already started to make a list of your biggest fears. So in this post, we’re going to identify what’s really at the root of your fear. Because awareness is the first step to change so once you recognize the real fear, you can work on building courage to move beyond it.

With most people, it comes down to the four primary fears I’ll be sharing with you today. Let’s see if you can identify where these four common fears show up in your life…

Rejection - We all have a desire to belong, be a...

“Change can be scary, but you know what’s scarier? Allowing fear to stop you from growing, evolving, and progressing.” ~ Mandy Hale

Halloween is just around the corner so what better time to talk about fear than now? But this isn't about ghosts and goblins, this is about something so much scarier... The fears that keep you from living to your full potential and creating the life of your dreams!  

We all have fears. Even the most successful people in the world have fears but they also have great courage too. Those who perform at a high level are aware of their fears and instead of trying to become completely fearless, they actively anticipate and manage their fears so they can move beyond them. Which is how they are able to develop so much courage.

The more you can conquer your fear, the greater courage you can develop too. But first, it’s helpful to know what you’re really afraid of. So get out your journal and take a few moments to answer the questions below:

• What do you fea
...

"Our character isn't defined by the battles we win or lose, but by the battles we dare to fight."  ~ Robert Beatty

What battles are you fighting in your life right now? Are you still fighting old battles from the past? Fighting with others? Or fighting an internal battle?

We all have battles we fight in our lives. Some are external - with other people. For example, a power struggle at work or a court battle with a spouse, over a divorce. (Even holding a grudge over a fight between siblings from the past can stir up new battles every time you interact with each other.)  

Some battles are not of our choosing - the battle for your life when facing a life threatening disease like cancer or maybe having to battle back from an injury, after having an accident. Sure we can choose whether or not to fight them. But we don't necessarily choose them to be in our lives.  

And then of course, there are the internal battles we fight. The battles with our ego and our self limiting beliefs ove...

"Trust yourself. Trust your path." ~unknown

Ever worry about the future? I know, dumb question, right? I don’t know anyone who at some point or another… sometimes or maybe always… worries about the future. It happens. So, I want to tell you about an experience I had recently in hopes that it might serve as a reminder to you that you don’t have to be afraid of the future.

See, I’ve been losing sleep lately. Yes, maybe it’s my unruly midlife hormones fluctuating up and down but on top of that, it’s the worry and fear I’ve been feeling for the future. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve also been feeling a great deal of excitement for the future. Our family is on the cusp of some big transitions....

My oldest daughter, in her second year of college, has been learning the not so fun parts of adulting and with every year that goes by, she gets closer to full adulthood with all it's responsibilities. The uncertainty of where she’ll live, and her career options are just the tip of the iceberg...

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~Socrates

As we come to the end of our series on loving your work, if you know you don’t love what you do, and can’t seem to get the passion back, perhaps you realized it’s time for a change. I know it can be scary to put yourself out there, especially if you’re not sure you have what it takes to change, but you don’t have to be afraid of career change. You just need to build a plan so you can be prepared to put your best foot forward.  

Last week I shared some valuable components that you will want to gain clarity on before considering a career change. No use changing if you don’t know why you’re changing or what you really want. (Missed it? Read it here.) Once you’ve gotten that clarity, you’re ready to build your plan and take a leap into a new career.

Build an understanding of the market.

It’s important to build an understanding of the market you want to work in so you ...

 “In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks. – Warren Buffet

If after last week’s post, you’ve taken the fear goggles off and can now see clearly that it’s time for a career change… that’s great!

I know it can be scary but once you make that decision it can be much easier than you think, especially when you go into your career transition with clarity and confidence. Plus, I’m willing to bet you’ll look back later and be glad you did it. So, in this post, we'll discuss how to find clarity (especially when feeling overwhelmed by your options) and then next week I’ll share some important steps you need to take before leaping into a new career.

Clarity Builds Confidence and Gives Direction

When you know what you want, and why you want it, you can be sure that your efforts will be focused on bringing the results they were meant to—and that's going to make all the difference in helping you get from wher...