Masterful Mindsets

"When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future."   ~Queen Elizabeth II 

A lot can be learned about a person's character if you observe them during difficult times. They will show you their victim side or their victor side. They will show you their pessimism or their optimism. Their kindness or their bitterness... And as the quote says, those who are courageous will show that they are strong and courageous, in their actions and determination. While all too often, those who are afraid of difficulty or failure will never take the risk to move forward. 

Now that doesn't mean that those who are strong and courageous never fail. Quite the contrary - what it means is that they aren't afraid of failure because they don't see it as defeat. They see it as an opportunity to learn and try again. And most importantly, they know that their failures do not define them but rather, it's how they sh...

“The freedom to be yourself is a gift only you can give yourself. But once you do, no one can take it away.” – Doe Zantamata

"Definition of Insanity - Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." ~ Albert Einstein

"Strength of character isn’t always about how much you can handle before you break, it’s also about how much you can handle after you’ve broken." – unknown

“The truth will set you free” ~ John 8:32

As we come to the end of this series on the lies that worry tells us, it’s important to note that worry and fear are two different things. Sometimes fear creates worry and sometimes, worry can create fear. For example, the fear of the unknown can cause us to worry about the future. And worrying about the future can stoke the fire of fear, making it grow out of control and keeping us from ever stepping forward into the future we want to create.

I could go on and on about the differences between worry and fear but that's a much bigger topic, so I won’t get into that today. For now, just keep in mind that there will always be things we fear. And that’s okay. True fear isn’t always within our control, and it is sometimes necessary in order to keep us safe. But worry is within our control and it rarely, if ever serves a purpose. So, if we don’t want our fear to paralyze us and hold us back, then it is to our benefit to keep worry quiet or bett...

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” ~ Victor Hugo

In the past few years, our world has become increasingly filled with worry and fear. However, I did not create this series solely because of the uncertainty and turmoil that has ensued since this decade began. Because the truth is, worry is always there, ready to pounce and leaving us feeling as if we can’t possibly breathe from the weight of the worry in our hearts. We may never be completely exempt from worry. But we also must remember that more times than not, worry lies. (So, if you missed any of the series thus far, feel free to click on each lie below to catch up.)

As a refresher, the three common lies worry tells us that I’ve been examining in this series are:

1. The worst is going to happen.
2. You can’t handle it.
3. This will last forever.

Moving forward, today I am continuing our series on the three big lies that worry tells us, where those lies often come from and most importantly, how to overcome t...

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It empties today of its strength.” ~ Corrie ten Boom

Today, I am continuing our series on the lies that worry tells us, where those lies often come from and most importantly, how to overcome them so you can have courage to step boldly into your future.

Three of the most common lies are:

1. The worst is going to happen.
2. You can’t handle it.
3. This will last forever.

If you missed part one, of this series, where I discussed Lie #1, you can CLICK HERE to read it.

Let’s take the second lie now, “You can’t handle it.” This worry feeds off of the fear that the process of doing something will be painful or too difficult in some way. It often stems from believing that we are not good enough, smart enough, capable enough, strong enough -whatever enough. That is a lie! But I'm here to tell you the truth...

Without me even knowing you – I believe you can handle it! Why, because as humans, we are resilient. We are stronger, smarter and – MO...

"There is only one cause of unhappiness; the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them." ~ Anthony de Mello

I once heard someone say that worry tells lies. And I have no doubt that's true. Heck, I've experienced it myself and I've seen it happen with others on countless occasions. In particularly, worry tends to tell 3 HUGE lies:

1. The worst is going to happen.
2. You can’t handle it.
3. This will last forever.

Think about it, when you worry, what are you worrying about? What is your inner voice repeating over and over? Sure, it might not be worded exactly like the statements above but if you break down the chatter going on in your head, I’d be willing to bet that most of the time, it would be a version of these three beliefs at the core. And when these deep underlying beliefs bubble up, they can not only bring in worry and fear but also create a lot of unnecessary anxiety and stress.

So how do you h...

“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
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