10 Reasons Why a Mindset Shift Can Change Your Life

If you’ve ever explored the world of personal development, or even read an article or two on the topic, you’ll know there’s one thing all personal development gurus agree on -

Your mindset matters.

A lot.

I’ve studied countless books on personal growth, and it’s always there. This claim that our mindset has the power to impact our family, finances, and health, our present, future, and even the way we see our past, and it even determines how happy or how miserable we are at any given moment.

In short, everything starts and ends in the mind.

We can’t pursue a dream until it forms in our mind, and we can’t forget a past hurt or move past a health problem until we heal physically and stop dwelling on it mentally.

The cool thing is we can shift our mindsets at any time.

In fact, we have to shift our mindsets if we’re going to move past where we’ve been all our lives and step into something new.

And when we do shift those mindsets, we shift our entire lives.

I’ve seen it happen over and over again for so many people - myself included.

Here are 10 reasons why a mindset shift can change your life.

Mindset shifts help us:

#1 - Break old habits.

We shift “I always gain weight in the winter.” to “I love moving my body and eating healthy foods.” and we stop eating junk and start watching the weight fall off.

#2 - Get out of old ruts.

You stop believing you don’t deserve to go after your dreams, and before you know it, you’re no longer spending your mornings screaming at your kids and your evenings parked in front of the television. Instead, you’re excited every day and that excitement makes your heart light and your smile easy. And your whole family notices.

#3 - Escape mental slavery. (Shout out, Bob Marley)

We challenge our own beliefs about the struggle that is our life and how honorable it is to suffer and feel guilty and get down on ourselves. Instead, we start believing we’re meant to be a positive force to everyone around us and even our old mistakes can’t take that away. Pretty soon, we find that we no longer care who thinks we’re not all that and a bag of chips because we’re too busy spreading love and light to others.

#4 - Wake up to our real selves.

A mom shifts “Motherhood is hard. My kids are so loud.” into “I can’t believe I get to be her mom - she rocks.” and before she knows it, she’s back in touch with her old self. She paints when the mood strikes her, plays music every day, makes time to hike with her kids, and does all the things that bring her joy. Pretty soon, she’s leading hiking groups for other moms, teaching a painting class at the local art coop, and in a completely different life than she was.

#5 - Gain new perspectives.

We try something new and suddenly “I don’t have the time” becomes “How did I ever survive without this?” And our eyes are suddenly opening to new perspectives.

#6 - See new possibilities.

We shift “Money is hard to come by for me. There’s never enough.” to “I’m a creative, talented, valuable human being - and a hard worker. My day is coming soon.” and we stop applying for jobs beneath our station and start showing up in new ways. And before we know it, we’re stepping into a new financial reality and seeing the possibilities and choices that are possible with a higher income.

#7 - Encounter destiny.

A lady walks by you at a coffee shop and sees you writing a blog on your computer. She stops to ask who you are and what you do and introduces herself as a reporter for the New York Times. You chat briefly, and she’s drawn to the way your face lights up when you talk about your life and your work. Pretty soon, she’s calling you and asking you to write for her regularly and your whole life just shifted.

#8 - Transform.

We change “I wonder if anyone is going to say hi to me” into “Who can I bless with a hi and a smile this morning?” And people start saying, “Wow, you’ve changed a lot”. To which we reply, “Why thank you.”

#9 - Step into maturity.

“I never finish anything” becomes “I’m doing my best today”. “What will she think of this?” becomes “I can’t worry about pleasing everyone; I have to do what’s best for my family”. And we stop cowering away from life decisions and start stepping up like we’ve always wanted.

#10 - Redefine.

We stop believing our lives have to be boring, drudgery, woe-is-me and start seeing family time as a chance to have fun with the people we love the most, our work as a way to contribute to the world, and even cooking dinner as a way to bless our families. And before we know it, we have a whole new life. (Here’s a great example from Best Self Magazine.)

When we shift even one of our long-held mindsets that’s been holding us back, we can change not just our lives, but the lives of our whole family and everyone our life touches.

As one of my favorite personal development rockstars likes to say:

“There can be no significant change in the world unless we first have the courage to change ourselves. In order to change our selves, we must first believe we can.”

(Marie Forleo, Everything is Figureoutable)

If you’re thinking, “Isn’t that just living in a delusion?” right about now, that’s a sure sign you might have a few mindsets holding you back from your best life.

How do I know?

Because I was just there, and I’m still finding nooks and crannies in my mind where I’m still there.

I still have to shift mindsets every single day, which means my life is still changing every single day.

There’s no better way to live.

The alternative is sleepwalking through life and meeting the end of our days knowing we should have done so much more.

Wishing we had gone for it.

I’m not about to let that be me.

What about you?

I have a feeling you’re going for it, too, or you wouldn’t be reading this.

So keep going. Keep reading. Keep researching and reaching out for more resources when you find yourself slipping back into old ruts. Invest in yourself by taking an online course or two, getting up early to read and journal, or purchasing audiobooks you can listen to while you clean the kitchen or cook dinner or fold laundry.

You are shifting your life right now, and chances are, your family is already noticing the change in you.

You’ve got this, mama.

And if you ever need support shifting a mindset or two, I’d love to be your cheerleader. Hop into our email group and hit reply - it’s as easy as that.