HOW TO OVERCOME NEGATIVE MINDSET

Is your negative mindset preventing you from performing at your best? By simply understanding how they work and knowing how to re-orient your mindset. You can get it to work for you rather than against you.

I will look at the five main types of Negative Mindsets that is usually at work in people lives and then we look at strategies you can adapt to overcome these negative mindsets.

1. The Mind Chatter or Negative Self-talk

This usually comes with voices of limiting beliefs of yourself or your ability to perform at your best.

Strategies for overcoming

To overcome negative self-talk you need to challenge your negative beliefs by asking yourself "Is this belief valid?" How useful or productive is this belief or assumption I have of myself.

(1) You watch your words; your words are incredibly powerful because they reinforce who you are.

(2) Learn to rephrase your language by simply adding a word that includes open possibility to your every sentences

For example instead of saying, “I cannot do this? By adding an extra word such as "YET" you can change your perspective about yourself so you say, "I cannot do this yet".  By doing that you have created an open possibility mentality that is much more positive and powerful.

(3) Increase your confidence by gaining wider knowledge about your subject area.

2. Being Overwhelm - This is a negative mindset that tends to distract people by pulling them in too many directions. Another way that this works is by you been too busy without actually doing anything or suffering from ‘cluttered idea syndrome’ too many ideas that leave you more confused.  

Strategies for Overcoming

You can overcome these feelings by getting yourself to focus.  You do this by clarifying what kind of result you want to get. Question such as:  (1) what do I want? And

(2) What is Important to me?

(3) What resources are available and how can I utilise the resources I need?

These questions would help you to create a clear and compelling vision and have a desired outcome.

 3. Playing Small - These negative mindsets usually takes the form of resistance by confining you to your "comfort zone" which in turns limits you and create stagnancy. Playing small syndrome breeds inaction, doubt and fear.

Strategies for Overcoming – The ways to overcome this is by stretching yourself to take little measured steps that gets you out of your “comfort zone”

• Identify in what ways you play small at present.
• Find out what you can do and aim to stretch yourself from your "comfort zone" to your "stretch zone"
• Exercise your confidence muscles by taking little steps and measure the result you get.  
• Knowing how your "stretch zone" actions would expand you.

4. Procrastination - Delayed action

There are so many reasons why people procrastinate, it could be fear, lack of discipline, lack of self-esteem or confidence, the list can be endless.  

Strategies for Overcoming

The only strategy for overcoming procrastination is to take action.  This can be done in many ways; I will just mention a few. Focus on what you can do in the present moment "Now" and do it.  Learn to implement immediately. How do you do this?
(1) Have a list of actions daily and breaking down your goals.

(2) Make yourself accountable to a friend or Master group.

(3) Create systems and routines to follow.

(4) Develop an Action Habit.

(5) Feel the fear but do it anyway (by Susan Jeffers)

5. Perfectionism- This type of negative mindset causes you to constantly refine and hone things searching for perfection thereby delaying action. "Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection" Mark Twain.

Strategies for Overcoming - Do not wait for perfect timing but take action and then deal with issues that arises.  We tend to expand our scope of learning that way.   You can do this by: 

(1) Replacing perfection with 'good enough'.

(2)Do not wait to feel motivated. "Action precedes motivation” Robert Mckain

(3)Develop an Action Habit

(4)Implement quickly. "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now" Proverb

(5) Connect with like-minded people.