The Four Biggest Mindsets Shifts That Made Me Happier and Healthier In 2022.
The strongest prisons are the ones your mind creates for you.
Photo by Vanessa Serpas on Unsplash
You don’t decide the quality of your life.
You decide your mindset which determines your quality of life.
Your mindset = your quality of life.
Have you ever wanted to achieve a goal but felt held back? Not by anything physical but a mental barrier you can’t seem to overcome by sheer willpower?
You’re not alone.
There’s a way you can get out of your head that can make your life happier, more fulfilling and better overall in 2023.
When I sat down to write this post, I thought back to how much my mindset has changed since 2021.
It makes me giggle because when I look back at my life this time last year, I feel like there is a laundry list of things I could change.
I felt stuck in a romantic relationship that wasn’t fulfilling.
Shackled by golden handcuffs to a 9–5 job that I once loved but since became disengaged from.
Unfilled and dissatisfied with my rate of growth.
In 2022, I can safely say that I have eliminated 70% of my anxiety and stress, and my life has gotten significantly better.
I am happier, healthier, and more successful.
In 2022:
I become a six-figure entrepreneur.
I’ve started multiple businesses.
I built a house.
I traveled overseas and worked as a digital nomad.
I’ve spoken on the world stage.
I am happily single and focused on learning and growing myself.
More than any material success, my mindset is completely different.
My outlook on life has shifted. My friends and family have noticed this change and enjoy the person I am now.
What’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned from this experience?
Your mind creates the reality you live in.
Whether you believe you can or can’t do something, you’re right.
Meet the most common mindsets that all of us carry around with us, from waking up to bedtime, like an invisible backpack. Discover how some items in this backpack serve you while others are dead-weight.
I started to accept people for who they are instead of trying to change them.
Whenever you have a situation you don’t like you have 3 options:
Change it.
Leave it.
Accept it.
There are people in my life that I can’t change and don’t want to leave my life. So I’ve slowly reprogrammed myself to accept them for who they are.
I no longer wish they were better. I don’t force any change on them. People don’t change because someone else told them to. I’ve dropped all expectations of them.
Wanting to change someone means you can never be present with them. You are constantly living in the future and creating a fantasy of who this person could be.
That’s not fair to you or them.
But this doesn’t mean I accept mediocrity. I just accept them for who they are. It’s incredibly liberating. You are able to enjoy the time you have with them and even come to love their flaws.
“Go and love someone exactly as they are. And then watch how quickly they transform into the greatest, truest version of themselves. When one feels seen and appreciated in their own essence, one is instantly empowered.” — Wes Angelozzi
I stopped asking for permission.
Asking for permission is fear disguised as a question.
2022 was the year when I said f*ck it and decided to live life how I wanted to live it.
I stopped:
begging for a raise.
asking for a promotion.
seeking the approval of colleagues, friends and family.
working with people who are negative, sensitive and emotionally damaged.
I started:
my own side hustles to give myself a raise.
my own consulting business and crossed six-figure revenue in 6 months.
creating content to express myself and my work.
The truth is we are all going to be judged no matter what we do.
So you might as well be judged for things you value and care about.
When you stop asking for permission and start creating, watch your life satisfaction and results skyrocket.
I started thinking of success in 5-year timelines
Whenever I want to achieve something big, I ask myself:
Could I stick it out for five years in silence?
If I can’t, I don’t even bother starting. If you can start thinking of success in 5-year timelines you are unstoppable.
Most people can stick things out for 1–2 years. Some might go to 3–4 years.
Very few can do 5 years or more. It’s just human nature.
I am not talented in anything I do, I can just outlast most people.
“Over long time frames, simply staying in the game is impressive.
- Health and fitness: Can you stay injury free and not miss workouts?
- Wealth and finance: Can you avoid debt and continue to save?
- Business: Can you maintain cash flow and stay in business?
Longevity is its own form of greatness.”
Aside from being a superstar athlete, there are a few things in life that can’t be achieved with hard work and dedication over a 5 year period.
The best time to start was 5 years ago, the second best time to start is now.
I started to take ownership of everything.
Whenever something goes wrong in my life, I look at how my actions contributed to the situation.
I try not to attribute blame to anyone else or anything else. I often fail at this. But it is the attempt that counts.
When someone at work mucked up a room booking, I asked myself what I could have done to ensure that situation never happened again.
When there was a miscommunication with a client on a due date, I asked myself whether I was clear enough in my communication.
These might seem like mundane examples, but ownership over one thing creates ownership over everything.
If you can’t take ownership of the small things that happen in your life, how do you expect to take ownership of the big things?
As you continue to practice this, you become more empowered. Your actions have more impact than you think. Every choice you make is a direct consequence of the results of your life.
Even if some things really aren’t your fault, blaming someone or getting angry won’t change the situation. It will probably only make it worse.
Nothing is really a mistake if leads to an improvement in your system. You either learn or succeed.
Wrapping it up...
Look, I could go on and on, but I think these four mindsets are a great place to start. They’ve worked for me, and they just might work for you too.
I know what you’re probably thinking it is hard to believe that something as easy as changing your mindset can be so powerful and effective.
And, admittedly, it does take a bit of work to tweak your own thoughts and feelings about every situation in life.
But the only way I’ve ever been able to change anything about my life is by changing how I think about it, and then acting on those new thoughts.
You can’t be what you can’t think.
Your mind is a muscle that can be trained and strengthened through small amounts of effort that you invest in over time.
__________________
If you enjoyed this article, you can connect with me HERE.
You can also support more of my work by becoming a Medium Member using my referral link: michael-lim.medium.com