Happy New Year! I hope you had a fantastic time full of bubbly, sparklers, and cheer! I’ll admit that I spent a majority of my NYE on the couch binge watching episodes of 90 Day Fiancé (one of my guilty pleasures) and The Twilight Zone. As we all rise from our beds with new expectations and goals for how we want to kickstart 2022, I wanted to focus on more than just lifestyle changes and resolutions, but actual changes in your mentality. You can direct your mind toward tackling goals and handling self care through simple mental exercises, uplifting self-talk, and meditation. So without further introduction, here are my top 7 tips for reorienting your mind this year.

1. Retrain your brain to notice 3 positive changes a day – Let’s be completely candid and honest with ourselves here, focusing on everything that’s supposedly going wrong in your life is immensely easier than appreciating things that are beneficial. Seeing the glass as half empty instead of half full requires less concentration and thought. There have been plenty of times where I felt like I was having “crumby days,” I felt overloaded and overwhelmed with numerous tasks and commitments I prematurely signed myself up for; I felt like I had drained myself of any remaining creative inspiration as I robotically began reciting my to-do list again and again, thinking that would conjure up some sort of motivational thought; and I had once again allowed my breakfast to get cold with each passing moment because I expended all of my energy contemplating how I was going to survive my workload for the next several hours. Sometimes, the only forms of comfort I relied on to overcome my perceived shortcomings were coffee and prayer. I’m pretty sure we’ve all had those moments, but we should make an effort to notice the positive aspects of the day, even if they’re minor. For instance, I woke up this morning. I have the ability to fulfill my business aspirations. I don’t have to get all of these tasks completed right this second. I bring more than enough to the table, meaning it’s okay to be human and take short breaks to recharge and keep growing. Perfecting this mindset requires a lot of energy, diligence, and patience, but it can be done, it can also provide an incentive to power on!

2. Accept that change will happen regardless if you’re involved or not – The sooner you accept that life is short, time is limited, and your ego occasionally needs doses of humility, the sooner you realize that ideas and perceptions are subject to change. Change is a rite of passage and could happen gradually or with no sudden warning. If you don’t mentally fortify yourself and adjust accordingly, you will remain stagnant against the rising tides. I initially had this mindset with my business. My concept of professionalism was solely discussing your services, to reveal any form of vulnerability or informality was a breach of contract between you and your audience. It wasn’t until I used social media more that I realized a business page can adopt the same flair and openness as your personal account. You can inject your personality into your brand, showing that your business is an extension of you rather than an outside entity. 

3. Make personal development a priority for yourself – This can be incredibly challenging considering all of your other commitments but hear me out, integrating personal development into your daily routine is more than marking “yoga” off your checklist. It involves self-reflecting, spiritual practice, self-inquiry, meditation, and viewing things in retrospect. Similar to other tasks, personal growth should be done with intention, you’re embracing change and learning how to manage the inevitable stress that comes with the rollercoasters of life. 

4. Imagine the inevitable and make concessions – Whether we’d like to admit it or not, we often internalize this superhero persona, acting like we can juggle it all when in reality we’re accomplishing nothing because we’re spreading ourselves too thin. We tend to pile on duties and make promises that we subconsciously know we can’t keep for the sake of pleasing others. We refuse to say “no” because saying “no” not only warrants disappointment from the expecting party, but also implicates a so-called “limitation” to your abilities. Instead of having a skewed perspective on the word “no” we should redefine it as a source of empowerment given the context. You understand your boundaries, workload, and reality of your current situation, meaning adding another project to your jam-packed list may lead to hastily put-together, low-quality work. Even if you manage to submit a high-quality piece, what did it cost? Sleepless nights, constantly snoozed alarms, longer response times, and mental and physical exhaustion. Consider the consequences of not effectively spacing out your time commitments, it can lead to missed deadlines and sloppy results. If you can’t say no, at least make concessions that meet your needs so you’re not scrambling over a messy desk at 2am wondering where the timeframe for your deliverables went. 

5. Create new habits that support your mindset change – Reinforce your newfound mindset with action. You’ve upgraded from your fixed mindset to a growth oriented one, now it’s time to put it to the test. Jot down your learnings and daily achievements and convert them into actionable steps and target goals. Remember, long-term goals exist too, so you don’t have to make significant changes every night, even slight shifts create a monumental impact. Expanding from the destination to the journey allows you to enjoy the present moment, practice being mindful, and celebrate small successes that reinforce positive thinking. 

6. Match your mindset to your goals – Selecting a goal also means selecting a mindset. Get in the habit of asking yourself “What mindset do I need to achieve this goal?” along with “What mindset did people have when successfully accomplishing this goal?” For example, if you’re interested in adopting a healthier lifestyle, embody the attitude and values of healthy and fit people. Physical trainers and nutritional experts might say, “My body is my temple and I love nourishing it daily with healthy foods and exercise.” If your goal is to implement health and fitness into your schedule, you now have that outlook in mind, which propels your brain to internalize that mindset and solidify it with concrete steps. Reading books from excellent minds and experts can also help in adopting their thinking. You can learn how to alter your thinking by attending events, taking courses, reading books, or enrolling in life coaching. 

7. Change your self-talk and language – We all suffer from imposter syndrome, which means doubting your abilities and feeling like you’re a fraud. You’ll find it difficult to accept your accomplishments if you’re constantly lambasting yourself with statements like “I’m not good enough to achieve my dreams.” As my parents always say “there’s power in your thoughts and tongue,” if you think lowly of yourself it will reflect your circumstances and reality. Imposter syndrome will cause you to diminish your expectations and prevent you from reaching the lifestyle that you desire. Upgrade your mindset by flipping your negative self-talk into empowerment speech, like “I’m capable of anything I put my mind to,” “I can do this,” or “I’m worthy of success.” This can also prompt you to leap outside of your comfort zone and eliminate setbacks. When you revolutionize your inner dialogue and narrative, perform a 180 on the way you communicate with people. Avoid phrases that excuse negative thought patterns or behavior like “I’m always like this” or “I’m always doing this.” This can be emotionally draining, not just for yourself, but for others to hear. Practice discussing the things going well in your life instead of complaining about your problems. These habits of self-awareness will encourage abundance instead of fear and emptiness.