3 Ways to Create a Winning and Healthy Mindset If we don't take the initiative to recondition our thought processes on a continual basis and work to develop our minds consistently, the harsh circumstances of life will do it for us.
By Matt Mayberry Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
One of the biggest determining factors whether someone lives a life of major contribution and greatness or ends up going to their grave with all of their potential still inside of them is mindset -- how we think and feel, largely about ourselves.
Think of your mind as the Grand Master, the ruler of your destiny, because that's exactly what it is. How we think and feel is determined by how we see the world, and how we see the world is determined by how we see ourselves. Unfortunately, when something goes wrong in someone's life, they begin to look at the world and themselves with a limited vision.
They put on blinders and neglect to see all of the potential that is still out in front of them. The failure, hardship or pain that they are currently experiencing completely shrinks their belief system and takes over their thought processes.
Related: How Positivity Makes You Healthy and Successful
It's our job to change this cycle and get ourselves back on track by reconditioning our minds. How we think and what we think about is up to us. If we don't take the initiative to recondition our thought processes on a continual basis and work to develop our minds consistently, the harsh circumstances of life will do it for us.
Here are three ways to help you develop your mind and work to interrupt negative and toxic thoughts that may be holding you back from unleashing your full potential into the world.
1. Create a grand vision for your life.
So many struggle with taking control of their minds and seeing all of the true beauty that life has to offer because of a lack of vision. It's important that we create a grand vision for our lives because that's what pushes us forward despite whatever hardship or negative situation may be present at the moment.
Oprah Winfrey said it best: "Create the highest, grandest vision for your life, because you become what you believe."
If you can't see it for yourself then it will never happen. You must be able to see yourself victorious. You must be able to see yourself building a remarkable and dominant organization. You must be able to see yourself get out of debt and become financially independent. If you can't see it, you'll never achieve it.
2. Make a trigger card.
Take a note card and write down your two most important goals in the past tense as if you have already accomplished them.
When Jim Carrey was a broke, struggling actor, he took a blank check and made it out to himself. He wrote it in the amount of $1 million. He dated it one year from that moment. Every day, he looked at his "trigger card" and knew that he would achieve his goal. In one year, he was earning more than $1 million.
Related: 5 Philosophies That Will Help You on Your Path to Success
In the same way, you can use numerous things as your "trigger card." Making a trigger card is one of the best ways that has made a profound difference in my life as far as interrupting negative and toxic thoughts and getting me back on track towards achieving my biggest goals at the moment.
As Anthony Robbins once said, "Begin to live as though your prayers are already answered."
3. Answer some of life's biggest questions.
What do you want your life to stand for? How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your contribution to the world to be? These are just three of many of life's biggest questions. By asking ourselves these intimate and extremely impactful questions, we get that much closer to living a life with purpose.
So many men and women unfortunately just coast along through their everyday lives, never really taking the time to even think about life's biggest questions, let alone answer them. This causes them to move further away from what ignites them so they can do meaningful work.
Find what tugs at your heart and how you want to live your life. Those that neglect taking the time to answer and think about some of life's biggest questions will always struggle with adopting a winning and healthy mindset, especially when adversity of any sort strikes.
It's safe to say that the world that we live in right now is full of distress. All it will take is to turn on the news or take a glance at the newspaper to come to that conclusion. With that being said, if you don't get serious about thinking of your mind as the grand master of your destiny and taking control of what you choose to think about, this messy and noisy world will do it for you.
Related: 6 Actions You Can Take Every Day to Build Your Self-Confidence
