Mind your Mindset
This past weekend when I was doing yard work I thought to myself “this process feels familiar, what does it remind me of?” And then it dawned on me-doing yard work is a lot like doing mindset work…
🌱 Doing yard work and mindset work both require effort.
A well manicured yard won’t happen by accident and neither will a healthy mindset. They both require time, effort, and planning. Just like our yards, there is a direct correlation between the amount of effort we put into our mindset and the quality of it. If we want to make changes, we have to be willing to do the work.
If you don’t put effort into your yard, you know what happens. The weeds will grow out of control, there will be parts of your yard you’re too scared to venture into, and the neighbors will probably start to complain. When it comes to mindset that translates to having your mind be dominated by powerful yet unhelpful thoughts, being too afraid to do shadow work or face the parts of yourself that you’re not proud of, and if our mindset is so negative that it starts to impact our words and behaviors, this could lead to people not wanting to be around us.
🌱 Doing yard work and mindset work both require intentionality.
Intention is the act of doing something in a specific way for a specific reason. It’s about knowing what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. This usually requires thinking about things before we get started and making a plan.
For example, when it comes to doing my yard work, I’m going to think in advance of everything that needs to be done and then put it in the order that makes the most sense. I wouldn’t rake my yard before I trim the bushes. If I do, I’m going to have to rake the yard a second time, which would be a less productive use of my time.
When it comes to changing our thoughts, we have to do so in a certain way that works with the subconscious mind and not against it. For more information on working with the subconscious, check out this blog post-Why Affirmations Are BS and grab your free download of the Rewrite Your Subconscious Beliefs Workbook. You can also schedule a session with me, by using my Contact Form.
🌱 Doing yard work and mindset work both require specific tools.
When we do yard work, most of us choose to use tools to assist with that process. We use a lawnmower, a weed eater, a rake, hedge clippers, etc. We don’t use all the tools to do all the things though. We use specific tools for specific parts of the process. We don’t cut the grass with hedge clippers (I’m assuming we don’t anyway) and we don’t cut the bushes with a lawnmower. We make sure to pick the tool that will be most efficient for that specific part of the process.
We can use specific tools when it comes to changing our mindset as well. Specific thoughts have to be reframed in a specific way in order to be effective. For example, if one of my problematic thinking patterns involves “should” type thoughts, I’m not going to reframe them in the same way I would reframe a “black and white” thought. They’re different, they require different tools. A counselor can help you learn these tools and know when to use which ones.
🌱 Having a well manicured yard and a healthy mindset both require maintenance.
I don't cut my grass and trim my bushes one time and expect that I’ll never have to do it again. No, on the contrary, I understand that it is something that I will have to do regularly if I want it to look a certain way.
Mindset is the same. I don’t just get to make one change in my thoughts and expect that I’ll never have to do it again. I have to monitor what is going on in my head regularly if I want to stay on top of it and in control of what is occurring there.
🌱 The type of yard work and mindset work we need to do will be impacted by the season we are in.
Different seasons require different tasks. I know that in spring, I will be more focused on planting new seeds. In summer, I will be cutting more grass. By fall, I will be raking more leaves. And in winter, I kind of get a break when it comes to yard work.
Taking care of your mindset will not always look the same. There will be different seasons there also. There will be times when you will be more focused on creating new thoughts and beliefs, times when you are more focused on weeding out unhelpful thoughts, and times where you’re doing regular check-ins to make sure things are still going the way you want.
It’s important to realize that seasons go in cycles. We don’t judge the seasons for changing, we just understand that’s how nature works. Apply that same concept to your mindset. If you’re in a season where you are having to do deeper level mindset work and especially if you’re working through mindset shifts you thought you had already made-you didn’t do anything wrong, you didn’t go backwards, that’s just the season you’re in. Embrace it, make the changes, and keep moving forward.
Here comes the most important thing to remember when it comes to doing mindset work:
🌱 You. Are. The. Gardener.
This is where yard work and mindset work start to vary. When it comes to doing yard work, you have options. You can do it all by yourself, you can enlist friends or family to help you, or you can outsource it completely and pay a company to take care of it.
But when it comes to your mindset, you are the only gardener and you are 100% responsible for what occurs there. You are responsible for the information you allow to enter in and you are responsible for the words and behaviors that come out. You and only you.
This can be both good and bad news. Bad news because we have to take accountability if we’ve let our thoughts become overgrown, but good news, because no matter what we have done in the past, we have the option to change at any point.
So take an inventory…what is the condition of your mind garden right now? Do the weeds need to be pulled? Do seeds need to be planted? Does it need a lot of work or some light maintenance? Whatever stage you’re in, don’t judge it, accept that’s where you’re at. If you’re not where you want to be, then make a plan, get your tools, and start doing “yard” work!
Mind your mindset and weed often,
