Monday Motivating Mindset

THE HYPE

 

This weeks Motivating Mindset will help you see things more clearly and live with more clarity.

 

THE CHALLENGE

 

Your Mindset challenge this week is getting in the habit of asking yourself:

"What else could this mean?"

 

THE PROMISE

 

Ask yourself this question in every instance you are searching for meaning and you will gain new perspectives.

  

 

THE TIPS

Have you ever got confused, angry, sad, hurt, frustrated, nervous, stressed, anxious, or upset?

If you are human then you have definitely have experienced at least one or two of these negative emotions.

Chances are, you may even be experiencing them on a daily basis.

If you want to reduce the amount of those feelings in your life a great question to ask yourself is: "What else could this mean?"

Human beings see the world first through our brains and then use our eyes to generate a matching perspective.

We see whatever we believe, i.e. seeing is believing... We also ignore what we don't want to believe... i.e. ignorance is bliss.

In general people underestimate their natural abilities and overestimate their weaknesses.

This means that your situation is probably not as bleak as you imagine, and you're more strong and talented than you give yourself credit. 

Yet we tend to think that everybody thinks, feels and acts the same way, or at least they should in most cases.

You think this way if you have ever got upset at someone with a different approach to doing things than you.

If you traveled with 12 of your closest friends on a trip for a month you would quickly spot exactly just how different you are.

But if during that trip you were faced with a problem that took all of you to solve, you may walk away more appreciative of our differences.

Our perspectives are by design as unique as our fingerprints, with no two being the exact same.

There is a beautiful and divine purpose as to why we all think, feel and act differently.

The truth is that it takes all sorts to make the world go round. 

The sooner that we appreciate and believe this then the sooner the conflicts and wars around the world will end.

You can make a big difference in your life and the lives of others simply by asking one question:

"What else could this mean?"

Answering this question will help you gain perspectives, feel empathy and increase awareness.

When was the last time you stopped to consider that there might be another way at looking at the situation?

Here is your challenge for the next week...

The next time you are frustrated, confused, angry or upset ask yourself this power question.

Try asking it the next time that you are stuck on a problem or arrive at a dead-end.

Ask it to yourself the next time you are in the middle of a so-called crisis.

Ask a friend this question the next time they are emotional and distraught over something.

The more that you ask yourself this question the more easily you will be able to come up with alternative ideas.

Remember, the answers that you come up with are not the most important part of the process, rather it is simply the awareness of all your alternatives.

To change anything in your life requires that you choose a new path, because you cannot change what you don't know.

A great question to ask yourself to gain awareness and perspective is: "What else could this mean?"

THE SECRET

We live in a world that is infinitely filled with all sorts, shapes and sizes of information.

Our ability to recognize, access and change information creates endless potential and possibilities for our species.

From cloning mammals to Cuban missiles we have the power to use information to both create and destroy life.

However we must always remember that information itself is neither inherently good or bad. 

For instance the Ying and Yang symbol tells us there is a little bit of good in evil, and a little bit of evil in good.

Information will always make the world go round and it will forever just be information.

Ultimately it is the person who uses the information that applies the purpose and meaning to it.

We can use information to empower and improve our lives, or we can use the same information to hinder and hamper our progress.

This choice is entirely up to us and is determined on the basis by the type and quality of questions we ask our self. 

For a specific example of how this might play into your life consider the following scenario or one like it:

You have arranged to meet your partner or good friend for dinner and you arrive on time at a restaurant. 

After about 10 minutes and the person still hasn't shown up you begin to dialogue with yourself and say “typical, she is always late, she simply has no respect for other people”. 

Stop! Wait-a-minute, immediately taking up a position like this is not going to prove very useful for your emotions is it?

Also, think about the type of evening you are setting yourself up for if and when the person does show up. It's not likely going to be a fun and friendly night will it?

Before you are temped to take your next shower in negative emotions, how about if you asked yourself "What else could this mean?"

Just by asking the question you have now given yourself some choices.

Start brainstorming from the other person's perspective and put yourself in their shoes.

Do you think they are doing this to intentionally hurt or upset you? If so, then perhaps it is time to find some new friends or even family to hang around.

If you realize that they probably didn't do it on purpose, then perhaps you could change the internal dialogue in your head to reflect something more understanding and empathetic.

For example you might think "she must really care about me because she is obviously taking the time to look her best”, or “How thoughtful of me was it to pick a restaurant that is notorious for no parking."

Coming from a perspective like this you can see how you can eliminate the build up of negative emotions and free yourself from "reacting" when they finally arrive.

With that perspective how much easier it would be avoid any arguments, make sure you put in a real effort, and try your best to salvage the rest of the night.

Think and reflect for a moment on the last time that you had an argument with a loved one. 

Try and briefly regain those feelings by seeing what you saw, hearing what you heard and feeling what you felt. 

Now take a moment and recreate the dialogue that was going on inside your head at the time. What are you saying to yourself?

Are you asking questions that are helping or are you asking questions that are likely to exacerbate the situation and lead to an argument? 

At times like this we often disappear inside our heads and look for ways to justify our feelings and support our behaviour.

Would you like to put a hugely positive spin on the situation instead by changing your state and outlook?

The alternative is to ask yourself the question "What else could this mean?" to contemplate new and more powerful perspectives.