Small changes in your mindset can make a huge difference.
For many years, I used to have a terrible mindset. When something went wrong, I’d often say that it wasn’t my fault, and then do nothing to fix the situation. But as a result of having this mentality, it often became extremely difficult to succeed in any aspect of my life.
Deep down, I knew that I had to find a way to change my mindset and life for the better. The only problem? I didn’t know where to start. But while reading a book in the library, I came across a quote from Elon Musk, that completely changed my way of thinking. It goes like this:
I quickly realized that it was certainly possible to improve my mindset and future. How? By identifying the habits of happy people, and then implementing them into my own life. And sure enough, the strategy worked.
So below are several mindset shifts you can adopt to become extremely happy. Each of these insights changed my life for the better, and I’m sure they will do the same for you, too.
Focus On Making An Impact.
In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey wrote the sentence that’s been at the forefront of my mind for several years:
From personal experience, I’ve learned that a happy life isn’t just about making money or going on fancy vacations. It’s also about having extremely strong relationships that will last for the rest of your life.
So instead of trying to make a transaction with everyone you meet, a much better solution is to approach every interaction from a place of kindness and generosity. For example:
- At work, you could pay attention to what your colleagues are struggling with, so you can help them complete a project whenever you have spare time.
- At home, you could do something special for your family to let them know that you genuinely appreciate having them in your life.
- You could take your spouse out on a surprise date to somewhere they love, so you can spend more time together doing things you enjoy.
You get the idea. When you go out of your way to make an impact in the lives of people around you, they’ll certainly be grateful for everything you do.
Ignore The Critics.
Chances are, you have a dream in your mind that you want to achieve. So when you stop listening to people who doubt you, you’ll naturally spend more time with those who want you to succeed. Like the Greek philosopher, Epictetus once said:
Here’s the thing: If people aren’t trying to help you become your best self, they’re probably holding you back. So take a moment to evaluate the people that you spend a lot of time with.
Do they inspire you to fulfill your potential? Will they support you whenever you need advice? If the answer to either of those questions is no, you need to change your social circle. Now.
For a long time, I was reluctant to audit the people around me. The truth is that I didn’t want to let go of the relationships I built while living in my small UK hometown.
But as I thought about it, I remembered how they’d often tell me to give up my unrealistic dream of becoming a successful writer. Within a few weeks of letting them go, I found myself living a much happier and fulfilling life than I ever thought possible.
I understand exactly how you feel. It’s difficult to let go of people who don’t want the best for you. But once you start spending more time with people who inspire you to become your best self, you’ll quickly find yourself achieving a lot more than ever before.
So if you want to improve every aspect of your life for the better, start by making an impact and spending more time with people who genuinely want you to succeed.
And if you can do that every day, you’ll quickly find yourself living a much happier life than you ever thought possible.
So what are you waiting for?
Start now.
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Featured Image by Christian Mack/Unsplash
