Mindset spotlight – preparing for a great 2023

As we finish up our last tasks for 2022 and get ready for a well-earned break, it helps so much to pause and take stock of the good things that came from the past year. What wins did your Business have? What great staff do you have to thank for their dedication and efforts? What jobs went well? And what do you want to change in 2023?

Whether or not we realise it, our mindset in 2022 has played a major role in our wins and losses this year. Our mindset is the most important factor in determining the success of our Business and our ability to sail through the challenges we face. It affects our confidence in our Business, how we interact with others, the decisions and choices we make, and how we view the world around us. And therefore ultimately, it affects either the success, or the struggle of our Business. Looking ahead to a better 2023 – is it possible to change our mindset to allow for more happiness and success in business and life? Absolutely!

A happy and positive mindset makes all the difference to our success. Our brains are actually wired to work at their best when we’re feeling positive. We do our best work, make the best decisions, and are the best version of ourselves when we’re feeling good. However, we all know that feeling good doesn’t always come easy – it’s not just a switch we can flick on, and in fact sometimes it feels like a distant reality.

Understanding the process of how our thoughts affect our reality, can help to motivate us into changing our thought patterns and behaviours, and therefore changing our outcomes. • The process starts with our thoughts – are they positive or negative? Is Business easy, or hard? What are we focussing on? • The filters in our brain then show us more events and circumstances to match these thoughts – meaning we’ll either notice more of the good things going on around us, or we’ll notice more of the challenges and struggles around us. • We then start to believe our thoughts or suspicions are actually true, because we see, or think we see, evidence of them everywhere. So, when we’re thinking good positive thoughts, we see more of the good things, and therefore we believe that life (and Business) is fundamentally good. However, when we’re thinking mostly negative thoughts, then we see more of the negative things around us, and we therefore come to believe that life (and Business) is a struggle. • Over time, our beliefs become our reality. Our negative thoughts and beliefs literally shut down the parts of our brain that would have helped us to find solutions to our problems.

Whereas deliberate positive thoughts and beliefs actually switch our brain on to identifying the information, resources and people we need to help us to thrive.

How does this pattern affect us?

• Our Day – Are our thoughts focused on all things going well or on the few negative situations? And how is this making us feel? • Our Health – The cells in our body literally listen to what our brain is telling them. When we hold onto thoughts of being sick, and we think and talk about our illnesses, then our brain sends messages out to the cells in our body to tell them we are sick, and our cells diligently oblige in keeping us unwell. When we change our thoughts to healing and being well, our cells conform to this message, and in this way we can help speed up our healing process. • Our Relationships – Are we more focused on the good qualities of our loved ones, or on the things that annoy us, and how does this affect our relationship with them? • Our Business –If we are having to spend a significant amount of time focusing on things that aren’t going well, then we need

to make sure we balance this by deliberately taking note of all the things that are going well. Make a mental list of them each day, or even better, write them down, and feel as grateful you can for them. When we have a negative thought, we can take a moment, take a breath or two, and deliberately transition it into a positive thought. So next time you hit your thumb with a hammer, remember how lucky you are to have a nail gun.

Have a wonderful summer break, you deserve it.

Every positive thought helps to create a better future.

Rachelle Hawes is the Director of Your Happy Place Limited. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in improving Mindset, Happiness and Success to their flagship Mindset Programme, the Positive Mindset Challenge. She is also a Social Entrepreneur dedicated to Sharing Kindness, Touching Hearts and Changing Lives. www.positivemindsetchallenge.com