THE SOLUTION TO A SIMPLE, MEANINGFUL, WELL-DESIGNED LIFE /
THE F Ê T E / LIF E PROJECT NO.
48
SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE BY ELEVATING YOUR MINDSET Welcome to the Fête/Life Project – a collection of helpful, useful and practical articles that can be applied to life at any time, but especially now. Sourced from the many magazines we have released, our message has never been more relevant or needed by our community today… let’s embrace the simple life and treasure what is truly important – human connection, community, self care and pure acts of kindness. SUPPORT WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST /
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STORY / AJA NICOLE EDMOND
S I M P L I F Y YO U R L I F E B Y E L E VAT I N G YO U R M I N D S E T The right mindset is the critical requisite for any kind of growth — be it personal or professional — including simplifying your life. To answer this, schedule a few minutes
I’m not a New Age disciple and though
On the contrary, positive mental states –
inspiring, I don’t follow the teachings
such as through mindfulness as Harvard
throughout each day (for the next seven
of The Secret or other law of attraction
Business Review reports – seem to change
days) to stop and unpack what you are
theories. It’s not that these theories
our brains for the better and can be
thinking right then and there. Then jot
aren’t interesting, it’s that they can’t
responsible for less stress and anxiety,
it down in a daily journal.
be consistently validated or replicated.
increased memory and a stronger sense
Yet, I do believe in the power of thought and can’t ignore the profound outcomes
of self…
At the end of a week you’ll have a comprehensive log of feedback that
“Mindfulness should no longer be
will help you determine whether your
I’ve witnessed in my life and the lives
considered a ‘nice-to-have' for executives.
thoughts skew negative or positive,
of the clients I coach as a result of
It’s a ‘must-have' – a way to keep our
and under what context.
elevated thinking. Without fail, elevated thinking yields positive results and seems particularly useful in imparting awareness, clarity and focus – what I deem as the ‘trifecta' of simple living. If you are fascinated by the field of positive thinking but have been hesitant to fully adopt the concepts because of lack of proof, look no further.
brains healthy, to support self-regulation and effective decision-making capabilities, and to protect ourselves from toxic stress. It can be integrated into one’s religious or spiritual life, or practiced as a form of secular mental training. When we take a seat, take a breath and commit to being mindful, particularly when we gather with others who are doing the same, we have the potential to be changed.” HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
A plethora of science-backed research,
If life seems overly complicated it could led by reputable institutions and scientists, be because of the way you perceive things. wholeheartedly supports the notion that In short, there are thoughts that interfere
‘we are what we think'.
with your ability to be efficient and
Current studies have revealed fascinating
effective just like there are thoughts
insights, particularly around
that amplify your ability to be proficient
neuroplasticity — a relatively new branch
and productive.
within neurological medicine that studies
You can maximise the former and minimise
the mind’s ability to rewire itself. These studies are encouraging because the findings are based on clinical trials
the latter by rewiring your mind. Let’s discuss how in five steps…
that, when set up correctly, reveal
STEP 1 / MONITOR YOUR THOUGHTS
repeatedly observable results on a
The first step in shifting your way of
statistically significant population. As a life and business coach I’ve used these findings to experiment with novel ways to help my clients streamline their lives – and life’s work – for instance by
thinking is to assess how you think under certain circumstances. Taking inventory of your thoughts will help you understand how you tend to frame situations. “Framing is one way the brain finds
establishing a clear purpose, setting up
patterns in chaos (its primary survival
efficient processes for pursuing their
function) and creates meaning out of
purpose and overcoming setbacks so
meaninglessness … there's always a
they keep making progress.
point of view and it biases the view by
Research shows that negative thinking releases stress-producing hormones that can be destructive to our brain's normal
emphasising or including certain aspects of the situation or experience while omitting or devaluing others.” PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
functioning, having a significant and lasting effect on our physical and emotional well-being.
The question is, do you have a propensity for pessimistic or optimistic framing? Are you a glass half full or half empty type of person?
STEP 2 / MEASURE YOUR MOOD
Consider how specific thoughts are linked to certain emotions. According to the book ‘Thinking Fast and Slow', written by Nobel prize-winning author, Daniel Kahneman, there are two systems of thought: Intuitive Thinking — fast and automatic biases governed subconsciously by the emotions (for instance, having a gut reaction to some event). Rational Thinking — slow and deliberate evaluations and logical conclusions managed by our conscious mind. Most of the time we use intuitive thinking to judge, decide and act because depending on the subconscious is swifter and less taxing on the brain. Though intuitive thought is faster and more efficient, it’s not without biases that may cloud how we perceive certain situations. That’s because our subconscious mind relies on memories of past experiences to provoke emotions and those memories aren’t always useful or relevant to the situation at hand. You can measure your intuition and subsequently exert more mastery over your mood, by doing the following… Having a list of emotions readily available so you are able to articulate your feelings. Reading through your thought journal and considering how certain thoughts and the way you frame them, make you feel. Being more in tune with your subconscious mind so you can detect and manage thoughts and emotions that bubble up automatically.
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STEP 3 / MAP MOOD TO HABITS
“We all have an internal monologue that
If what you tell yourself is incongruent
At this point, it’s time to fixate on the
we engage in from time to time; an inner
emotions that tend to be more prominent
voice that guides our moment-to-moment
your self-talk is reasonable, switch it up
than others – and determine how they
reflections. Although people frequently
with positive interrogation (a research-
influence your actions, habits and
engage in such ‘self-talk', recent findings
backed method of self-inquiry that
behaviours, for the better or worse.
indicate that the language they use to refer
encourages your mind to seek solutions)
This is an important next step of the elevated thinking process because your emotional state directly impacts your health. Harvard Health researchers found a direct correlation between positive outlook and good health (both psychological and physical…
with your current mindset, be sure that
to the self when they engage in this process and use action to make it more believable. influences self-control. Specifically, using one’s own name to refer to the self during introspection, rather than the first-person pronoun ‘I', increases people's ability to control their thoughts, feelings and behaviour under stress." SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
To break it down, once you’ve determined
In combination, self-talk (or self-inquiry) and action trains your brain to accept these new ideas as truth. This is one of the most profound findings gaining more and more support in the field of neuroplasticity. STEP 5 / TAKE INSPIRED ACTION
The key insight from these findings is this…
specific thoughts and emotions that are
if your mind is cluttered and cynical and
damaging, when they arise you can start
perceives things to be complex, your life
for 20 years, for example, [researchers]
to manage them by speaking to yourself
will mirror that.
found that emotional vitality – a sense
as if you were talking to another person
of enthusiasm, of hopefulness, of
(for example, using your name or ‘you').
“In a 2007 study that followed more than 6,000 men and women aged 25 to 74
engagement in life and the ability to face life’s stresses with emotional balance – appears to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The protective effect was distinct and measurable, even when taking into account such wholesome behaviours as not smoking and regular exercise.” HARVARD HEALTH
As you work through your thought journal and tag thoughts to emotions, tally up any that seem perpetually negative. Then try to recall whether these unfavourable emotions provoke bad habits. Some emotions – despite being negative – are harmless because you are able to contain them. It’s those that cause an adverse impact on different areas of your life that you’ll want to target and adjust. That’s because some bad habits not only stop you from thriving (e.g. developing and succeeding in life) but maybe even surviving (e.g. causing stress and strain on the mind and body).
This is why it is of utmost importance that you train your brain with elevated thoughts
For instance, when I go running the first
particularly if you want to live simply and
five to ten minutes are always the most
with intention.
painful. My body typically resists in the form of stomach cramps, laboured breathing and thoughts urging me to stop. The only way I persist through this starting phase is to talk to myself – ‘Aja just slow down, control your breath and go at your own pace ... you know the first few minutes are always the most difficult, but it’ll get easier ... this discomfort is nothing new, you’ll hit your stride shortly'. And a few minutes into the run the thoughts subside and I do hit my stride — and typically have a great workout. However, my personal experience is that self-talk without action is only half the
But to accomplish this, it’s not enough to just chant affirmations occasionally. You can’t just wink an eye and think a good thought and expect miraculous outcomes. You have to build a repertoire of tactics that cultivate mental discipline and enable you to build good habits. So think about the areas that seem particularly difficult in your life — and diligently use the steps above to reframe and streamline the situation. When in an elevated state of mind you’ll begin to view life as easy and your reality will soon reflect that belief.
battle. If I’m lying in bed in the morning I need self-talk plus discipline to actually get up, put on my running gear and make it out the door. Self-talk without action is nothing but a set of lies you tell yourself — and your
STEP 4 / MAKE CHANGES ACCORDINGLY
mind knows the difference. Some research
AJA EDMOND IS A LIFE, BUSINESS
Once you’re able to isolate the thoughts
has even shown that merely repeating
AND FINANCIAL COACH
and emotions that make you feel the
positive self-statements can backfire
worst and that lead to poor decisions
and make you feel worse, especially if
and behaviours, you’ll be more motivated
you already struggle with low self-esteem.
to make the necessary changes.
This is the reason why many Law of
WHO HELPS HUNDREDS OF ENTREPRENEURS, CREATIVES AND BUSINESS OWNERS PURSUE FREEDOM, FULFILMENT AND FINANCIAL SUCCESS BY CLARIFYING THEIR PURPOSE,
There are many different methods you
Attraction enthusiasts end up frustrated
could use to experiment with better
by subpar results. They are led to believe
thinking, but one that seems particularly
that positive affirmations and
BELIEFS THAT HINDER PROGRESS.
promising is called third-person self-talk.
visualisations alone can change their
According to the research published in
situation but they end up setting up
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Scientific Reports…
an even stronger psychological barrier
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that keeps them stuck.
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