5 mindsets that changed my life
😀 Be interested, not interesting, what's inside is what comes out and more.
Hola mi amigo!
Welcome to the 144th consecutive edition of the newsletter.
Each week I share mindset secrets that have helped me be happier, healthier and wealthier.
This week I’m sharing 5 that have changed my life dramatically.
Steal shamelessly and share generously.
*****
On a personal note…
My sister had back surgery last week. Four days later she was able to walk out of the hospital — albeit with a walker.
It’a amazing how far medical procedures have come.
I’ll probably stay another week to offer my (free) services to both her and my father, who is in the process of moving into a new place.
It has certainly been a chaotic month for me, but my daily habits for success have held up remarkably well.
And that’s because I designed them to work on my “worst” day.
Designing habits that work no matter where my feet are and no matter how my day is going is one of the smartest things I have ever done for myself.
Get 5 new mindsets in your inbox every Sunday.
🧠Mindset #1…
Where I got this.
I heard this about 20 years ago while attending a seminar by Dr. Wayne Dyer.
Why I love it.
He illustrated his point by talking about an orange. When you squeeze it, orange juice comes out — because that’s what’s inside. It’s the same with us. When we get squeezed, what’s inside is what comes out. It might be anger, self-loathing, insecurity, anxiety etc.
What it makes me think of.
It reminds me that every “ugly” reaction I have is because that’s what is inside of me. I can either make excuses for it, blame it on others, or own my sh*t and use it as a self-improvement opportunity.
🧠 Mindset worth stealing → When you get squeezed, what's inside is what comes out.🧠Mindset #2…
Where I got this.
It was inspired by this James Clear quote — “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Why I love this.
Because it got me thinking about my own quote — “We do not rise to the level of our strengths. We fall to the depths of our weaknesses.”
What it makes me think of.
The visual that comes to mind is a chain where one of the links is cracked. It doesn’t matter how much you reinforce the other links, the chain is still only as strong as that weakest link and when stressed beyond its capacity, it’s going to break. So too it is with each of us.
🧠 Mindset worth stealing → We are only as strong as our greatest weakness.🧠Mindset #3…
Where I got this.
This has been influenced by all the reading and research I have done over the past couple of decades on mindset and behaviour change.
Why I love it.
It’s my reminder that the words I use to describe myself matter. I NEVER want to say anything that I don’t want to be true about myself.
What it makes me think of.
The Placebo Effect. The reason it works is because our brain believes what we tell it. My job is to make sure I am only saying things about myself that I want to be true.
🧠 Mindset worth stealing → Never say anything about yourself that you don't want to be true. 🧠Mindset #4…
Where I got this.
This is another Deanism that has evolved over the past 4 years of successfully losing weight and keeping it off.
Why I love this.
Most people think the ability to make big changes ends sometime in our 30s. But there is so much about the brain that we do not know. It is an incredible organ that continues to evolve and grow no matter how old we are.
What it makes me think of.
It reminds me of a story of someone who saw my weight loss story. I was 54 when I transformed my body. He was 33 and thought that the body he had was the body he was going to be stuck with for the rest of his life. My weight loss success story, at an age when people think such changes are not possible, made him realize that his age was not an obstacle for creating profound changes.
🧠 Mindset worth stealing → Your brain will continue to grow and evolve as long as you do. 🧠Mindset #5…
Where I got this.
This came about when someone told me something they heard from someone else. Whoever I had been talking to was impressed with how interested I was in what they had to say.
Why I love this.
I am fascinated with people and their stories, so I spend a lot of time asking questions and listening to what they have to say. Getting the above feedback made me realize that I can have a far greater impact on people by being interested vs. trying to be interesting. The latter means I am babbling on about myself and how “great???” I think I might be.
What this has me thinking about.
Listening with genuine interest is a superpower that makes me an anomaly in a world where people can’t stop talking about themselves.
🧠 Mindset worth stealing → Be interested, not interesting. I hope you enjoyed that. Thanks for reading.
See you next Sunday my friend.
And hey — keep being awesome.
Dean 🇨🇦