3 Ways to Manage Your Mindset During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The unexpected impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) is a serious setback for all of us. Unfortunately, some people will not be able to make adjustments to keep their wheels in motion while others will remain unstoppable in pursuit of their goals and accomplishments. The truth is your mindset is ultimately what will make the difference in your ability to effectively deal with this current situation. There is a lot of negative information coming at you and unusual lifestyle changes taking place every day. It’s important that you manage your thoughts during this period of uncertainty and change. Managing your thoughts through these tough times will enable you not to be overcome no matter what happens. If you or know someone who is having a rough time making the adjustment to the world, we now find ourselves living in, here are 3 suggested ways to manage your mindset:

Start Off Your Day From A Position of Strength

Your day’s effectiveness is normally determined in the first few morning hours. If you start checking the Facebook newsfeed and emails when you get out of bed for an update on COVID-19, you will start to drift down the slippery slope of negative thinking. You cannot allow this situation to dominate your thoughts from morning until night. Begin your morning with an activity that will give you a positive mental focus. Tune out all the negativity in the world. Start with a brainstorming session of positive self-talk or listen to inspirational music to help uplift your thoughts. You might want to reserve the first two hours for prayer, meditation, and exercise to establish your thought process for the day.

Control What Goes In Your Head

Are you filling your mind with positive information or reading emails and listening to the rehash of COVID-19 news stories repeatedly? Stop immediately if you are doing the latter. You have no idea of the negative impact the constant intake of this information has on your sense of reality. No, the world is not coming to an end. Back away from it and your anxiety and stress levels are bound to go down. Be disciplined about the things you allow to go through your mind. Although you cannot change your current situation, you can opt to be more vigilant about the sort of information you choose to consume. This is an excellent opportunity to expand your reading to enhance your personal growth and development. Check out our Mind Power Reading list at. Also, take advantage of the positive learning materials on youtube and other media resources. Also, use this time to focus on what you intend to accomplish when things return to normal.  

Practice Gratitude

Yes, these are challenging times for all of us. Amid the storm, be encouraged to reflect on what you have to be grateful for. If you are not one the individuals laid up in the hospital fighting for life, there is much to be grateful for. If you have not lost a loved one, family, or friend, you should have no complaints. Think about how fortunate you are to spend this newfound time with your family and have a job to return to when this pandemic is over. If you lost your job, keep the faith that everything is going to work out. Be grateful for good health and a sound mind because there is nothing that you can’t accomplish. Most of all, be grateful for life. Remember, it is up to you to determine your reality going forward. Be grateful for this opportunity to repurpose your life.

I hope the above three strategies can change the way you respond to being housebound for weeks. Come to terms with the reality that life is not how you would like it to be, but it is what it is. How you respond to the shakeup of your normal daily routine, depends on your ability to manage your mindset. 

Written by Dr. RL Kight for Mind Power Solutions. Visit www.mindpowersolutions.com to learn more about our personal development and training services.

Enthusiasm: The best weapon in the battle against procrastination.

Enthusiasm is what makes the difference between reaching our goals and giving up before we get started. Henry Ford said, “Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.”   Henry Ford knew that enthusiasm is the fuel that propels people into action, and it's a powerful weapon in the battle  against procrastination.

I have learned that my level of enthusiasm has nothing to do with my feelings; my feelings wake up on a different side of the bed every day. To take control of my day, I choose the way I feel-I can't let my feelings control me. I have discovered that it’s up to us to shift to a positive frame of mind when feeling discouraged.  So, how do we keep ourselves motivated? How do we stay focused when a task is boring? How do we handle failure when our plan isn't going well?  Staying in the right frame of mind is no easy task.

Here are a few nuggets of wisdom I have found useful to maintain a high level of enthusiasm; they may help you along the way.

• Associate with positive thinkers; their self-confidence has a way of rubbing off on us.  Stay away from negative people. There’s nothing like meeting someone in the elevator first thing Monday morning and they already wish it was Friday.  I can’t wait to get away from them. Attitudes are contagious-negative people infect us with their negative attitudes. 

• Schedule difficult tasks for the time of day when your energy is highest. If you haven't determined the best time for you to tackle the day's least appealing jobs, try doing them as early as possible.  For instance, I find it much easier to go out for a 15-mile run on Saturday mornings at 6:00 am rather than at 3:00 pm.  My body functions better earlier in the day.

• Develop a mindset that no problem to too big for you to tackle.  Tackle the problem that's been a thorn in your side for a while. When you get in the habit of making things happen, your enthusiasm goes through the roof.  Delaying the task before you only lead to depression and anxiety.  You will feel energized and full of life once you have made what seemed impossible, possible.

• Identify the time of day when you are usually most efficient, schedule some of your least enjoyable tasks for that time.  When you breeze through a task with ease and competence, make a note of your frame of mind.  And ask yourself what factors might have contributed to making you more productive. When you start to discover a pattern, you will have found how to operate at a higher level every day.

• Stop holding yourself hostage to your failures of yesterday. Perhaps, we didn’t handle a situation as good as we should have.  That was then, and this is now.  We must continue to learn new things as if we were going to live forever, while living each day as if it were a new beginning.  Regardless of the task before us, we must give it our best because it could very well be our last day on earth.

 Always remember that enthusiasm is a choice. Mark Twain said, "Do something every day that you don't want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain."  Make the choice to be a person of action; get things done no matter how small or big the task.

Unleash Your Creative Thinking

There is a misconception that only a select few are gifted with the ability to engage in creative thinking. As result, we often hear statements such as “Only he/she could have come up with this marvelous idea.” In the workplace leadership tends to call on those supposedly creative thinkers for their insight and/or perspective. Unfortunately, too many of us doubt our own ability to produce creative ideas. I am here to tell you that we all have the power to engage in creative thinking.  

Creative thinking is a skill that can be learned. It’s nothing more than looking at things that everyone else sees, but in different ways.  It is about not being afraid to ask “why not?” It’s having the courage to go against the old status quo. Creative people and organizations constantly search for new solutions and opportunities to grow. They have the foresight to look at what appears to be a perfectly good situation and come up with new ideas to make it better. More importantly, creative thinking is having confidence in your ability to bring forth new ideas and opinions from within and not care what others think of them.

If you don't actively utilize your creative thoughts, this skill is likely to be view as non-existent. We all know people who once appeared to have a mind full of creative thoughts? For whatever reason, these creative juices seem to have vanished, and they find themselves stuck doing the same thing over and over producing meaningless results. 

So how do you unleash your creative thinking?  I’d like to offer several strategies that you may find helpful to tap into this hidden reservoir of ideas.

·       First, become a seeker of information. I am not suggesting that you absorb information just for the sake of it, I am saying that you should take in as much knowledge and learning as you can find. Read everything available -- good and bad and keep your mind open to the unlimited possibilities of the universe. I personally read at least three books per month to increase my knowledge base and awareness of various topics.  I have discovered the more you know, the more you'll want to know, and the more your creative thoughts will evolve. 

·       Second, engage in creative activities daily. There are a number of simple activities you can do to enhance your thinking process. Doodling is a simple but stimulating activity. Practice drawing for a couple of minutes each day. Take out your cell phone camera and start snapping photos of the world around you. Keep a journal and make a point to write in it every day. Before you know it, you'll have built yourself a tiny portfolio, and you'll be amazed at the growth you've undertaken and changes in your thinking process.

·       Third, thinking out of the box is not always the best route to take. Sometimes, constraints are actually a good thing. Creative freedom is great, but limitations enforce discipline. Reflect on how you can better utilize what you already have. For instance, forcing oneself to live within their financial means challenges them to come up with creative ideas to maximize the resources they have.  

·       Fourth, try something new every day and let the experience broaden your perspective. Explore a new community on your drive home from work. Spend an afternoon in a museum to which you've never gone before. Chat with a total stranger while traveling on public transportation.  Open up to the people around you. As you thrust yourself out of your comfort zone more and more each day, your sense of adventure grows and so will your zest for living.

·       Fifth, do something you have never done before. When was the last time you did something for the first time?  If it's been a while, I tell you, you've been missing out on a whole lot of experiences that could add to your growth, emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually. To run my first marathon (26.3 miles) at age 60 was a tremendous morale booster.  If running is not your thing, why don't you try bungee jumping or sky diving? Not only will you learn something about yourself, but you will also have plenty of stories to share, enabling you to improve your storytelling skills and make you a more outgoing person.  

I hope you feel inspired to start thinking beyond your self-imposed limitations. If you follow these steps, you'll soon be living a life full of adventure. Unleashing your creative thinking will make you far more productive and add meaning to your life.

Visit www.mindpowersolutions.com and leave us a comment.

Never Give in to Mother Nature, Negative Self-Talk and Discouragement

Over the past 16 years, I have developed into somewhat of a serious runner. I run a minimum of 4-5 days a week on an average of 45-50 miles. Running is something I got into during my mid-life transition. I absolutely hated running for most of my adult life. After several basketball and tennis injuries, I decided to get into running to stay physically fit.  It is now a year-round outdoor activity for me through winter, spring, summer, and fall.  The only thing that prevents me from running are severe weather conditions such as ice, snow, and thunder storms.

Running is as much mental as it is a physical activity.  It presents the same type of mental challenges that often prevent us from reaching our full potential in other areas of our lives.  In order become an effective runner, I have developed a mindset that has enabled me to master the challenges sent forth by mother nature, negative self-talk, and discouragement from other people. All of us at one time or another find ourselves in a tug of war with at least one of these three factors be it in our personal life or career.  My success has been based on my ability to daily take on and defeat these three challenges.  I will take this opportunity to further discuss how running has enabled me to develop the mindset to overcome the challenges of mother nature, negative self-talk, and discouragement.  

Mother Nature:  Mother nature can be harsh and brutal during the winter and summer months. She shows no mercy and has no sympathy for my desire to stay in physical shape. It’s easy to get up and go out to run at 5:00 am under good weather conditions.  However, there are days when Mother Nature sends elements of rain, heat with high humidity, and freezing temperatures to test my commitment to running. These weather conditions cause me to ask the question, “Do I really want to run today under these conditions or stay in the comfort of home?” Confronted with these weather conditions can make it a difficult decision.  Such decisions can either motivate you or paralyze you.  I next question is “do I let this stop me or do I continue out the door to accomplish my running goal and objectives. Running has taught me that we can’t control acts of nature or undeserved situations that occur in life, but we can control our response to them. We must keep moving forward to achieve our goals no matter the situation.

Negative Self-Talk: It would be untrue to I say I look forward to getting up to run when the clock alarm goes off at 4:30 am. My initial reaction on many mornings is to shut off the alarm and go back to sleep. I struggle against negative self-talk that says I’m tired and need more sleep and rest.  These are the mornings when I must dig deep within to change my mindset.  I fight against tiredness or soreness and push myself to complete those 8 to 10 miles run. If allowed to do so, negative self-talk can keep us from success even when victory is within our reach.  All too often, we allow negative words such as “can’t”, “might”, “maybe”, “try”, “but” to stop us from pursuing our dreams, hopes and aspirations. Running has taught me how to reverse negative self-talk to replace “I don’t want to” or “I can’t do this” to “Yes I Will” or “Yes I can” and go get it done.

Discouragement: To become a successful runner, I have learned to tune out discouraging comments from well-meaning people. There are people who make negative comments about my age, share reasons why they don’t run, highlight the possible damage I am doing to my body or bring up the danger of going out alone early in the morning. If I allowed these people to fill my head with all kinds of negative thoughts, I would have given up on running a long time ago. We often hear the same kind of negative comments when we set out to improve the quality of our lives or pursue our goals.  There are dream killers all around us and we must be mindful to block out their discouraging comments or they will destroy our spirit to compete. I try to never give my power away.

While you may have no desire to become a runner, we all face challenges from mother nature, negative self-talk, and discouragement daily. No matter what we desire in life, there will be obstacles, setbacks, and uncertainty along the way. How we respond to them depends on our mindset. We have free will to take them head-on and pursue our destiny despite them. Running is a great activity for physical wellness as well as mental growth and spiritual development.  Share this blog with at least 10 other people that you think would benefit from this discussion. 

Written by Dr. RL Kight for Mind Power Solutions.  Visit www.mindpowersolutions.com and let us know if you like.

A "Can Do" Mindset Makes a Difference in How We Live Our Lives

Mindset is often defined as our collective thoughts and outlook on the world. This plays a critical role in what we achieve and accomplish in our lives. It determines how we respond to adversities and experiences that challenge our well-being. It can also be a driving force to push us forward no matter where and under what conditions we were born while others fall short. It’s amazing how so few of us ever give consideration as to how our mental outlook influences our approach to life.  

Dr. Carol Dweck in her book MindsSet indicates that people have either a fixed or growth mindset that dictates their outlook on life. People with the fixed mindset tend to stay stuck and not to live up to their full potential while those with a growth mindset appear to be unstoppable and willing to take on new challenges in life.  I prefer to identify people as having either a “can’t do” or a “can do” mindset. Each day we awaken, we can decide to have a “can’t do” or “can do” mindset. A person with a “can’t do” mindset tends to search for reasons for why things cannot be done. They hold themselves back from pursuing their goals. Some see defeat before they ever get started.

A “can do” mindset reflects our internal drive and determination to get things done.  It gives us the confidence to do whatever necessary to achieve our goals. People with a “can do” mindset don’t sit around waiting for someone to remove the obstacles in their lives. They find a way to overcome, go around or through them if necessary, but never give up. A “can do” mindset empowers us to rise above negative circumstances and to remain hopeful no matter how many setbacks we encounter. 

The right mindset enables us to make the correct choice or decision at crucial junctions in our lives.  It serves as a catalyst that helps us to decide which road of life to travel. There comes a time when we are faced with the decision to take the short or long road to achieve our goals. A “can’t do” mindset is more likely to select the short road to success and the “can do” will most often follow the long road. The short road tends to be the ideal path because it often brings immediate happiness, instant gratification and requires minimum effort.  It may not require a major investment of time and effort to produce immediate results. This is good when everything goes according to plans, but it can be a life changer when they don’t.

On the other hand, the long road tends to be more uncertain. There are no guarantees that the outcome will go accordingly to plans. When things don’t go accordingly to plans, the person with the “can do” mindset is usually more willing to continue on - driven by their dreams, hopes, and aspirations. It can be just the opposite for someone with a “can’t do” mindset.    

Writing this blog caused me to reflect on the significance of having a “can do” mindset in the lives of my brothers and I. We grew up in a rural town in southeast Georgia. There is only one red light within the ten-mile city limit boundary. When visiting, I run the entire city limit within one hour and a half. We were the first in the family to go to college and establish ourselves in relatively successful careers. Thus, we have provided a quality life style for our families, traveled the world, and become contributors to the well-being of society.

A “can do” mindset has been a game changer for us because we:

·       chose to focus on where we were going and not where we started from and what we didn’t have.

·       concentrated our efforts on continuous self-improvement and raising our game to the next level.

·       believed in our ability to accomplish whatever we set our minds too.

·       never set limitations on what we could or could not do.

This story is shared not to boast, but to serve as an example of how having the right mindset has made a difference in our lives.  My brothers and I approach each day with a belief that our goals are achievable through hard work and perseverance. The self-confidence we display is often mistaken for arrogance and pride.  This is not the case at all. Failure has never been an option for us.

A “can do” mindset will empower us to take on new challenges and opportunities knowing it will require personal sacrifice and commitment. The constant pursuit of dreams, hopes and desires is never ending. There are no short roads to success. It’s is a life long journey with many unseen pot holes, curves, and turns.  It requires a “can do” mindset to endure and overcome the obstacles that block our pathway to living up to our full potential in this highly competitive world.  Please share this blog with at least 10 other people that you think would benefit from this discussion. 

Written by Dr. RLKight for Mind Power Solutions at www.mindpowersolutions.com