Many of us want the same things out of life: success, happiness, family, and all of the small things that come with those big ones. We go out into the world each morning trying to hone our best effort to the tasks before us. Sometimes we succeed — but, all too often, we don’t.
What makes the difference between success and failure? Is it talent? Luck? Those are factors, to be sure. But there’s one thing within our control that can drastically change our fortunes at work, our mental and physical health, and our relationships with others. That one thing is this: our mindset.
With the proper mindset, we can find ourselves eager, energetic, agile, and effective. But how can we cultivate a powerful mindset? Here are a few ways to do so.
Read
Your proper mindset needs to be one of learning and seizing opportunities. And there’s no better way to both practice and improve that sort of mindset than to read. Read voraciously: Devour news media to keep yourself up-to-date, read novels for pleasure, and consume self-help books and advice articles (like this one) to find new ways to improve your mindset and yourself.
A learning, adapting, and improving mindset doesn’t come out of thin air. You have to practice it by deliberately seeking new ways to learn and grow over time. Read and learn regularly, and you’ll turn those things into habits — and those will make them a part of your mindset.
Practice mindfulness
Live in the moment. Notice the things around you. Meditate. Understand your feelings. All of these things are essential to a good mindset, and all of them are also key components of mindfulness.
Learning and practicing mindfulness by getting into meditation and related practices is a great way to build a smarter and stronger mindset. And these ideas feed right into other items on our list: You can learn meditation and mindfulness, in part, from books. And meditation is great for your mental health and relaxation.
Take a break
A healthy mindset includes a thirst for knowledge and accomplishment, but it also respects downtime. If you’re going to stay healthy and in the right mindset, you need to take breaks once in a while.
So, while you’re cultivating your proper mindset, cultivate some work-life balance, too. Invest in yourself by banning work from certain hours and days. And take your vacation days, for goodness sake. Travel to Florida and lie on the beach, go parasailing near West Palm Beach, dine out, and have a margarita or two. Taking trips and vacations can literally make you happier and healthier, and it will also make you more productive at work — not coincidentally, healthy breaks are vital to a great mindset.
Care for your mind
It’s called a “mindset” for a reason. Your attitude and your emotions live in your mind, and you’re going to go much further as long as you care for your mental health.
Caring for your mental health doesn’t have to be a complicated task, either. Eating well and exercising — things that you should already be doing to care for your physical health — are a good place to start. Look at your supplement intake, too: You may want to consider supplements that are known to help with common mental health issues like anxiety and depression, such as CBD.
CBD is derived from marijuana, but it’s not here to get you high (that’s THC). Instead, CBD is reportedly an effective way to calm down and counter the influence of anxiety and stress. You can take CBD in all different forms, from edibles to tinctures. And CBD products are widely legal and made by trusted brands like Panacea CBD.
If you are concerned about serious mental health issues, you should also see a mental health professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.
To read more on topics like this, check out the health category.
