All starts with a positive mindset

2019 has officially begun! Some already have made their new year’s resolutions others taught by experience prefer a spontaneous improvisation and on January 1st they begin their adventures of an incurable optimist. I, on the other hand, am a goal-driven person and every single year I make measurable resolutions and I stick to them. And, let me tell you, it does work! Of course, I didn’t start out this way. When I was younger I used to improvise and dream up new and sometimes completely irrelevant ideas hoping that it would all come true… Oh well, little I knew about prioritizing my time, being consistent and focused on the present moment. As you might guess, I’ve been always running out of time and life. And as funny as it may seem I’ve never really understood why I was unable to finish what I had started.

Now, I know that motivation is not constant, creativity is a skill, not a gift and goal setting is an effective roadmap that will help you to achieve specific results that you desire. Now it seems perfectly logical to me but it wasn’t always like that. Honestly, it took me years to figure this out. I’ve always considered myself a realistic person with a practical idea of what could be expected or achieved. I never realized how wrong I was until I started practicing mindfulness. That’s when I discovered that I was a pessimist constantly imagining the worst-case scenario and indulging in negative self-talk. As you can imagine, this mentality and attitude not only kept me from achieving my goals but also made me feel more and more depressed. Till I reach that level where it becomes absolutely necessary for me to change my mental attitude and regain control over my life.

The power of the human mind is limitless but for some reason, we tend to forget about this. And instead of investing in our personal growth and working on being the best versions of ourselves, we hold on so tight to this image that we are all born with a set of skills and abilities that do not change. It is nothing more than carrying false and self-limiting beliefs that prevent you from living a great life. Whatever your situation, wherever you’re at right now, it’s time to acknowledge that the key to success is positive thinking and action. But everything begins by adopting a positive mental attitude. If you want to achieve something great and be the best version of yourself first you need to put yourself in a positive headspace. The only one that holds you back is you.

Now I just have one question for you: What better place than here, what better time than now? So let’s do this! Let’s put ourselves in a positive headspace.

Oh, gosh I almost forgot: Putting myself in a positive headspace is my 1st new year resolution! So let’s do this together!!

All we have is NOW

Put yourself in a positive mental state with these simple steps:

Prioritize your life

The purpose of prioritizing is to identify the most important tasks and get them done in a timely manner. It’s the best way to plan your day, use your time efficiently, do things more appropriately and stay focused and organized. Not to mention my favorite side effect of prioritizing tasks: going throughout the day in a calm and relaxed state!

• Identify your top priorities
• Create a prioritized schedule that will keep you calm and productive
• Do MIT - the most important task to do early in the morning (the most critical tasks that will create significant results) -  MIT it’s the list of your top priorities.
• Make a powerful to-do list (goals: boost productivity, increase motivation, build self-esteem and confidence, create a calm and relaxed state for the entire day)

• Keep it short & specific
• Separate Your Personal and Professional Life -  set clear boundaries between work and your personal life
• Make space for relaxation - sacrificing relax for work means sacrificing health and happiness for your professional dreams (consequences: burnout)

2. Shape your perspective

Are you missing the big picture? Maybe you learn to see the world in the blackest colors? If that’s the case, it’s high time to change your perspective. Because it’s the way you see the world creates your own reality. Is there a difference between the life you have and the life you want? Maybe you don’t realize what you have? Sometimes we live with a fixed mindset that insidiously limits our opportunities. Whether you see it or not, you’re not missing anything and there is nothing wrong with you. Sometimes life doesn’t give us what we want but it’s not a punishment but a gift. Of course, I’m not saying that you should be happy when things go wrong and all you want to do is cry. What I mean, is that if you learn to see problems as opportunities everything will change for the better. It’s not that the universe conspires on your behalf. Life is a lesson that everyone has to learn by themselves. It depends only on you how you chose to live your life. You can learn to embrace positives and negatives and live an authentic life or you can live under the illusion that everyone else’s fortunate except you. Of course, it’s normal to think this way in the moment of doubt but living the whole life like this is just pathetic… it’s a waste of time, opportunities and life in general. Look at your life as an incredible opportunity to become the best and authentic version of yourself. Shape your perspective with an open mind. Use your senses, especially the 6th sense, listen to your gut and believe in yourself!

3. Embrace the imperfection of the present moment

“Don’t wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect.”

Happiness doesn’t mean that everything is perfect and flawless, it means that you are able to embrace imperfections of the present moment and find the beauty in the small things. In other words, the key to success is to set “realistic expectations” and become more flexible. So instead of feeding your ego nourish your soul. Because the beauty of life is often found when we give up control and soften our expectations. This pursuit of pure perfection and this obsession of self-fulfillment can only lead to disappointment and depression. Of course, I’m not encouraging you to set low expectations and being content with very little. What I am saying is that you should give yourself a bit of credit and learn to live fully in the present moment. Because “the present moment” it’s all you really have. Need some guidance? Here are some powerful tips that help you focus on the present moment:

• Practice mindfulness
• Focus on the good and accept the bad
• Make every second count because perfection is an illusion of your mind.
• Worries about the future can ruin every single sign of happiness

4. Declutter your mind (mental housekeeping)

Mental house-keeping is a form of self-care and self-respect that guarantees mental and physical wellbeing. That’s why it’s so important to keep your mental house clean, beautiful and safe. For some reason, we tend to put our focus only on physical health forgetting about how our mental state influence every aspect of our life. We nourish our body with healthy food while our mind and soul is starving… If that’s the case, there is an easy solution to this. All you have to do is to declutter your mind and free your mental space daily. Create the healing ritual that will keep you sane and grounded.

• Keep Out Unwelcome Guests - Let go of negative people
• Challenge your negative thinking and negative self-talk through journaling
• Meditate
• Use simple breathing techniques to relax and de-stress
• Keep a journal as a therapeutic form of emotional release
• Use positive affirmations to boost your self-esteem and confidence
• Incorporate a digital detox into your daily routine - switch off and live in the moment!

5. Self-care-love like a boss

Self-care is important for creating and maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself. It is also crucial for your physical and mental wellbeing. Of course, everyone is different that’s why you should make up your own healthy and highly personalized self-care routine and live by it! It should be not only efficient but above all pleasurable! Because, taking care of yourself should be a pleasure, not a sad duty, right? Here are so tips:

• Remember about 5 dimensions of self-care (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and social)
• Adopt a holistic approach to your self-care
• Create and practice a healthy daily routine (morning and nightly routine included)
• Exercise on a daily basis
• Adopt a healthy diet
• Work on confidence and self-esteem
• Declutter your space
• Practice gratitude

6. Create space for self-reflection

Self-reflection is crucial for personal growth. Because it’s a kind of analysis on yourself that helps you to understand better who you are as a person, what are your strengths and weaknesses and how to use them both to your advantage. It’s also a powerful tool for increasing self-awareness and emotional intelligence. For me, self-reflection is an ability to look at the whole picture and see with clarity my goals, values, aspirations, and purpose. It’s like hosting a private meeting with yourself: so intimate, authentic and pure. It can be risky but it’s always beneficial. And most importantly, there is no room for secrets and lies during this special meeting. So make yourself comfortable and ask yourself these simple questions:

• What is the essence of the present situation?
• How am I feeling?
• What is going on in my life?
• What can I do to improve my situation?
• What I am grateful for?
• What are my strengths and my weaknesses?
• What are the most important life lessons I’ve learned?
• What are the top things you did that made you proud?
• What did I learn from my mistakes?
• What do my relationships tell about me?
• What is my life purpose?
• What is something that you regret doing or not doing?

Take a pen and write your answers down!

7. Put mental performance on something productive

Put all of your mental performance into something productive, creative and inspiring. Use your concentration to explore your personal growth. Take an action, go out from your comfort zone, set new goals, learn something new, master some skill, engage in creative work, feed your passion or mindfully relax! As always don’t wait for the moment to be perfect, adapt to the situation you’re in and try to make the best of it!

8. Indulge in mindful relaxation

“Work hard, play harder”, but seriously did you find your way to relax and calm your mind? We all know how to work really hard and be dedicated to our work but at the same time, we should teach ourselves to relax and recharge our batteries. Just ask yourself: When was the last time you took a day off and really recharged? And I’m not talking here about sleeping all day long but about a mindful relaxation. Because days off are for unwinding, having fun and trying your best to be mindfully present. Relaxing is hard work, it takes dedication and commitment. That’s why it should be taken seriously. If you want to stay productive, motivated and focused on your work you need to teach yourself to relax and dedicate your energy to destress. Sacrifying relaxation for working will leave you unfulfilled and joyless. It’s all about finding a balance that encourages productivity and relaxation. The simplest way to do that is to create a relaxing ritual not only for days off but the one that you can incorporate into your daily routine.

(find your sacred equilibrium)

• Create a relaxing space
• Cultivate il dolce far niente
• Embrace the small pleasures
• Spend quality time with your loved ones

9. Get inspired

You can find inspiration in everything you just need to be open-minded and take advantage of unexpected opportunities when they present themselves. Use your five (or even six) senses and get inspired. Remember that creativity is a skill not a gift. You really need to work on it otherwise it will vanish. For me personally, the best ways to get inspired are:

• Meditation
• Connecting with nature
• Podcasts and ted talks
• Going outside my comfort zone
• Mindfully listening to the others
• Reading
• Mindful relaxation! - it may seem strange, but for some reason when I am indulging in a mindful relaxation the best ideas come to my head… especially when I am taking a hot bath with my favorite essential oils! Oh my gosh, it’s so relaxing and inspiring at the same time.

10. “When Life Gives You Lemons Ask For Salt and Tequila”

or lemonade - it’s up to you!!

Take care

Be mindful

and put yourself in apositive headspace

xx Kate