The First Step: Get Your Mind Right
A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
-Lao Tzu
No doubt you’ve heard this saying before. Maybe it’s becoming a bit of a cliché. But I challenge you to rethink the idea of the first step. The first step happens even before you sign up for the race, walk into the gym for your first workout, or order a salad for lunch. The very first step, before you take any action toward your goal, happens in your mind.
I’ve come to realize that mindset is the most important part of the process. If you are constantly telling yourself why you’ll never succeed, or why you don’t deserve to succeed, it doesn’t matter what actions you take, you will always be at square one.
If you are feeling stuck, listen to the things you say about yourself to yourself and to others: I can’t change now because, I’ve always been this way, I’m too old, I don’t have time, I can’t afford it,or my favorite, my parents were just like this, it’s hereditary, there’s nothing I can do about it. If you believe these, it doesn’t matter how many workouts you log in a week or how much you cut your daily calorie intake, nothing will change.
Your first step is to get your mind right. You must become aware of your thoughts. You need to see the monologue running all day long in your head (don’t worry, we all have it). Do this with meditation. Simply focus on your breath and just notice how often you get distracted by your thoughts. If you think that getting distracted by your wandering mind makes you a bad meditator, think again! The whole point of meditation is to see that this is what the mind does: It never stops.
Now, you’re aware of your thoughts and you can see the ones that are holding you back. Change them with affirmations. Once you’ve identified a negative, limiting belief, you can simply affirm the opposite. If you are tired of hearing yourself say It’s too expensive, I can’t afford it, affirm I am open to the abundance that surrounds me and I welcome new opportunities for wealth and prosperity. If you keep telling yourself I’m too tired and I don’t time for that, affirm I have the capacity and the resources to achieve my goals.
How you choose to work with affirmations is up to you: Write them on sticky notes and hang them in your bathroom or in your car so you see them daily; Repeat them to yourself silently whenever the negative thought arises; Rewrite them in your journal every day; Put a photo of them on your phone’s home screen so you will see them all day.
Find what works for you, trust the process, be consistent, and don’t get discouraged if you fall off the affirmation wagon. One bad day won’t ruin all the progress you’ve made. If you need more ideas for affirmations, search online or check out Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book Excuses Begone!: How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits.
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 17 years’ experience working with clients in classes and one-to-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email Alicia@AliciaCrossTraining.com.
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