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I have
heard people sum up getting fit as simple as "eat better, move more".
There is a foundation that those two pillars are built on and that is
"mindset".
Dictionary
Definition: mind-set n.
A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses
to, and interpretations of situations; an inclination or a habit.
I'd expand on the definition of mindset this way. I'd say that there is a
"gap" between stimulus and response and that is where mindset
resides.
Stimulus -> (gap) -> Response
Our "mindset" is what tells us which program to run and therefore,
which response to have. It may be "fixed" at the point of time during
that "gap", to decide which response, but I don't believe it is
"fixed" forever. I believe that we can do personal change work which
alters that "mindset" and enables us to run different programs. We
can go from running on auto-pilot (kind of like the phenomenon when you are
driving in your car and realize that you have been driving for a while and not paying
conscious attention)... to lengthening the gap between stimulus and response by
being more conscious about our array of choices on how to respond. That enables
us to consciously recognize which issues are already programmed, that we would
like to program differently. Then it is just a matter of reprogramming.
That leads to the question, "How are our attitudes and dispositions
shaped? What does it take to reshape them?"
Our attitudes and dispositions are shaped by the "meaning that we
make" of the world. As children, we observe and sense the activities
around us and form explanations about "what is true in the world".
That forms our "beliefs" (explanations we make up to explain things
that we can't prove/disprove). I would say our mindset/attitude/disposition is
composed of our "beliefs". These beliefs were often shaped when we
were young and somewhat naive and have been running automatically ever since.
As adults, it often serves us well if we update our beliefs with a more
conscious, adult-like perspective. How do you do that? There are techniques
from field of NLP that you can use. It isn't a matter of just telling yourself
to believe something differently (intellectually), you have to re-learn it in
your mind AND your gut. Detailed steps on this process will take further
explanation for another time. First, you have to realize it is possible. Then
you can learn how.
You have to go from unconscious incompetence, to conscious incompetence, to
conscious competence, to unconscious competence.
For example, do you believe you are a "trustworthy" person?
What is your evidence to yourself?
What if you didn't believe it, but wanted to? How would you change your belief?
You would have to define evidence for what makes a person
"trustworthy" and then you would have to fulfill that evidence.
You would have to remove the roadblocks that kept you from fulfilling that
evidence.
Once you believed it (mind/gut), then your auto-pilot mindset would start
having you respond in a trustworthy way.
What other beliefs do you have that might be currently limiting that are worthy
of expanding?
Are you an "athlete"? or a "go-getter", or "person
that works out consistently" or a "healthy eater"?
If not, ask yourself "WHAT STOPS
YOU?"
Consciously identifying the source of "what stops you" can be a key
to changing it.
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