Mindset is a set of beliefs that shape who you are and how you respond to different situations. This is by far the most important but most neglected aspect of health and wellness. Your body only does what your mind tells it to. There is no situation where someone was successful without first convincing themselves that they could. Beyond that, it’s remaining steadfast in your conviction despite the highest amount of adversity. Think back to the little engine that could. “ I think I can, I think I can.” Convincing yourself of what you think will happen, is such an important first step. The only thing to do after is act. Here, we will break down the mindset pillar in just one way, your mind!   

Mind

Perception. Is. Everything. Life is filled with events, and then how we perceive them. Let me give you an example. Let’s say the weather calls for snow. One person might look at this situation negatively and choose to think about the traffic or all of the shoveling they will have to do. Another might see this as a positive opportunity to run outside and build a snowman (insert Frozen song). My point here is to help you understand that life is what you make of it. You can choose to play the victim or you can choose to grow. You are here to grow. This is easier said than done. We are here to help you get it done.

Now let’s discuss how we organize our Mindset Pillar.

Meditation and Mindfulness

Taking time to be alone is crucial. Whether you are an extrovert or introvert, you will only get to know who you are, by taking time to learn. You are your teacher and counselor. Meditation doesn’t have to be you sitting cross-legged with your fingers interlaced and the incense burning. It’s taking moments to get to know you and your body better. This time for reflection allows you to figure out what your goals are and why you want to achieve those goals. It also has enormous benefits in decreasing your stress level1,2. We need to start asking ourselves the hard questions that make us uncomfortable. If you can’t do this with yourself, how are you going to make any changes? During our Systems, we will incorporate daily meditation to have these mindful moments. Just as in our other pillars, we will start slow and build as we go. We will be asking those tough questions to get to know ourselves a bit better to understand our “why.”

Goals and Growth

I am a huge fan of setting goals but with a catch… Setting a goal is easy. You can set a goal to lose weight, build muscle, eat healthy…. Every year the new year’s resolutions pour in. Why is it that so many people are unable to actually achieve the goals they start? They lack the why… they lack conviction… This is not a dig at anyone who has struggled with this. I have started more goals and not followed through than I care to count. I started to ask myself why I wasn’t achieving those goals and it was here that I found my answer. I lacked a “why.” Setting a goal to lose weight is not enough. Why do you want to lose weight? Maybe you answer that you can’t keep up with your kids running around and are missing out on moments. Maybe you need to lose weight as your life is in jeopardy. Again, setting the goals is easy, but understanding “why” is hard. This is where a growth mindset comes in. One of my favorite books is Mindset by Carol Dweck. She takes a deep dive into a growth vs fixed mindset. We will be discussing this in detail during our systems. Our goal is to get to a growth mindset. Anything and everything we want is within our reach. We can do this together. 

Grit

Grit is the long-term perseverance towards your goal. This is perhaps the most important aspect of all of our systems. I specifically created the mindset pillar with this order; meditation, then goals, then grit. You ask yourself tough questions to find your why, then set a clear goal with a strong why behind it, and then you develop grit to keep you moving. How strong is your conviction to continue when things don’t go as planned? Will you hit the snooze button because you are tired and don’t want to run in the cold? Our Systems are designed to gain grit. Building your grit and your discipline is a constant practice. We got this!

Alright, now you have an introduction to our three Pillars. Just another reminder that everything is about time and consistency. The idea is to build momentum and not stop. Just like a moving train, it’s slow to start but when it gets moving, it’s unstoppable. Let’s get after it!

Dr. Brock Brady, PhD

References

(1)      Rosenkranz, M. A.; Davidson, R. J.; MacCoon, D. G.; Sheridan, J. F.; Kalin, N. H.; Lutz, A. A Comparison of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and an Active Control in Modulation of Neurogenic Inflammation. Brain. Behav. Immun. 2013, 27 (1), 174–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BBI.2012.10.013.

(2)      Rosenkranz, M. A.; Lutz, A.; Perlman, D. M.; Bachhuber, D. R. W.; Schuyler, B. S.; MacCoon, D. G.; Davidson, R. J. Reduced Stress and Inflammatory Responsiveness in Experienced Meditators Compared to a Matched Healthy Control Group. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016, 68, 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.02.013.