The definition of success varies wildly depending on who you ask. My definition and yours might be completely different, or they may differ because we are simply working on different things in our lives. You may be working on quitting smoking, someone else may be trying to lose weight, I may be preparing for an upcoming speech I'll have to give.
One thing is for sure though, if you want to be 'successful' you need to get in the right mind-set.
So how do you get yourself mentally prepared to take on a new challenge?
No matter what you're trying to accomplish, there are 4 easy exercises that anyone can do to get themselves mentally prepared for success.
Meditation is the practice in which you train your mind to induce a mode of higher consciousness. In order to do this, find a quiet place to either sit or lay down, and simply close your eyes and begin taking deep breaths in and out. Doing this can help you reduce stress, become aware of yourself and your environment, help you to ignore distractions, improve your focus, and even help your physical well-being.
Reframing
Reframing consists of changing the way we see things and trying to find alternative ways of viewing ideas, events, and situations. Reframing is a way of taking negative thoughts or emotions, and spinning them in a positive way. Instead of worrying over a past failure, use it as an opportunity to see where you can improve and grow. Practice seeing opportunity in failure or shortcomings, and pretty soon you'll be more optimistic all around.
"If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!"
Visualization
Visualization is a very popular one amongst athletes, business people, and entertainers. When you have an event coming up (Public speaking engagement, job interview , basketball game) visualize yourself in the process of that event. Don't focus on the outcome or how you think it will end up, but simply the process of what you'll be doing and the different scenarios that could pop up during. If you do this for everything, you'll feel more prepared to handle situations when they arise.
Self-Talk
Self talk is the process of repeating positive affirmations and thoughts to yourself. Things that will help you to complete your task at hand. There are a couple different types of self talk that you can use to help yourself achieve any goal - motivational and instructional.
Motivational self talk could be anything from, “you got this”, “you are good enough”, and “you WILL achieve your goal”.
Instructional on the other hand isn't just to pump you up and make you feel capable and confident. An example of instructional self talk would be a golfer trying to work on his swing repeating to himself "bend your knees and keep your eye on the ball".
If you practice these 4 mental exercises for a while, they will eventually become second nature. If you can get your mind set right, you will feel more confident and capable and will be able to achieve anything you set out to do.
Braydon McCarville is the chief storyteller at www.defineyourgrind.com . This website is dedicated to achieving success, staying motivated, and learning from those who've already reached the pinnacle.
Don't let the grind define you, define your grind !