10 Ideas That Sum Up How to Transform Your Mind

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

If you landed here, for some compelling reason you want to know how to transform your mind. Some might be looking to achieve a complete transformation. Others just want to make a few tweaks here and there, but one of the most common reasons that women seek change is that they are moving from one season in life to another.

Possibly your children are getting older and you find yourself having more time to devote to your own goals and aspirations or perhaps the kids are grown and flown, in short, it’s time for You 2.0. Your reinvention begins between your ears with the thoughts in your head.

Let’s Take a Trip Inside Your Head

According to Alan Kay, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Since the best inventions begin with a thought in your mind’s eye, it is pretty clear that our thoughts hold the key to our future.

So the first step is to acknowledge that our thoughts play a large role in where we currently find ourselves and, more importantly, in getting us to where we want to go. Our thoughts either help us or hinder us. Are you really paying attention to your inner thoughts?

Get Acquainted with Your Self-Talk

The first step in renewing your mind is to identify an area where you seek transformation. Do you want to lose weight or get more fit? Do you want to update your personal image with a new hairstyle and make-up routine? Embark on a new career choice? Make more money? Improve your relationships? Enjoy new adventures?

Pick one area to focus on and make sure that it is one that occupies a lot of your thoughts. Grab a notebook or download a notes app on your phone and prepare to take some good notes. For one day, record all of the thoughts that roam in your head on that particular topic. Don’t judge, just log those thoughts! For instance, do you obsess over how much you weigh? For one day, log your thoughts about your personal appearance, weight, what you are or are not eating or drinking, and what you think others think about your weight, just to name a few.

By the end of the day, are you starting to notice any patterns? Any stinkin’ thinkin’ going on in there? Do you give yourself positive self-talk on a daily basis?

What this exercise reveals to you is that you probably have a lot going on in your subconscious mind. Some of those thoughts might even be a bit alarming. The reality is that you can no longer allow toxic thoughts to take up space in your head rent-free. To realign your thoughts so that they advance your goals, you are going to need some transformational tools.

Where Do You Come Alive?

A good place to start is to reflect on your personal patterns. Where do you come alive? What experiences make you feel like a punctured balloon with the helium slowly sputtering out? Start to tune in to the places, people, and environments you find yourself in and monitor your energy level. The differences will be striking.

Do you like to be indoors or are you an I-need-to-be-outside-in-nature kind or person? What kind of people give you an immediate burst of energy? What kind of people drain the living life out or you? Or do you need a break from people and prefer humans in very small doses?

When you walk into a dark, cozy room do you instantly want to scream, “Get me out of here!” Or do you feel that all those new “open concept” rooms are cold and depressing? You get the idea-people have natural inclinations. Pay attention to those. They provide clues to help you identify where you come alive……..and where you fade away.

Rehearse Success

Now that you are feeling a bit more self-aware, it’s time to get your creative juices flowing and start inventing that future you want. You need to give your mind some instructions.

Begin the process of reprogramming yourself for success. Making a vision board is a creative activity that allows you to explore the possibilities. Grab some scissors, glue sticks, and magazines and start dreaming a little!

What do you want to do?

Who do you want to be?

What do you want to have?

Train your mind to rehearse success by planning what you want to do, be, and have as you actively create the life you want. As said by Napolean Hill, “Whatever the mind can believe and conceive, it can achieve.” To help you get going, ask and answer 10 Questions To Help Visualize Your Future.

The vision board activity is effective because it allows you to create a concrete representation of the thoughts and ideas in your mind. With this one creative exercise, you are programming your subconscious mind to take actions on behalf of your dreams!

Borrow Someone Else’s Beliefs

Around about this point most of us feel decidedly uncomfortable. Good! Get mighty uncomfortable because success usually lives just outside of your comfort zone. Remember that!

When you find your mind wandering to thoughts of “That’s not realistic” or wondering if the life you imagined is only for other people, think about someone who really believes in you. Maybe you are one of the really lucky people and that person is one of your parents or a spouse. Maybe it is a close friend.

Next, I want you to borrow their belief in you. Take a few minutes to think about how they believe in you so strongly. Borrow it! Allow your mind to bask in their confidence in you.

Be Your Own Best Friend

Another approach is to practice the fine art of being your own best friend. Have you ever noticed that when giving advice or encouragement to others, you generally do this well? Why is it so easy to compliment and encourage others, but not ourselves? Only by practicing kindness to ourselves can we begin the type of self-care that gets us closer to a more positive self-image. If you were really your own best friend, what would you say about the goals, hopes, and dreams that you put on your vision board? Would you treat your best friend the way you treat yourself? Would you talk to her the way you talk to yourself? Would you let anybody talk about her behind her back like that? Enough said.

Find Your Tribe

It’s been said before that we are each the average of the five people we hang around with most. This can be good or bad depending on what kind of people you find yourself around currently. This tends to be true financially, physically, mentally, spiritually, and professionally.

We all need to “find our tribe,” but sometimes you might look around and realize that you are not rowing in the same direction as the rest of your tribe. Maybe you accidentally got on the wrong kayak at some point or just wish to row down a different river for this season in your life.

It can be astonishing to realize that maybe you are more health conscious or more interested in living a life of abundance than your “tribe of five.” As you ponder how to transform your mind, your friends may or may not be on the same path.

Friends, in particular, become friends for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. This does not have to be a painful or drama-filled realization. It is simply a reality worth noting.

As you pursue your own personal growth you will come to the realization that the five people you hang out with most are key to transforming the thoughts in your mind. You are going to need some accountability partners. A brilliant move is to make some new friends for the next season of your life.

Where can you find like-minded peers that share your interests and mindset?  If you like to read, one idea is to start your own book club. Learn How to Plan Book Clubs for Women here.

Your Spirit Loves Fun

Don’t forget that your spirit loves fun and your ultimate goal is to become more fully alive. Your mind releases toxic thoughts and automatically embraces positivity when you are engaged in pleasurable pursuits. It’s possible that it’s been a long time since you thought about what YOU think of as a good time.

Let me give you an example.

Once I overheard a family discussion about going out to dinner for a mother’s birthday celebration. For the purpose of illustration, let’s call the mom Joan.

Joan was asked where she wanted to go for dinner for her birthday.

Joan responded, “Anywhere you guys want is fine.”

After the son struck out getting his mom, Joan, to select a choice, the daughter followed up and asked, “But mom, it’s YOUR birthday, where do YOU want to go?”

Joan said, “Let’s have Italian food because you all like spaghetti.”

The husband responded, “But we want to know what YOU want for YOUR birthday.”

This went back and forth a few times and Joan appeared flustered.

She clearly was completely absorbed in people pleasing behavior and COULD NOT REMEMBER what kind of food she liked to eat.

Don’t be like Joan.

Get back to remembering what kind of food you would like to eat on your own birthday. If the rest of them don’t like lobster, too bad! It’s your birthday!

So the moral of the story is that when you have spent a lot of time and energy organizing fun experiences and opportunities for others, you can forget what you like to do and where you like to go.

Your Ten-Year Old Self Has All the Answers

Remember that girl who was full of life? She’s still in there somewhere. It’s time to go and find her again. One of the best ways to bring her back to life is to harken back to your ten-year old self. Close your eyes and picture your ten-year old self.

What did she look like?

Was her hair in braids or pigtails?

Picture what she is wearing.

Now what did she like to do for fun?

Did she like to draw, sew, or paint?

Was she more into playing soccer, softball, or riding her bike?

What kind of people did she like to be around?

You get the idea-your ten-year old self provides many clues to your authentic self. That girl was who you were before the world got hold of you. If you are like most, your life unfolded and probably has run the gamut from somewhere between awesome and not-so-awesome life events and experiences. The goal here is not to rehearse the past, but to reconnect with your most authentic self.

For example, if you remember that you used to love to color in coloring books because it calmed you and fueled your creativity, by all means, go and get yourself one of those adult coloring books and some coloring pencils.

Maybe you loved to climb all over the place as a kid, if so, have you looked into rock climbing as a new way to keep fit? Unlock the key to your vitality by returning to the activities that you have always loved. You will shock yourself with how much joy and positive energy this one simple act will add to your life.

Find Some Mentors

As you figure out how to think more positively, you will encounter challenges. This is normal and it is actually a positive phenomenon. Think of it as a test to see how serious you are about your new vision. Think of your life as a movie with you playing the starring role.

Are you familiar with the idea of playing the movie forward?  This is a technique you can use to create a life you love. Picture your life as a movie. Put yourself into a scene. Imagine the outcome of various possible scenarios.

Which are most appealing? What happens if you DON’T pursue your plans? Sometimes this thought helps to create some urgency to compel you to take appropriate action. To experiment more with this concept, check out the resources at Mind Movies. Here you will find several transformational tools to guide you as you learn how to live the life you have imagined.

Sharing is caring!