The Importance of Mindshift
Each day when we rise, we have some initial crucial decisions to make. How we start the day will largely determine how well the remainder of the day goes. I am sure you have been able to tell, I am generally a very positive person, but I am also rooted in the realities of life. You might say I am a positive realist. How we perceive each day is based on our paradigm tied to our attitude. Our paradigm is a framework containing our basic assumptions or our way of thinking.
Our basic assumptions or the way we think about life will, in large part, result in how our life will turn out. So in order to change the way we think about life we may very well need a paradigm shift (or mindshift) – a radical change in how we perceive each day.
Over the years of observation and experience, Paula and I have seen many times the self-fulfilling prophecy of a person’s basic attitude and beliefs. Instances of lost jobs, broken relationships, and failed businesses primarily due to a person’s attitude and belief that the situation would not work out well.
On the converse, those that are hopeful and anticipate that life will go well overall usually, experience success.
This is clearly evident in the Bible where the word mind and heart are many times interchangeable as is written in Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your heart (mind) above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
What we think about, and how we allow it to permeate our life will determine the course of our lives. If we are fearful of stumbling over obstacles on the trail or falling down the slippery slopes of life, there is a great possibility that those fears will turn into reality.
If we keep in our minds that which is good and positive, then the fruit that is produced in our lives will be good, and the outcomes in life will be positive overall. Christ put it this way in Matthew 12:35, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart (mind), and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart (mind).”
Some days our trails will be flat and smooth and it is easy to start and remain positive. Other days we will wake up to find that a boulder has rolled onto the path right in front of us or a bear is lurking outside of our tent, and it will be difficult to even begin.
To be honest with ourselves, we have to admit that some of the difficult trails are caused by our own choices. I have observed over the years that some people enjoy living in crisis mode with much drama, for in some strange way that is their comfort zone. They are masters in self-sabotage.
Even when we have a positive, encouraging and victorious mindset/outlook on life, we cannot always control how rough the trails of life may be, but we can control our attitudes about those trails.
In my life of faith, this is made possible by acknowledging and accepting the gift of God’s Spirit which Christ promised before His return to heaven, after His resurrection. This promise is found in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
One of my favorite quotes from one of my Virtual Mentors Zig Ziglar is, “You are what you are and you are where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and you change where you are by changing what goes into your mind.”
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