Creating the Life Around You
Everything lies in your ability to use your mind in every situation.
The art of invention and reinvention all starts with the mind.
I’ve written and spoken about this topic multiple times before. I’ve seen a lot of people struggle with their lives. Most of them complain how crappy their situations are and how they wish it could be different.
I have been in these types of situations many times in my life, but I have always found a way to change and shift things if I wanted to.
So, how do you literally change the life around you?
You decide and ACT.
I hate complaining. I do not like it when people give up just because they are “out of options.” Do not get me wrong; there are external things that you cannot change. You cannot control how people react. You cannot control weather. And there are millions of other things you cannot control in one single day.
However, there is the most powerful thing on your arsenal that you can control: your mind.
How to Create From the Mind
Creativity is a peculiar thing. Most think that you only use creativity when your in the liberal arts industry or when you are the “artistic” kind, but creativity is the very foundation of a fulfilling life.
Not every factor in your life will be perfect. You will have that noisy neighbor, that nagging co-worker and the ill-fated aunt who always brings you down. Whatever it is, nobody’s life is perfect. But, people who live “the perfect life” already know that. The only difference is they design their life around the things they can control.
This week has been hectic for me. At home, there are also other things I needed to do. But, one of my therapeutic activities is cleaning. It has been scientifically proven that cleaning and doing household chores de-stress the mind and body.
To cope up with the workload demands, I ended up rearranging my entire room. It was extremely tiring and frustrating, moving the furnitures to and fro. I also had to setup my workstation from its previous location (which I really loved) to a more open space. At the end of the day, the entire floor looked a lot bigger and more organized.
I slept like a baby that night as I felt fulfilled with the new setup.
The same as how we can physically change the landscape of our environment (even the tiniest changes like adding a flower pot near the window), we can also practice changing how we perceive our lives in our mind.
The Active Mind Muscle
For this, you have to be as creative as possible. You will need to be proactive in defending that perfect lifestyle in your mind. Just like “Trolls’” Poppy would say:
I’d rather go through life thinking that everything’s going to be okay.
And it is! It really is… if you believe so.
The mind is the humans' most powerful tool. It sets us apart from any other specie. Even the most powerful computers in our modern age still try to come close to how our mind works.
That tells us one thing: if you want to change your life, exercise your mind’s power.
There are thousands of thoughts that come by us in just a single minute: “That blue wall could work on my room”; “She doesn’t look good today”; “ Did I forget to bring my lunch today?”
When the external factors do not seem to be going according to your plans (or the way you wanted it to be), just pause and count to three.
Take a step back and listen to the thoughts running through your head at the moment.
Shit! Everything’s falling apart. I will not be able to finish the report in time.
Bloody orange! Stephen should have completed the set yesterday. Now, I have to redo everything right the f*ck now! Why doesn’t everybody do their job?!
These things almost always happen in crunch time… in the most desperate moments of our lives. But, to practice the mind muscles, you really have to fight these thoughts. They will be there, but that does not mean you dwell on them.
Again, just like what Poppy has sung with gusto:
NO! I’m not giving up today! There’s nothing getting in my way. If you knock, knock me over, I will get back up again.
(*It’s amazing how much wisdom you can find in children’s movies.)
As the other deteriorating thoughts circulate around your head, there will also be others that sound like this:
There’s no time to complete the report. Let me just get the final summary and catch up in the presentation. After all, it’s my messaging that would matter most.
Stephen did not finish again. I think we need to discuss this and regroup. But, for now, I’ll complete the missing parts. I’m good at this part anyway.
Executive business and sports coach Todd Herman believed in this mantra as well. He noted that whenever you are tracking you goals on a daily manner, you need to focus on what has been accomplished less than what has been lost. Reassuring yourself of your small and big wins rewires the mind and helps you achieve that peaceful state so you could move forward with action. At the same time, it gives you the confidence you need to trust yourself in moving forward.
Your Life At Your Finger Tips
Mindset has been the biggest gap between the *complainers, *blamers and those who thrive.
You can start by changing your physical space with small, positive influences (like little Sticky noted with your favorite quotes on the wall). Then, move up to practice listening to your thoughts. Remember, thoughts pass by all the time, but, it takes active effort to choose the right ones that will serve you well.
Life is an agile, flexible thing. It’s not permanent and you can change it if you want to. The good news is you do not need a “set” of life-changing devices to make that happen because you already have the most powerful tool in the world with you: your creative genius.
