You read about the G, R and O in Part One. If you haven’t read it yet, make sure to read that first!
———————————————————————————–

Write yourself a new Story

One of my favourite quotes is “Whether you believe you can or whether you believe you can’t, you’re right.”

This step can’t be skipped either, because it is literally where you get to flip a switch in your brain. It’s also a little bit out there if you are a science nerd like me, because it relies on believing that the subconscious mind has control of your actions (or inactions). A little woohoo-ey isn’t it? Because I have always liked to believe I’m in full control of my actions. And I am. But my subconscious mind does impact my choices (in my conscious brain) to take action or sit in inaction. This is where I (and you) get to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. It’s taking a fixed belief statement and shifting it to a growth mindset. It is not easy and it does not work at the same speed for everyone.

Action:
Identify a fixed mindset belief you’ve found yourself falling back on for a long time. Kind of like…

I’m a smart, science nerd and I don’t do well in crowds. There is no way I could be successful a business that requires me to actively network for new connections.

(this is one that I *do* actually struggle with and is so deep in my subconscious I don’t know how quickly I’ll dig it out of there)

Here’s where the “it’s not magic, it’s mindset” comes in. Shift that fixed belief into a growth belief. I’ve been working really hard to tell my subconscious a new story. This time like…

I’m can learn new skills to help me build my network quickly.

It doesn’t need to be long and convoluted, but simply an acceptance that you can grow and learn those parts of you that you’ve thought were static.

Take Action

This is a fun/terrifying/necessary step. It is going to require you to step outside your comfort zone. If you think about a potted plant, it can only grow as large as the pot allows. That’s kind of like your comfort zone; it’s terrifying to step outside of but you can grow so much bigger and more beautiful if you only take that first step. This is pretty remarkable because as you step outside your comfort zone and repeat a task enough, soon it actually expands your comfort zone and you’ll likely start to wonder what you were worried about in the first place. If you’ve done the work up to this point, you’ll hopefully be in the right mindset to take action; you’ll realize that even if your action does not result in the success you were aiming for, the failure will become part of the process and an opportunity to learn what doesn’t work for next time.

Action:

Find one thing that you are avoiding doing (even though you know it will grow your business or career path) and then list out the limiting beliefs around the action you are avoiding. And then write a new story around the fear or hesitation. It may look a little like this:

“I’m terrified to talk to XYZ because I’m afraid I’ll look foolish” TO “How XYZ responds to my request or offer is not a reflection of me or my abilities, it’s an opportunity to practice reaching out to people and learn how to communicate better!”

And then take action!!

Habits, Habits, Habits

We all have them. Some are good and healthy for our professional growth, others are not. Habits work on a loop system. There is always a trigger or reminder, an action or a response, and finally a reward (dopamine is released in your brain, giving you a feeling of satisfaction from the action). The force is strong with this feedback loop, which is why willpower and motivation being used on their own to break a bad habit is very, very difficult.

The thing with habits is that they are also hard to form and they take time. It takes several repetitions (we’re talking lots and lots and there is no magic number) to move a conscious action to a habit. But if you’re still with me, here’s what I’d like you to do…

Action:

Start a morning ritual. If you look at anyone regarded highly in the success and motivational industries, they all stress the importance of morning ritual. This particular morning ritual is not hard and will help to transform your mindset immensely. This morning ritual involves affirmations. Love them or hate them (or feel foolish doing them), they can have a profound impact on your mindset for success for the better.

1. Find something you do every morning (this is your habit trigger or reminder to practice this new habit). For me it’s drinking coffee. I have it every morning. For you it might be brushing your teeth or some other activity. The key is that it needs to be something you already do every day.
2. When you perform your trigger activity (i.e. drinking coffee), you are going to read aloud your affirmations (this will eventually become your habit response). A few tips here: print or post your affirmations where you’re going to say them (yes, out loud); start with 3-5 affirmations that speak to areas that you are struggling (i.e. finances, beliefs about your abilities, etc); and, do this every morning!
3. Reward time. And this does not need to be a huge reward. Make it something as simple as telling yourself that you’re proud that you completed this small but hugely important task for the day. I assure you the self-congratulations will make you feel good because, let’s face it, you just rolled outta bed and you’ve already gotten something accomplished. You are going to find that this takes practice and patience, but you’re also soon going to find that it will become habit and you’ll no longer need to physically read the affirmations, you’ll already have them so entrenched in your long term memory and subconscious that you won’t even need to think twice about what they are and you’ll just be able to recite them, even if the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet.

—————————————————————————————————————————-
We’re excited to share this six in the fix exercise with you. Stay tuned because a free printable module walking you through this entire process is coming very soon so be sure to follow us on Facebook to be notified of when it’s released!