Today is going to be a different type of post. I spend a lot of time reading articles, posting articles, and trying to write articles. What I’ve discovered is that many of them discuss the same topics. I don’t know about you, but I have started to get bored reading blogs and articles.

So in this post I want to be real with you. I want to share two unconventional tools I’ve recently discovered and dound life changing  for me as an entrepreneur. The tools are: your mind and your vision.

You read that right. It doesn’t cost money or a subscription. You don’t have to join a group or program. There isn’t a college class you have to take to learn this. You already have the tools.

 Let me explain.

 

Mindset

As students, we practically live with stress, or at least I do. I’m often overwhelmed because I think everything needs to be done now and be done perfectly. And...I’m tired. Often I’m too tired to get everything done I had on my list for the day. This causes more stress and anxiety. Rinse and repeat.  

Now not everyone’s stress and anxiety comes from taking on too much and wanting things to be perfect, but whatever causes you stress, I bet you’ve asked yourself some form of self deprecating questions such as:

 

What is wrong with me?

Why can’t I get things done like I want to?

Why am I so overwhelmed?

Where do I even start?

Why can’t I hit my goals?

Why can’t I stay consistent with eating better (or homework, working out, sports, etc)?

 

What if we are asking ourselves the wrong questions? As Elizabeth Benton from Primal Potential would say, often we are so focused on the problem that we aren’t contributing to a solution.

 

 

Most recently I had a long day at school and work, was worried about my business, and to top it off I came home to a rather large and unexpected bill. Cue meltdown. I started to panic and remembered that “oh yeah I’m trying this whole mindset thing.” So I gave it a go. I first asked myself “what is my source of overwhelm?” I wrote down the top three things. Then I went further to figure out a solution instead of downward spiraling into the problem. I asked myself “what needs to be done RIGHT NOW?” The answer: nothing. The bill wasn’t due for weeks, and the other things I was stressing about I had no control over.

I had been working myself into a panic over things beyond my control.

This led me to the conclusion that most of my stress and anxiety was coming from the lack of control I have in my life right now. We are all experiencing that! So I posed another question. Instead of dwelling on the things I couldn’t control I asked myself “What can I control?” and I made a list. To my amazement, it filled the page! Was I still a little stressed about things? Yes, but I had pulled myself out of the downward spiral of focusing on the problem instead of the solution.

 

Vision

The next day I pulled out what I had written and laughed. These things that were so overwhelming the previous night didn’t seem like a big deal the next day! I turned the page and continued focusing on my vision.

The place where I keep track of my questions is in what is called a manifestation journal, which is basically a fancy way of saying I write out everything I want in life. I write down every detail and visualize it clearly. When you are focused on your goals, you are more likely to be consistent in your actions and achieve progress.

I’m new to this process, and by no means an expert, but from what I understand there are no right or wrong ways to journal. I’ll share with you my process, but I’m still figuring this out, so take it with a grain of salt and discover your own way too. 

 

What I journal about depends on what is happening with my life. I started by making a list of my ideal house, my ideal relationships (with friends, family, and a spouse), my ideal health, etc. The main focus for me right now is health. The key to sustainable change is making small consistent changes over time. I’m an all-or-nothing person, so it’s tempting to want to jump right in and try to change 10 things at once, but that isn’t sustainable.

After listing out what an ideal healthy life looks like for me, I picked 3 small things I could do that day. I do this every day and typically my three things are no sugar and no wheat, exercise, and be in bed at 10. The jump-all-in version of me wanted to say "eat this specific diet, workout at the gym for an hour, and get 8 hours of sleep," But those are big and broad. I can’t eat perfectly every day, but I can avoid sugar and wheat today. I can’t always work out at a gym every day, but I can walk my dog for 2 miles today. I can’t always get 8 hours of sleep, but today I commit to being in bed at 10, even if I’m reading and sipping tea. 

Again, I would like to remind you that I am very new to this process of mindset and vision, but I have already noticed a huge difference in my life. It helps me be more introspective and positive. I focus on goals and what I can control instead of problems and complaining about things I can’t change.

I’ve also noticed a change in how I work on my business. I used to be so overwhelmed working two jobs plus full-time school that I would procrastinate the items I needed to do for my startup. Now, instead of being overwhelmed I try to start small: 10 minutes a day. Sometimes it's just sending emails that need to be sent, other times it's making one phone call, and some days I get sucked in and get hours of work done! A little progress is better than none.

 

If you're wondering where I learned all of this, it's from a podcast called Primal Potential. If you are a podcast person, check it out! Back in 2016 I used these methods to loose 30lbs and keep it off. Now, I am using it to get out of debt and start my business. Changing my mindset and focusing on my vision changed my life, and I truly believe it can help you change yours.

If you aren't into podcasts, there are plenty of articles out there on manifestation journaling. They all look a bit different, focus on different things, and ask different questions, so you will have to discover what works for you. 

 

I want to challenge you to ask yourselves different questions. Change the narrative that plays in your head all day. Visualize your future. Then do one small thing today towards that future.