"Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, and your values become your destiny." - Ghandi
Over the last few weeks, I've been listening to quite a few podcasts surrounding manifestation, mindfulness and self improvement. Each time I listen to them, I'm immediately inspired and motivated to challenge my mental agility, and push myself to be the best person I can possibly be. I sincerely believe that if you let the universe do what it's meant to do, all while accepting what it serves you, incredible things can happen. Having an open, positive mindset is one of the best things you can do for yourself, and you may even notice some strange synchronicities happening while you're at it. Now I’m no manifestation/woo-woo expert, but I've picked up some gems from these podcasts, so I thought I’d share them with you.
get uncomfortable
Mindfulness starts with sitting down with yourself, writing out your thoughts, journalling, and asking yourself some seriously tough questions. Because, when else do you take time to work on yourself? If you don't do this, you likely just live your life day by day, staying in your comfy little bubble. If you want to grow and evolve, working on yourself should be one of your top priorities. Questions you can ask yourself are...
What are the areas of your life that are bugging you? Why?
What can you do to improve those areas? Is there something in particular holding you back? What is it?
What makes you happy? How often do you do it? How often would you like to be doing it?
What are you grateful for? Do those things or people require more time or attention?
How do the people you hang out with make you feel? Do you aspire to be like them? Do they constantly challenge and inspire you to be the best person you can be?
If they don't, it might be time to reach out to new people, and start networking with individuals that you aspire to be. It's especially helpful to be around people that intimidate you. Yes, it's uncomfortable, and you might even feel inadequate, but you're your own worst enemy -- it's all in your head. Do it, and you'll learn so much from it. That's why mentors are so great.
allow yourself to grow
If you're resistant to growth, you're not going to evolve as a person, and you're likely not going to reach your goals. Ok, maybe you're not the 'goalsetter type', but you're likely striving for something; otherwise, what's getting you up in the morning? What makes you tick? If you have something you're fighting for/living for/striving for, it's a lot easier to push yourself to constantly improve as the years pass. If you don't push yourself, how will you know how much you can do? How will you know what your limit is? Yes, life is stressful, but if you tolerate the distress that comes with the learning curve, you'll be totally fine.
handle hardships with grace
Life's not about how smart you are, or how well you can ace a test; it's about how you bounce back from all the obstacles and sh*t life throws your way. And believe me, I've gone through my fair share (losing multiple jobs, loss of numerous loved ones back-to-back, loss of friends, breakups, legal battles, rejection, the works). But do I complain about it, or feel sorry for myself? No. I'm not going to mope around whining about my terrible life, because I don't look at it that way, ever. I have a pretty amazing life, and I'm very fortunate to have such incredible people surrounding me. Handle your hardships with elegance and grace, rise above the people that let you down, and you'll come out of it a stronger, better person - every single time.
After sharing my 28 things I've learned in 28 years post, I've received a few questions about what podcasts I listen to, so I've included a round up of my favourites below! Let me know which one ends up being your favourite; I love them all equally.
What are your favourite podcasts to listen to? I'd love if you left them in the comments below!
xo
Linnea
