How To Build A Healthy Mindset For Personal Growth - Coffee Talk

I want you to read the title one more time. Have you noticed a word in there that may stick out more than the other titles you've searched or stumbled upon? That's right. Healthy. Wow is this so important. There are many times I have read an article or book that describes a personal journey as a "grind" or a "hustle." That you cannot sleep, you HAVE to work EVERY day, and above all else, you MUST be successful. 

None of these are healthy. For most people anyway. Sure, the guy making a billion dollars a year goes on TV or Social Media and says things like "I don't sleep and if I do, I am up at 5am every single morning." Whoa. So I should get up that early too, right? No. You do what works for YOU. A lot of these self help gurus fail to realize is that every human body is different. And just like our bodies being different, successes and personal growth are as well. 

Well Sean, then how the heck do you build a healthy mindset without sacrificing sleep, sanity, and a clear goal? You do what is best for you. Seriously! I said it before but it still rings true. Now please remember I am not telling to lay in bed and wish upon a star until something happens for you. No way. You still have to work and put effort into whatever it is you are trying to achieve. Nothing (without luck) falls into our lap just because we wanted it to. So I will give you some tips on how to start building healthy habits and kickstart your own journey towards personal growth.

1. Set clear and reachable goals. 

    What are you trying to achieve? What does the end result of this particular goal look like? I recommend starting with smaller, achievable goals at first to build up some confidence, make some progress and jump you into bigger projects and directions. We can set long term goals for sure but be honest, that puppy will change a gazillion times before you reach it. Let's start by "making our bed" first.

2. Set a schedule.

    You need time. You do not have enough of it. "If only I had 48 hours in a day" I often say out loud. Between work, kids, house duties and *ahem* Netflix, I do NOT have enough time. Or at least I am very tired at the end of the night. So set a schedule! It does not have to be every single day/night at all. Find a few times a week that you shut the distractions off and give yourself some space to work. Setting a schedule also gives you something to look forward to and let's you tackle your goals and growth in moderation rather than feeling that you have to be achieving something every single second. A little bit of progress is better than no progress at all. 

3. Fail.

    And do it again. This time, try not to be scared of it. Embrace mistakes. Embrace failure. Nothing comes easy and the majority of us don't nail our goals on the first try. Trying to eliminate sodas from your diet (pulling from personal experience here) but only made it 37 days before you caved and had one? That's OKAY. You made it that long and that is your new high score. Beat it. Change your formula. Creating 10 blogs in 2 years and none seem to stick? Analyze it. Figure out what works and what doesn't and use that to your advantage. So you failed a few times? Who cares? What does your next one look like? Tell me all about it. Try, try, and try again!

4. Do Not Fall Into A Self-Help Trap.

    I bet Barnes and Noble has a super sweet sale on a "How to increase your productivity while working as you sleep and get a million dollars" type book right now. You do not need it. Why? Because those things get addicting in themselves. Soon enough, you'll be living in the world of self-help and mixed signals. One will tell you to adjust your diet to be nocturnal. One will tell you to go off to Budapest and leave your family behind. What do you do? You don't actually want to goto Budapest do you? It's nice, sure, but, the travel, the expenses. Ugh. Stay home, set your goals, create a schedule and by gosh, fail until you make it. 

Look, some of these may sound cheesy and you may have even read them somewhere else before. The main point is to not overdo it. Once you do, you seek the self help books and the podcasts that get you pumped for that moment but immediately burn you out. Take your growth at your pace. Open a business but don't hate it before you even open the doors.  Oh, and drink some coffee! ;)

If you have had any success with your own growth, feel free to leave a tip for the next stranger who may be struggling. These comments are always open!