When I was a teenager, I really wanted to be a fashion designer. I doodled outfits every day and amassed a good-sized collection of personal designs.
Then a family member discovered my drawings and thought they were good, but I was embarrassed and didn’t think they were good enough for anybody to look at but me.
My dreams of being a fashion designer ended right there.
Our minds can trick us into thinking that we can’t live our dreams. It can be a gremlin in our head that tells us that we’re not good enough, smart enough, or (fill in the blank) enough.
I want you to know that you can change your life by changing your mindset. You can learn how to master your mind, overcome your limiting beliefs, reach your goals, and achieve success in life with the following mindset hacks.
11 mindset hacks to help you achieve success.
1. Drop your limiting beliefs.
I wanted to start with this one because limiting beliefs are one of the biggest roadblocks when it comes to changing your mindset.
A limiting belief is something you accept as your truth but can be detrimental to your health and well-being.
This mindset hack is important because it’s only after you let go of your limiting beliefs that you can start to change your life and build a foundation of self-worth, self-confidence, self-love, and success.
2. Be afraid and do it anyway.
Being afraid is okay. It’s only when fear stops you from taking action and living life to the fullest that it becomes a problem.
Fear can hijack your mind, body, and emotions. No matter what you do to push it down, it only comes back worse than before if you continually avoid it.
One way to stop it from controlling your life is to face it, embrace it, and do it anyway.
Yes, this is easier said than done, but I know what it’s like to constantly live in fear. It feels like someone turned your dial down to low energy and at the same time heightened your senses.
It’s not a fun place to be in. Facing your fear and taking action may not be a mindset hack that you’ll take to right away.
You might have to start off small and then continue to practice it every day of your life. Just remember that there are many successful people out there that are just as scared as you are.
They are just as much a human being as you. The difference is they’re the ones who are able to face their fears and overcome them.
3. Visualize your future self.
Your thoughts create a vivid reality in your mind. They may not be physically present, but if you work on them long enough, they could be.
Visualization can be a powerful mindset hack to turn your thoughts into reality. You can use it to imagine a future self that is in alignment with your heart’s desires and dreams.
Here are some ways to visualize your future self:
- More money
- Successful business
- Admiration of friends and loved ones
- Dream job
- Starting a family
- Forming a healthy habit
It doesn’t matter how small or big you imagine your future self to be, as long as it’s filled with joy & positivity and you’re practicing regularly.
4. Don’t focus on the outcome.
When we focus on the outcome, i.e. the future, our minds can easily become overwhelmed.
It’s not bad to make goals and plans, but when you focus too much on a specific result, you can set yourself up for failure and your mindset can quickly spiral into negative thoughts.
If your mind is overwhelmed, the best thing to do is to recenter your focus. I find that the best way to do this is to focus on my breath.
It grounds me and at the same time resets my brain so I’m able to think clearly again.
All you need is to be present with your thoughts, feelings, and emotional state while you’re focusing on your breath.
Once you are able to refocus and think clearly, you can start taking control of your mindset so it doesn’t control you.
5. Increase your self-awareness.
Awareness is noticing what is happening in the present moment. When you can catch yourself paying attention to something without judgment or criticism, you develop what’s called meta-awareness.
Meta awareness is the ability to remove yourself from your thoughts, feelings, and emotions as they are happening.
In other words, you’re still present but you don’t allow your emotions to (or at least you try not to) dictate your behavior.
This can help you control your mindset because when you are aware of yourself, you are better able to take command of your mind.
The best way to become more self-aware is to notice what is happening when you’re interacting with other people.
It’s like watching a movie but the main character is yourself and you, simultaneously, are the audience.
The more self-aware you are, the greater your ability to control your mindset.
6. Practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness is intentional and engaged awareness to help reduce suffering and build compassion.
It allows you to control your mind by creating a deeper connection to yourself, to others, and to the world around you.
This is why the practice of mindfulness is a great mindset hack. You are better able to detach from your emotions, accept yourself for who you are, and let go of things that don’t serve you anymore.
Mindfulness is easy in theory but a lot harder in practice. It takes time to separate your emotions from your thoughts.
With time, however, you will be able to use this tool to direct your mindset toward any path you choose in life.
7. Boost your self-confidence.
One way to strengthen your mindset is to boost your self-confidence. Studies have shown that boosting your confidence before a challenging task can help boost your performance.
Confidence is not something that only a few special people have. It’s a skill that you can learn and use any time you need it.
One proven way to boost your confidence is a pose developed by Amy Cuddy called the power pose.
You stand straight up with your hands on your hips and hold the pose for 2 minutes. The expansive and powerful nature of the pose has a positive correlation with increased feelings of power.
Other ways to boost your self-confidence are knowing your strengths, finding something you’re good at, surrounding yourself with positive people, and self-affirmations.
8. Practice self-affirmations.
A self-affirmation is a great mindset hack because it can boost your confidence, self-acceptance, and self-love.
Affirmations are acts that help you boost positivity and confidence within yourself.
Here are some examples:
- My intellect is sharp and proficient.
- I am beautiful inside and out.
- My skills and talents are more than enough.
- I can do anything I set my mind to.
Notice how I wrote them in the present tense. You want to say your affirmations this way because it anchors them deeper into your mind.
You’re not going to be beautiful inside and out someday. You are beautiful right now.
Affirmations may feel strange at first if you don’t believe them to be true. With consistency and time, however, they will feel more real to you mentally and physically.
9. Give yourself a mental break.
Give yourself a mental break if you’re stuck on something and you can’t find a solution no matter how hard you try.
It’s hard to notice that you need a break when you’re in the middle of a storm of thoughts.
I know I need a mental break when no matter what I do or how hard I try, I can’t come up with a solution to a problem or I am having creative blocks.
It only takes a bit of time and even a 5-minute break is enough to reset my brain so I can think clearly again.
When I’m really tired, I either take a nap or remind myself to sleep a little earlier to get in some good quality sleep at bedtime.
Taking a mental break is not only restful, it can also help you redirect or change your mindset when things get challenging.
10. Make a list of values.
Values can help you develop an intentional mindset by giving your life direction, prioritizing what’s most important in life, and saving precious brain energy and time.
It can be easy to get caught up in the daily grind of life and lose your way if you don’t have a strong set of core values.
Core values are the things that are most important to you in life and you place your most important ones at the top.
Here are some examples of personal core values:
- Family
- Recognition
- Ambition
- Money
- Creativity
- Loyalty
- Security
You just need a handful of values to give you direction in life, think more clearly, live more intentionally, and develop a strong mindset.
11. Write your goals.
Writing your goals is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. This is where you put your thoughts into action and map out a path for your life that will help you accomplish your goals and achieve success.
Be sure your goals are achievable and realistic. You can do this by setting a time limit on what you want to accomplish. If you don’t get it done, you can always break your goal down into smaller steps so they’re more manageable.
Final thoughts.
Mindset hacks are important because you need tools to help you when you feel stuck; or you don’t feel like you’re enough; or you’re tired, lost, & overwhelmed.
Mindset hacks can help you overcome negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, and blocks to your success.
Conversely, a mindset hack can help you imagine a new & improved future self, create more positive thoughts, develop an abundance mindset, and adopt new beliefs that are empowering.
Some examples of mindset hacks are visualization, dropping limiting beliefs, practicing mindfulness, and boosting your confidence.
I hope you found these mindset hacks helpful. Do you have any to share? Please let me know in the comments!
