By Brianna Bridges
Everyone knows the burden of clutter collecting in our homes. When our environment is riddled with too much stuff, whether it’s visible or not, it starts to zap our energy and take up space that could otherwise be freed up for better things or simply better aesthetics (hello bedroom chair with all the clothes thrown over it!)
So it makes sense that we embrace the notion of spring cleaning as a way to purge the stuff we don’t need that’s taking up much-needed space that could otherwise create a more tranquil atmosphere.
But what we don’t realize is that our minds, just like our physical environments, also collect clutter that needs to be cleared out… and much more frequently than an annual purge in the springtime.
You see, as we move through life, we collect beliefs that get stored in our brains and become part of our unconscious thinking – and they’re guiding our behavior whether we’re aware of it or not. Some of them are great core values, like believing that being kind to others is important. But others are more detrimental, giving us results in our lives that we’re less enthused about. Those are the ones that need to be sorted through and cleared out.
Take, for example, a thought one of my clients had in the face of her divorce: “I am a strong and independent person.” This thought was so helpful in getting her through a difficult time. It created the right feeling to push her to find her own place; to go through the process of reimagining her life on her own; to create a new space in her life for self-reliance.
But as it came time to find a new partner when she was ready, this thought that had become so ingrained in her, was actually keeping her from connecting with anyone else on a deep enough level. Her notion of independence – that being on her own was now a virtue – was at odds with her desire to find a partner. This desire would require her to abandon that thought so she could let someone else in.
It’s so sneaky – because on the surface being a strong and independent person seems like an incredible thought to have. But even the seemingly good ones can beget results that we don’t want in our lives.
When you raise your awareness of your thoughts, you might come to realize that some of them are harming your daily life – and your ultimate goals – no matter how small or latent they seem.
The process of taking inventory of your mental “stuff” and organizing it into what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of is like giving a spring cleaning to your brain-except it’s better. Instead of getting physical stuff out of your way, you’re getting thoughts out of your way that would otherwise keep holding you back if you’d never found them.
This is the process of mindset coaching. Raising your awareness of the beliefs that are running the show in the background so that you can understand how they’re affecting your life, and ultimately clear them out of your way so that you have the most peaceful, productive, and positive mindset you can – just like you do for your home.
Contact Brianna at: Brianna@BriannasBestLife.com. Please visit her website for more information: BriannasBestLife.com.
