Mindset Camp: A Mindset Tool to Overcome Negative Thinking and Find Direction in Life

This summer we are doing a series called Mindset Camp. It will be made up of mostly simple, thought-provoking episodes to give you something short + sweet to take action on right away!

Today is Episode 4 of that series.

Do you have days where you find yourself focused on all the things that aren't right, that you don't want, and then spiral to finding even more things that aren't right?

Negative thinking is human. How long you stay there is a choice. 

Today, I’m introducing a mindset tool that will help you overcome negative thinking to find direction in life. There’s a way to turn that negative thinking around, allowing it to illuminate the direction in life you really want to go.

Today's short episode is about a mindset tool I call Leverage the Contrast. It's all about leveraging what's happening in your mind and using it to turn yourself around.

Once you find the direction in life you want to go, you can leverage the contrast between negative thinking and your intentions and allow those negative thoughts to point you in the direction of what you want. Use this mindset tool to help you take one small step or one giant leap forward!

Enjoy!

Learn more about Carla:  https:/www.carlareeves.com/

Connect on LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reevescarla/
Connect on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/carlasreevesaz/

Explore Coaching with Carla:  https://bookme.name/carlareeves/lite/explore-coaching

• If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to share it with a friend. 
• A free way to support our show is by leaving a five-star rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It’s a chance to tell us what you love about the show and it helps others discover it, too. 

Thank you for listening!

Learn more about Carla:
Website: https:/www.carlareeves.com/
Connect on LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reevescarla/
Connect on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@differentlythepodcast

Go to https://www.carlareeves.com/getunstuck.com to download Carla's on demand journaling workshop + exercise to help you stop spinning and start moving forward.

Explore Coaching with Carla: https://bookme.name/carlareeves/lite/explore-coaching

• If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to share it with a friend.
• A free way to support our show is by leaving a five-star rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It’s a chance to tell us what you love about the show and it helps others discover it, too.

Thank you for listening!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

I'm Carla Reeves, and this is Differently. Whether you feel stuck in survival, navigating a change or seeking more for your life, may this podcast be your weekly nudge to take a risk to build a life that is uniquely bold, authentic and in alignment with your deepest values. What if you worried less about the bumps in the road and instead got equipped for the journey? Get ready to rethink what's possible. Summer is here and in the spirit of summer here on the podcast surprise, we're doing something a little different. Summer's past are such great memories. I grew up in a little sleepy beach town and most summer days I got my work in early so I could hop on my bike and get to the beach and stay until the sun went down or packing my bags for summer camp Long days full of memories.

Speaker 1: 0:57

This summer series, let's call it Mindset Camp. It will be made up of mostly simple, short, thought-provoking episodes to give you something short and sweet, whether you are on summer vacation, in between work meetings or driving to your office that you can fit in and apply right to your life, wherever you are, to shift your perspective, experience and maybe even your results. We will talk mindset, productivity, relationships and more. Vacations are great, but rest assured if vacation isn't within sight. I'm a firm believer of building a life that we don't have to escape and where vacations become the cherry on top of a life you already love living, and Mindset Camp is all about that Sharing ways to use our thinking to elevate our living right smack dab where you are. Do you have days where you find yourself focused on all the things that aren't right, that you don't want, and that just seems to spiral to finding more things that just aren't right? Today's short episode is about a mindset tool I call leverage, the contrast. It's all about leveraging what's happening in your mind and using it to turn yourself around. What I mean by that is taking the thing or things that we don't want or like in our life and allowing that to inform and steer us towards what we do want. According to definitions from Oxford Languages, the definition of contrast is the state of being strikingly different from something else. Typically, when we set out with a desire to create something new or different, it's because we've seen or witnessed something contrary to what we truly desire or because our soul is nudging us towards something bigger. It can be easy and ordinary to slip into focusing on what we don't want and live a life of avoidance. However, extraordinary things happen when you choose to seek clarity about what you do want and put all your focus and energy in that direction, because, after all, what you focus on grows. Where in your life is there contrast that you can leverage to inform what you do want? Let's talk about a few examples to get your mind stirring.

Speaker 1: 3:28

It's easy as an entrepreneur in business to get focused on a drop in revenue or clients leaving or completing their retainer or just a feeling of feeling bored in your business. It's easy to get focused on these things. But if we look at that, if we look at those things, they're pointing to the very things that we want. We want to see that income level rising again, we want to pursue new clients and a feeling of being bored is a desire for something exciting. So that contrast informs what you do want and if we can shift that to inform us of what we do want and align our actions to that, even ever so small, we can start to make a difference and turn ourselves around.

Speaker 1: 4:21

Sometimes in our marriage we can get focused on what's not happening or, again, boredom in our marriage or a lack of spontaneity or date nights and when we are focused on what's not working or not happening, we feel discouraged, we feel disappointed, we feel sad, and the more that we focus on that, the more that we feel that. But if we look at that contrast, we know exactly what we want. We want some excitement and some new life in our marriage. We want there's a request maybe there's a request there or an action there to create a date night or ask your spouse to plan a date night. We can also look at it in the realm of our health and our bodies. Sometimes we can get focused on not feeling good in our body and we don't like how we look in the mirror and we don't feel good putting on our clothes and we're looking looking over over there and comparing our bodies to others and feeling shame or sadness. This can all spiral to feeling down about ourselves. This contrast of what we don't want is pointing to. We want to feel good in our body again. We want to look, feel happy when we look in the mirror and confident. And when we can point to what we do want, then we know what to align our actions to and it can well. It can feel like a big, daunting endeavor. Simple, aligned actions just picking back up that walk every day or picking up that short exercise routine or prepping meals you know, tomorrow that gets you back on track can make all the difference. Look to places where you have persistent complaints, challenges, feeling frustration or just subtle feelings of something is off or missing, and look for that contrast.

Speaker 1: 6:10

We are all about using writing as a tool to navigate your life. When you are in a place to do so, I have a prompt for you. Take a sheet of paper out, draw a line down the center of the paper, pick a situation or area of your life where you've been focused on all that isn't going well, all that isn't right, all the negative, and in the left column I want you to list those things that you don't want. And in the right column, I want you to let that what you don't want inform what you do want and make a list next to each item of what you do want At the bottom. Come up with one simple thing you can do today and then tomorrow that moves you closer to creating more of what you do want.

Speaker 1: 6:54

In closing, negative thinking is human. How long you stay there is a choice. Today, let those negative thoughts point you in the direction of what you want and take one small step. Then how about this? You know I am here in my studio, just me and my microphone and my hopes and prayers that the content you're hearing is making a difference in your life. And now you can tell me there is a new send fan mail link right there at the top of the episode description to send me a text.

Speaker 1: 7:29

Let me know your favorite part of this episode, your answer to a question or prompt I asked or how you've been able to do differently to make a positive change in your life. From listening to this podcast, I read every single text and I can't wait to hear from you. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Differently. It's been an honor to share this conversation with you. You know, one of the keys to living fully is to take action when you're inspired to do so. I hope you found that spark of inspiration today and would you help us spread the word. Did someone you know come to mind while you were listening? If this episode could impact someone you know, please share it and pass it along. New episodes drop weekly, so tap that subscribe button and join us next time as we continue to challenge the status quo and get equipped to live life differently.