Episode 36: Understanding How Your Mindset Works

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Hey there, welcome back to the Own Your Confidence Podcast! I'm Ellie, and I'm thrilled to have you here for today's episode. This time, we're delving into a topic that's close to everyone's heart - the pursuit of happiness. We're all after that feeling of contentment and peace, and it's often linked to our confidence. I've noticed that as I've grown more confident, feelings of loneliness have significantly decreased. It's like I've constructed a safe haven within myself. Today, we're digging deeper into the fascinating relationship between our mindset, emotions, and the pursuit of happiness.

It helps to embrace happiness by first understanding how your brain works. At Own Your You, I teach the method that life circumstances trigger our thoughts, which create our feelings, and you always take action (or inaction) from your feelings. 

To help you understand this concept, below I have given four different analogies explaining how this concept can play out in your life. 

The Ocean Analogy: Surfing the Waves of Emotion

Imagine your mind is an ocean. Your thoughts are the waves that constantly roll in, crashing on the shore. Just as you can't stop waves, you can't halt your thoughts. The key is not to block these waves. Negative emotions are like the waves crashing on the shore. Sometimes we can get caught off guard by the waves crashing and get caught up in them. Instead of trying to avoid them or suppress them, allow them to wash over you. Embrace these emotions, and like a surfer regaining balance, you'll find your equilibrium.

I once believed that if I could get rid of negative emotions that then I would live a happy life. However, as humans, it is part of the human experience to have negative emotions. It is actually a healthy thing! So when you are able to look at your thoughts and emotions as waves, it can help you accept and allow your thoughts and emotions to flow. 

The Swamp Analogy: Navigating New Realizations

Embarking on a journey of self-discovery and mindset shift is much like navigating a swamp. Think of those 'aha' moments as light bulbs going off in your mind. They illuminate your path forward, but you can't un-know what you've learned. While this phase can feel like wading through uncertainty, remember that this is just part of the process. Keep pushing forward, because once the light bulb is on, it's there to stay.

When in pursuit of happiness, you need to build awareness of the thoughts you currently believe about yourself and your life that are leading you to negative emotions. During this process, you will start having a lot of light bulb moments of awareness. This process helps you see yourself and your world through a new perspective, shifting your mindset to look for more happiness.

The Computer Analogy: Observing Your Mind's Movie

Imagine you're sitting in front of a computer monitor, watching a movie that is your life. As you become engrossed in this 'movie', you're immersed in your thoughts and emotions. But if you take your hand off the mouse, you'll see that you're not the movie itself; you're the observer. This analogy reminds us that we can detach ourselves from our thoughts and emotions, gaining a fresh perspective on our experiences.

When learning how to shift your mindset, you need to remind yourself that you are not your thoughts. That you are actually able to observe them and change them whenever you want. This is the act of going from being immersed in them to observation. By getting curious about what triggers the thoughts and allowing yourself to stop thinking them. 

The Neural Pathway Analogy: Paving a New Path

Shifting your mindset involves creating new neural pathways. Imagine your current thought patterns as an eight-lane highway formed over the years. Now, you want to build a new pathway that supports you better. This is like creating a new trail through the woods. As you repeatedly choose a new, positive thought, you're forging a fresh, healthier path in your brain. This is the basis of why affirmations are powerful.

In conclusion, happiness isn't a fixed destination; it's a fleeting emotion. However, by understanding your mindset and emotions through these analogies, you can navigate them with more ease. Whether you're riding the waves of emotion, trekking through the swamp of self-discovery, observing your mental movie, or paving new neural pathways, you're engaging in the beautiful, transformative journey of personal growth.