Tag: how to achieve mindfulness

Motivational Monday: A Lesson in Quitting

This weekend I listened to a podcast called Goal Digger hosted by Jenna Kutcher episode 118: What Nastia Liukin Learned After Her Gold Medal. Nastia is a Russian American former gymnast. The number one takeaway I learned from this podcast was the lesson Nastia’s parents taught her in wanting to quit. Whenever she would have a bad day, she’d tell her parents she wanted to quit and her parents would say to her, Okay, but not today. I can totally relate to this feeling of wanting to be done with something when I’ve had a bad day, feel overworked, tired, mentally drained, etc. Once Nastia would have a good day her parents would say, Okay now you can quit. Have you ever told yourself you can quit something on a GOOD day? After hearing this on the podcast I realized this is such a great technique of reverse psychology. I’ve never thought to quit something on a good day. This goes to show what a positive and negative mindset can do for a person on a good and bad day.

So, the next time you want to quit something on a bad day, give yourself a break for the rest of the night, don’t focus on quitting, focus on bringing your mind elsewhere and staying present. And, when you have a good day, come back to the day you thought about quitting and this should make you realize if you REALLY want to quit. Everything you do will make more sense with a clear mind.

Have you ever told yourself you can quit something on a good day? Also, if you’d like to hear the entire episode from the podcast, visit iTunes and search Goal Digger.

Motivational Monday: Body Positivity

Last week, I posted a picture of me on my Instagram at Pure Barre, ready for class and received a lot of positive feedback so I thought I’d share more today. Here’s what I wrote in the comments on IG:

“I’ve found the best way to be body positive is to be mindful of the workout I’m doing rather than focus on my weight or giving up during class. I know the more classes I attend and the healthier I eat my body will adjust to being tone.

When you find a workout you’re passionate about it’ll make wanting to workout easier.”

Many people found the message inspiring and I hope you do too! I’ve learned that every time you enter the doors of a gym, studio or decide to workout on your own-you’re far from giving up. I’ve also learned that there’s a difference between giving up from exhaustion and giving up mentally. You need to fight the mental saying of “I can’t” and keep going because if you’re in a class, the class doesn’t stop so if you stop because you tell yourself you can’t do something you’ll only stop to get back up. But if you stop from exhaustion it’s okay to give yourself a break.

As far as weight goes, if you’re attending classes regularly and eating healthy the weight will come off, just be patient.

How do you deal with body positivity?

Motivational Monday-Start Mindfulness Now

Being mindful starts with having a clear mind. So, how do you achieve a clear mind? By making time to do so and by not thinking about what is bothering you but rather acknowledge it and do something mindful for a while. Mindfulness is also being present of your surroundings and of your own self. If a situation you’re in is difficult-a hard workout routine or a difficult time in your life-try to remind yourself you’re going to get past it by remembering that it won’t last forever. In the end whatever you’re going through is a lesson and will make your mind stronger.

You can achieve mindfulness by telling yourself that you’re going to do an activity at a set time. This should calm your mind down from any stress you’re currently having.

Some of the things I enjoy doing to clear my mind include: taking a walk, working out, listening to podcasts, reading books or blog posts. While all of these do clear my mind of stress or negative thoughts, I’m also learning along the way. Listening to a podcast while doing a mindless task like washing dishes means I can focus on what the podcasters are talking about.

I know that some people love working out in the morning and I can totally see why, it’s a great way to get energized for the day (I do this on Saturdays)! I’ve always loved working out at night because I go directly from work to working out. This means I can focus my mind on things like: what the teacher is showing me to do, what everyone around me is doing and what I’m doing. The workout routine is difficult, but being mindful that it won’t last forever and that the results will show my hard work helps to keep my mind positive. Working out helps to clear my mind of work stress that I would have otherwise carried with me on the drive home. For the nights that I’m not working out, I’ll come home and put on a podcast to listen to, to relieve my mind from work or stress.

Any way that you can become more mindful of your current situation is going to make you have a stronger will power to get through anything. When this happens, you’ll be more determined to take on new challenges.

How do you stay mindful? Do you have any tips on being mindful or what you enjoy doing to clear your mind?

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