My regular followers know how important I think mindset is to every single area of your life.
The way I see it, everything revolves around your mindset: how you look at the world, how you think in business, how you approach literally everything. From the moment you open your eyes, how you think about the day and how it’s going to unfold – it’s all down to your mindset.
How many times have you woken up, rolled out of bed and thought “I’m exhausted, I’m tired, it’s raining outside. I’m going to have a crappy day”. Well guess what? You’ve just created your crappy day. You’re the only one with the power to make your day a good or bad one, no matter who you might want to blame!
There’s good news though: a few small, deliberate shifts can change everything. Here are eight to get you started.
Get moving
Your health is your wealth. That’s something that I strongly believe in and it’s one of the reasons why I make sure to exercise every day. It’s an integral part of my daily routine and I can’t imagine starting my day any other way.
Aside from the obvious health benefits, it means I always start the day with a massive endorphin boost and walk into work feeling fantastic. Having a routine is also a brilliant way of dealing with anxiety: our brains don’t like uncertainty, and a routine can help reduce the amount of stress hormones being released into your system.
If it’s been a while since you worked out, remember that you don’t have to start with something huge – you don’t train for a marathon by going out and running 26 miles on your first day! You build up slowly, adding a little bit more each time, until you reach your goal. The same is true of exercising for mental health benefits: start small, and increase gradually over time. You’re far more likely to embed a habit if you go slowly and build yourself up to achieve the targets you want.
Write it down
Journalling is such a useful tool. Every morning, quite early, I sit down to write and think about my goals, my ambitions and how I’m going to achieve them. It’s just my little reminder, first thing in the morning, that everything I do in that day needs to point towards those ambitions.
If you feel stuck in a rut or routine, treading water in the daily grind with no actual direction, it’s depressing. Actually writing down your goals can really help crystallise what you want out of life, and help you decide how you’re going to achieve those aims. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself by thinking you have to get it all done by next week. Think of it more like a roadmap of how you’re going to get to where you want to be.
Look at things from another angle
Sometimes, it’s hard to find the positive in life, especially when we’re constantly being bombarded by negativity, whether that’s from other people or even ourselves! It’s all about how you see the bigger picture. A pessimistic outlook could cause you to miss opportunities, but if you try to view things from a more optimistic perspective, you might be surprised what you find.
I was once asked by a 38-year-old if they were too late to get on the property ladder. In his eyes, he was already 38, and so he’d missed the boat. My advice was to look at it differently: he was only 38, he still had loads of time! Shift your viewpoint and find your positives. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your mood improves.
Stop the comparison trap
If you are hiding behind a mask and pretending to be something that you’re not, then you’re not living up to your true potential. Stop comparing yourself to what other people appear to have.
Don’t get fooled by people’s social media lives: you might scroll through your feed seeing amazing lifestyles, travel videos and perfectly curated moments, but you’re looking at life through a filter. You don’t see all the background stuff, what’s really going on. You’re just seeing the highlight reel. Whether it’s Instagram, TikTok or even as basic as LinkedIn, remember that the only thing that’s important is what’s happening with you, not with others.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint
When you’ve got a lot going on in your life, it’s too easy to be reactive, bouncing from crisis to crisis and treating everything like an emergency that has to be fixed immediately. But think about taking a step back next time something blows up in your face. Unless something is actually on fire, consider a couple of options rather than just going with your first instinctive reaction.
Your gut feeling may well turn out to be the right reaction and action, but consider those other options first. When it comes to the property industry, remember that like everything else in life, it goes in cycles. Sometimes it’s up, sometimes it’s down. Play a long game with your strategy and investment, rather than constantly going for quick wins. Your brain (and your blood pressure) will thank you.
Protect your energy
This is one that people don’t talk about enough. Your energy is a finite resource, and yet most of us give it away freely to anyone who asks.
Learning to say no isn’t selfish: it’s one of the most important things you can do for your mental health and your productivity. Start paying attention to what drains you and what fuels you, then be intentional about where your energy goes. The people and things that matter most to you deserve the best of you, not whatever’s left over at the end of the day.
Rest is productive
We live in a culture that glorifies the grind. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” “Hustle harder.” “No days off.” That mindset is complete bull, and the science backs me up on that. Sleep deprivation impairs decision-making, kills creativity, and wrecks your mood. How’s that meant to help you move forward?
Rest isn’t a reward you earn after you’ve finished everything, it’s part of the strategy. The best athletes in the world treat recovery as seriously as training. Build proper rest into your week, guard it the same way you’d guard an important meeting, and watch how much better everything else gets as a result.
Who you surround yourself with matters
There’s a saying that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with, which can play out both positively and negatively. Spend your time with driven, positive, curious people and that energy rubs off on you. Spend it with people who constantly moan, play the victim or drag everything down… you can probably guess the rest.
This doesn’t mean ruthlessly cutting people out of your life, but it does mean being conscious about who gets access to your time and headspace. Seek out people who challenge you, inspire you and bring out the best in you. That’s the kind of environment where growth happens.
Remember, it all starts and ends with you. These eight shifts are all achievable changes that could have a major impact on your wellbeing and ultimately your life. Don’t think you have to make massive, sweeping changes all at once: it’s far better to make small, incremental adjustments. Pick one, nail it, then move on to the next. You might not see results right away but in time, it will all add up to some pretty fantastic results.
You’ve got nothing to lose… except maybe some stress and anxiety!