Top 6 Strategies with Action Steps to Change Your Mindset

Live Beyond Limits, Reclaim Your Power, & Live with Healed Intention

You have to know where you’ve been, who you are and what you want, in order to know where you need to go. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. Journaling is a great way to gain clarity, as is shadow work either solo or professional. You should be asking yourself some tough questions and it feels like it came too easy, you’re not digging deep enough. This is an important first step upon which all the others will be built upon. It’s important you dig as deep as you possibly can and when you get clear on what it is you need to repair, own it. Know it. Seek the healing, and help if necessary. Get real with yourself and ask tough questions… What do I want in life? What am I not taking responsibility for in my life? What am I gaining from staying in my current situation? How can I become better at ‘xyz’?

Are you constantly thinking about the future? Are you always reliving the past? Are you worried about things outside of your control? The only time we have is the present, here and now. (The reality is… the past and the future do not exist at this moment. The past is gone and over, and the future doesn’t exist yet.) Start bringing yourself back to the moment and watch your thoughts.
Here are some strategies to bring yourself into the present moment:

• Focus on your breath. Just take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth slowly. (Smell the roses and blow out the candles) Do this at least 5 times.
• Ground yourself. There are many techniques to ground yourself and this is an area I love to discuss with clients!! Here is an easy one using only your breath. Take in a deep breath to the count of 4, hold your breath to the count of 4, breath out to the count of 4 and then hold to the count of 4. This is called box breathing.
• Show gratitude for something in the moment. Even doing simple tasks like brushing your teeth… “I am grateful for running water!” or “I am grateful for the ability to brush my teeth every day.”

Are you a glass half empty or glass half full person? Regardless of how you feel about the glass, pay attention to the things you say to yourself and to others. Where focus goes, energy flows. Meaning… what you give your focus to, is what you will bring more of into your life. I’m not saying everything is perfect all the time (toxic positivity will get you nowhere!!), but the words you say create your reality. I am not talking about wishing for a million dollars and then it automatically shows up. What I am saying is if you wake up and decide to be in a bad mood and let everything get to you… your day will ultimately become what you project it to be. You ALWAYS have a choice! You can choose to see the positive lesson in a hard situation or you can let the situation consume you. Doesn’t mean you have to love every situation you are in and it doesn’t mean you will be happy-go-lucky all the time. It simply means that you are choosing to see the good and hold onto what that can bring to your life. The more you focus on what you can take away and learn from your experiences, and the more you focus on your desires, the more opportunities you will attract into your life. Focus on what you don’t want only draws more of what you don’t actually want in your life. The number one strategy for developing more positivity in your life is to create a gratitude practice! Head over to www.katieburthardt.com and download your FREE gratitude journal to begin a daily practice. 

I think many of us struggle with this concept of self-care, but it is incredibly vital to our overall well-being!! Start by picking a few things you enjoy doing and do that for yourself daily! Quiet time, a bath, going for a walk, or reading a book. Something that is just for you! The other part of self-care is creating boundaries, saying ‘no’ to things that do not serve you or lift you up, or stop saying ‘yes’ to things you want to say ‘no’ to! Are you working so hard that you have no time for yourself? Re-evaluate your schedule and let go of things that do not serve your ultimate and higher purpose or goals in life. Self-care really encompasses every aspect of your life: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Action steps to take: look at your schedule and remove anything that isn’t serving you, schedule an appointment with yourself to do something that lifts you up, set boundaries with people that take more from you than you have to give, and develop a daily ritual (even if it’s just drinking your coffee quietly for 10-15 minutes).

A dream/goal without a plan is just a wish. It’s great to have dreams and things you want to do, but do you have a plan to get it? Grab your calendar and set a date you would like to have your dream/goal met. Now, what baby action steps can you take towards that goal today? Write it down. How about tomorrow? Write it down. Wash, rinse, and repeat! 

This step is important because it’s your action step! Any small step towards your goal is a WIN and should be celebrated! That means if you research ‘How to’ or you make a list of things that need to be accomplished, that is a small action step towards your goal! Then celebrate that you took action!! Please remember, you cannot do everything at once or all by yourself. Ask for help when necessary. Remember… Rome wasn’t built in a day! It’s much more important that you take small action steps each day and find value in those small steps!

Life is going to throw you curve balls! Even with the best laid plans you can still get off track. This can be super frustrating at times. But if you are practicing mindfulness and staying solution focused, you will be able to stay in that positive mindset. Also… Be flexible! There’s never just one way to get where you are going! Sometimes we make the best plans on paper and then they totally crumble! It’s at this moment where so many of us can feel defeated and lose sight of our ultimate goal. Just because you make a great plan and wrote it down, doesn’t mean there isn’t another way to achieve your plans. If you haven’t taken action in a week, please give yourself some grace and tap into the emotions you are feeling. Are you tired and need some more or better sleep quality? Have you been staying hydrated? Does something not feel right about all the action steps you’ve been taking? Maybe what you’re focusing on isn’t in alignment with where you want to be. That is ok!! Take a deep breath and go back to step 5. Look at your goals again and ask yourself if what you wanted is still in alignment and refocus on that plan. You’ve got this!! (P.S. If you need help… that’s what we do best!)

It’s all about the journey and keeping your eye on the prize! When life hands you lemons… make limoncello!!

~ Kai