Six Mind Habits We
Do Well To Manage

Mind habits are a powerful force influencing everything we do. When we learn to shape and master our habits of mind we can create more of what we want. On the other hand, when the habits of the mind are running our lives we continue to get what we've always gotten - for better or worse.

The Six Mind Habits

Habits are a powerful force in our lives that can work for us or against us. Our habits of mind are especially influential and will determine the course of our life if we let them. This is why we need to become aware of our mind habits and shape them as best we can to help us lead the kind of life we want.

To a large extent gaining mastery over our mind habits requires stepping out-of-the-mind - stepping out of our old patterns of thought and action - to develop new ways of thinking and doing.

We need to know that we can change - even though we may have failed to do so successfully in the past. We need to know that stepping out-of-the-mind is all that is really required. We can leave our old selves behind and step into something fresh and new.

Here are the six habits of mind to master:

Clinging To Our Comfort Zone

Fear of Fear

Comparison

Black & White Thinking

Perfectionism

Procrastination

Notice that I'm not talking about eliminating mind habits since the mind is a part of who we are. Our hope and challenge is to learn to work with our mind to our highest benefit. Let's take this opportunity to shine a light on these habits, examine them, understand them - and get to know ourselves better. Then we'll be able to create what we reallywant in our life.

Clinging To Our Comfort Zone

Are you comfortable? This is what the mind wants to know. Seeking comfort is a very powerful mind habit, and for good reason. Clinging to our comfort zone is the first of the six mind habits we do well to manage.

It should be said that a certain level of comfort, safety and security is essential for powerful personal growth, self improvement and motivation. To venture into the unknown, where expansion and personal growth reside, we need a strong platform to launch ourselves from. We need a place we can call home; a place we know we can fall back on to replenish.

If we lack this fundamental base then our first priority should be to create it in our lives. Without such a foundation to operate from we will have difficulty facing the challenge of change. We won't have the strength, will or desire to put our comfort zones to the test.

Once we've established a secure foundation we should not forget to use it for what it was meant for - to allow us to venture with strength into the unknown and bring back new found knowledge, skills and experience.

This is the dynamic balance we need to maintain for optimal self improvement and personal growth. We need a base of comfort and security but it isn't the goal. Like pounding spikes into a cliff face to ascend to greater heights, we use our current comfort zones to boost us to the next level.

We know we're being mastered by our comfort zones when...

Life becomes so predictable - we haven't experienced a new positive emotion for ages. We don't remember the last time we surprised ourselves. We feel stagnant and in a rut.

We seem to be comfortable and secure, but we also feel stiffled. We know we need to move on or do something, but we don't.

Life is no longer a wonder to be lived; it becomes something to be endured. Life feels lifeless and we find ourselves wondering often about the point or meaning of it all.

We lose touch with the enlivening aspects of fear. We turn away from it instead of facing it, leaning into it, following it.

We know we're mastering our comfort zones when...

We're excited about the future and the changes we know are coming our way.

We start seeing comfort zones as stepping stones instead of a permanent residence.

We have a reserve of strength, energy and willpower to pursue the positive change we want or envision.

We become very good at identifying our relationship with comfort and know when to pursue it and when to break out of it.

Our life isn't stagnant because we alternate between periods of comfort/replenishment and challenge/growth.

Mind Habits Live In The Subconscious

Working with habits of mind is a profound path to personal growth, self improvement and motivation. The power of mind habits comes from the subconscious mind. They reside beneath the threshold of our conscious awareness.

Consciously, we become aware of the multiple problems these habits create. We try to consciously solve them in a variety of ways, yet our attempts often prove superficial and of limited effect. As long as the root remains untouched, we will continue to struggle with them.

Mind habits are best dealt with by working directly with the subconscious mind. You will find many tools on this site that can help.

Like what you've been reading so far? You can download the best of it here...