Mindset,Shmindset
Let’s call the whole word off.
Everywhere I look and in so many things I read, we’re being told that we have the wrong mindset.
Maybe our mindset isn’t what’s wrong.
Maybe it’s the word “mindset” that’s the problem.
I’ve decided that this overused, kitschy, jargon-y word has had its 15 minutes of fame.
Stick a fork in it - it’s done.
Time to pitch it out in favor of what I think people are really trying to express by talking about “mindset.”
You see, to me, mindset means your mind is stuck. Chewing gum to the bottom of the desk.
Maybe it even means to change your mind to something else, and then set it again as the new something.
As a life coach, this is exactly what I DON’T want for my clients.
I want them to have, um… “mindflex,” “mindchange,” “mindintent,” or something equally limber that indicates that your mind isn’t SET.
My clients work hard to UNSET their mind.
Because, here’s what happens when your mind is set.
You keep walking into a wall (thinking the same thoughts) expecting a door to appear (wondering why you keep getting the same old results).
Your mindset has been feeding you thoughts – some good and some not at all helpful – for your entire life. You have been believing your mind for years.
Now, THAT’S what I call a mindset.
I want you to understand that you have control over your mind; not vice versa.
In life coaching, we try on different thoughts - like trying on clothes in a dressing room - to see what fits us for a given circumstance.
Then, we choose a thought that will help us create a result we want for our life.
And that’s how we change. One thought at a time.
So, you see how “mindset” would work my last coach nerve just like nails on a blackboard.
Oh, okay. Maybe there will be times when you want to “set” a new thought or idea.
Fine. Go ahead.
Just for goodness sake, let’s not set it in stone.
Perhaps more like a Jello shot. How’s that?
Yes, Lovelies. I’m starting a prohibition on using the word “mindset” when it’s intended to mean something positive for you.
We’re going to start calling it…
Click the orange box above and send me your suggestions for a replacement word(s).
I will publish the list of your entries and we can all vote on it!