I’ve Made Up My Mind

Earlier this year, my husband, Doug, and I made a life-changing decision to move from Atlanta to Sarasota. Since then, our time has been nearly consumed with a variety of “to do” lists – from readying the Georgia house for sale, to determining what to downsize, to figuring out the multiple redesign options for the Florida house.

After five months of effort, it’s time to go. In fact, we drove to our new home state yesterday. Because of our timetable, the recent question asked by many has been, “Are you sad to be leaving?”

With family events in August and October, my automatic response has been “I don’t feel like we’re leaving; we’ll be back in six weeks.” To me, given the physical separations we’ve experienced due to the pandemic, six weeks doesn’t feel long at all.

This mindset has:

• given me the energy to get through the seemingly endless tasks when we were tired;
• provided the excitement in planning for what’s next in our new town;
• and, reinforced the gratitude we feel in having such wonderful family and friends.

Mindsets are influenced by beliefs (both core and limiting), traditions, and stories people have told themselves for years. When a certain mindset does not serve an individual, it is possible to change that mindset with time and focus. In our case, my mindset is not one of losing something from our lives but rather adding something new to them.

This mindset served me well when it came time to give hugs good-bye (temporarily) to people in our lives.  It continued to serve me well on the multiple-hour drive as I thought about the people we would meet and the new opportunities to impact the leadership of executives in a new city.

There’s no need to change this mindset. I’m keeping it – my mind is made up!

This Week’s Challenge: What are some of the mindsets you have? Which ones serve you and which ones do not? If you truly want to change a mindset, the first step is to write it down. Reflect on what beliefs, stories, or traditions might have influenced it. Consider whether you still value them in your current life. Then, brainstorm various alternatives to that mindset so it can serve you in a more positive way. Revisit your chosen alternative daily. Repeat it mantra-style. Write it on a sticky note or notecard or type it into your smartphone – put it where you’ll see it. It takes time to shift a mindset. Keep at it.