I want to talk a little bit today about developing a growth mindset - the mental ability to consciously choose to improve. In this mind set we want to learn, we yearn to be proved wrong so that we can no longer be mistaken. We want to be enlightened. We want to overcome the challenge or find an alternate route to our goal. This is the growth mindset. We don't mind putting in the work, taking the course, doing the research in order to make the new goal materialize. We put in the work knowing it plants seeds of change that if nurtured will grow into something special.
Many of us are making resolutions to live more consciously, more proactive - to leave a legacy of positive change behind us. We have developed the need, the desire to see this in every aspect of our lives - not just at home, or just at work or as a consumer. The global culture has evolved with a renewed desire to know that we are creating change every day, every moment of every day.
Like many out there in this troublesome world, I battled depression often and hit several really low points - dealing with a traumatic childhood, a car accident, the grief off losing parents, an anxiety disorder, chronic pain and the passing of friends. Each major life challenge led to depression and today I want to share some of the ways my husband and I have created a positive, proactive life.
But where do we start when even just the thought of hope is exhausting?
For me, it began by eliminating all things negative from my life. News, newspapers, magazines, conversations, the subscriptions I chose to renew, any reading material, and most of the shows I watched were chosen with this one aspect in mind:
Only positive food for the brain.
It didn't take long before I was ready for the next step - which involved looking around my own home, starting right where I was with small changes. I think the first thing I did was to switch over to only eco-friendly cleaning supplies.
Dave and I researched all the recycling, take back, return, reuse and repurpose projects, programs and organizations happening in the community and we chose to participate in them 100%. We upgraded appliances and installed ceiling fans. Everything from intensive caulking, water saving toilets and faucets, to windows and insulation was done.
I eliminated clutter and began to downsize one cupboard, one drawer - one room at a time. Systematically organizing and downsizing - making our home life so much more convenient and reducing the stress of all the things I was meaning to do. All the items were, of course, donated to charities and sometimes sold in garage sales or via online buy and sell groups depending on what kind of an item it was. We did every room including the garden shed and garage. Everything.
Having a decluttered, organized home and workspaces meant the frustration of limited space, things left undone and too much storage was virtually eliminated. Reducing costs by becoming energy and water savvy meant the financial stress was reduced. The helpless, worthless feelings began to fade and I was ready for the next step.
I began taking courses - one every year or two, increasing my knowledge and abilities - which give me more confidence and less stress when taking on various tasks in our business. I became a regular listener of positive and proactive, informative and educational podcasts and audio books. I subscribed to numerous helpful Youtube channels and a variety of inspiring blogs. Networking and collaborating activities increased as time marched forward, offering me a community of like-minded people.
We increased our gardening space and landscaped in such a way that we were able to get certification with bee, butterfly and organic organizations. We changed our diet and shopping habits to one based on items made as local as much as possible, and as eco-friendly as possible. From stainless steel straws to reusable shopping bags, we looked at every aspect of our daily life.
Whenever we were out walking around the neighbourhood with the dogs, travelling or camping, hiking or any other activity we picked up litter everywhere we went, placing items in the recycling bin if they qualified. I made it a goal to fill a plastic shopping bag of litter before we headed home.
We then integrated this personal belief system into our business - who we networked with, our suppliers, the services we offer and products we create are all based on the concept of creating a positive change. As a freelance writer I was able to focus on people, business and organizations that were creating positive change. As a staff writer I was able to focus on alternative agriculture happening in that region.
As a radio host I interviewed people 3 times per week for 1 hour talking about their experiences in making the world a better place and offering tips for those who wish to walk a similar path. As a professional book reviewer and former radio show host I was able to donate over 1,500 books to various literacy groups, library and literacy events. As a blogger we are able to feature nonprofit organizations via interviews or on our recommended resource series.
As business owners we were able to donate 10% of our earnings to various charities. As authors and entrepreneurs, we are able to donate books and drums to fundraisers, silent auctions and as door prizes for variety of community events. As a musician my husband has donated hundreds of hours providing entertainment for fundraising and charity events. He's also created the Drum It Forward project where he takes various donated bits and pieces, broken drums and builds them into new instruments, or refurbishes instruments and hardware for unprivileged students. Occasionally he'll set up appointments with schools and groups to go through their storage areas turning scraps and parts into playable instruments, or refurbishing those they already have in use.
By looking at every single activity in our life, Dave and I were slowly able to transform the daily grind into a conscious, proactive, green lifestyle. We improved our health and sleeping patterns, began taking days off for just relaxing and enjoying the little park we built. Over time, we found that negativity faded, positivity increased, hope was natural and laughter came more easily.
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