I have a confession to make…

I’ve been losing my edge lately. Over the past 7 or 8 months, I’ve been slowly falling down on my self-discipline. It started with me stopping my daily cold showers, then hitting snooze on my alarm clock, followed by a backslide in my diet, and I even stopped writing in this blog for a time! Each tiny concession slowly chipped away at my self-discipline.

The good news? I just had a few of my most powerful mindset shifts.

Just when my life was beginning to feel like the steady collapse of Ancient Rome, a surge of clarity shocked me awake—I was allowing myself to drift. And then, almost immediately, I felt compelled to clean up my act.

Here are 3 powerful mindset shifts that put me back in control of my life.

1. Realize That Nothing Stands Alone

“Everything affects everything else; nothing stands alone.”

— Jim Rohn

We tend to see our actions as independent of each other.

Many of us believe that each behavior is a maverick, separated from the rest of our habits, but is that actually true? Not in my opinion—not even close. In fact, I’d argue that each action, habit, or behavior acts as a pillar of support to your overall quality of life.

When viewed from this perspective, you realize that everything you do is interconnected.

As the late Jim Rohn so elegantly put it, “Everything you do matters. Nothing stands alone.” Your positive behaviors will create a positive life—input equals output. And this means that the opposite is also true. Negative input equals a negative output.

What does this look like in practical terms?

If you don’t train your body, you probably don’t eat healthy. If you don’t eat healthy, your finances are probably a mess. And if your finances are a mess, your career is most likely in disarray, and so on.

Do you see how it all connects? Everything affects everything else. How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Don’t be naive in thinking that “this” or “that” doesn’t matter. I’m telling you, it all matters much more than you think.

2. Become The Hammer Instead Of The Nail

“It is better to be the hammer than the nail.”

— Robert Jordan

In life, you’re either the hammer or the nail.

In other words, you’re either making things happen in your life, or life is making things happen to you. Think of yourself as a sculptor. You’re continually striving to mold your circumstances into what you ideally want.

This is what it means to be the hammer, and it also has a few cool advantages:

• More personal authority over your own life
• Greater feeling of emotional well-being
• Development of initiative and personal leadership
• Increased levels of self-trust and self-respect
• Boost in grit, persistence, and resilience

When I internalized this concept, it became one of the most powerful mindset shifts in my life. I began taking on a proactive approach to solving my problems. The old “whoa is me” mentality fell by the wayside, and I adopted an attitude of personal responsibility—this gave me dominion over my life. 

Responsibility leads to improvement just as improvement requires responsibility.

3. Think Big Picture But Prioritize Small Tasks

“Start small but think big.”

— Simon Sinek

As of this writing, I’m currently training for my 3rd marathon.

To me, running is more than just striding a sidewalk or pacing on a Peloton. It’s a physical and mental discharge. It’s a psychological reset that allows me to recenter myself emotionally. But there’s something else running does for me that may surprise you…

It puts things into perspective. Let me explain…

Pain inevitably sets in when I run longer distances: Sore thighs, aching feet, splitting shins, etc. When this happens, I employ a system to keep myself pushing forward, despite the pain. Instead of psyching myself out with the distance I still have to cover, I find some object 20 to 30 feet ahead.

It could be anything:

• A street light
• A plant or tree
• An individual
• A parked car, etc.

From there, I tune out everything. My sole focus is to reach that singular object in the distance. That’s it. I tell myself that once I reach my aim, I can take a breather. So, with a new determination, I dash toward the target and a much-needed break.

But then something interesting happens…

Once I reach my target, I do the same thing with another object in the distance. And then another one after that, and so on until I complete the race and reach the finish line. I broke down each section of the race by focusing on what was directly in front of me instead of becoming consumed by the vast distance I had to cover.

This strategy helps me:

• Stay in the present moment
• Stop from giving up prematurely
• Remain composed during the race

Each short stride contributes to the completion of the long race.

And this is another one of the most powerful mindset shifts I’ve had to remind myself of. Take small steps while keeping the big picture in mind. Major accomplishments always have modest beginnings. For this reason, don’t be afraid to start small but think big.

Next Step: Master These Powerful Mindset Shifts

These powerful mindset shifts have given me a new appreciation for my path.

And I know they can do the same for you. The good news is that they don’t require large amounts of strain to be understood and lived. All it takes is a commitment to try. And that’s the challenge I want to give you in this article. Take 1 of the 3 mindset shifts, and apply it to your life for at least the next 30 days.

See the difference it makes to the quality of your thinking and, as a result, your life.