“There are no dead-end jobs, just dead-end thinking,” Robin Sharma. Mindset is one of the core tenants to how we approach life.  It doesn’t matter what we are referring to here—work, personal relationships, goals, family, friends, health/wellness.  In all of those facets of life, how we feel and how we approach it often is the determining factor of the result.  The truth is no matter what the goal, the outcome is more often dependent on how we think about it and the resulting steps than what we look like while doing it.  Our actions are a result of how we feel and what we believe we can accomplish.  This mainly applies to limiting beliefs and the need to remove them in order to progress.  We can feel a certain way about the work we do, that it isn’t fulfilling or that it’s a waste of time, but what we have to know is that those feelings will translate into reality.  If we don’t think we will get anywhere, we will not get anywhere.  Operating in growth or working toward something bigger means controlling our mindset and focus.

It can take some time to accept the concept that we are where we are in life because of our own thoughts and actions.  Throw in a layer that much of what we think is recycled from previous generations and it’s even easier to play the blame game.  The problem with blaming is that we still don’t get anywhere.  Even if it truly isn’t our fault, we still have to accept accountability and even responsibility for where we go.  That can be a bitter pill to swallow because it can feel like we are framing what happened to us as our own fault.  The difference is subtle but important: while what was done isn’t our fault and we can’t change it, how we address it and move forward is our responsibility.  That doesn’t make anything easier or harder, it simply is what happened, an event in time.  We may have no control over what was done but we have control entirely over what happens next.

If we ever feel stuck we need look no further than our own thoughts.  We are where we are because of how we manage our thoughts and actions.  Feeling trapped or like we are stuck with the thoughts we’ve had is only a matter of perception.  There are opportunities everywhere and it is up to us to capitalize on them.  We need to retrain our brains to decide that we aren’t stuck, we have a choice and we can move.  Even if it’s an inch, we can move until we carve out a new way.  Nothing is a stop beyond what we make it.  It can be a pause or it can be where the road ends for us.  It can also be the beginning of something new entirely.  It can be the platform we learn to leap from instead of hiding under.  No, the past may not be fair, and it may not be our fault, but how we view ourselves where we are and where we want to go is entirely up to us.  Nothing can prevent us from achieving what we want if we don’t let it.  Don’t let a crappy thought be what prevents life from moving forward, from creating beautiful things, and from living a beautiful life.  Change our thoughts and a new way appears—there is no end.