Shift #6: Change Your Story, Change Your Life

Change Your Story, Change Your Life

It’s the stories you tell, that shape the decisions you make, that shape the life you lead.

What’s the continual story you keep telling yourself. “Well if it hadn’t been for so and so I could have…. or “you know I just didn’t have the time….”, or “I’m just too old to….”, or “I did have the chance you know but… “, or “I was afraid that…” and the list goes on. We all tell stories.

We repeat stories we’ve heard and told all of our lives. Our internal ‘mind chatter’ convinces us and eventually over time makes us believe that they are true. Listen to the stories you tell yourself and others. Remember when you were a kid, what did you hear:

“Oh don’t be silly, you can’t do that you’re just a slow learner, what do you say now, ‘I’ve always been a slow learner…”

“You’ll never write a book, you can’t even put a sentence together”, what do you say now, “I’ll never be able to write a book I’m no author…”

“You’re useless at maths”, what do you say now, “I’m no good with numbers…”

And so on, you get the picture…

Who decided these stories were true? Who decides if they’re still true?

I heard a lovely story but I can’t remember where, it sort of goes like this… For years a down and out had been living the streets, one day he noticed a sign in a window saying that MENSA were paying $25 for anyone to take a test. The guy of course went for the test thinking that this would be easy money, he had nothing to lose. So he took the test, got his money and as he was walking out he was called back by the adjudicator: “sir would you mind taking the test again?”, “sure will I get paid $25 again”, he took the test again thinking that he had clearly done something wrong anyway he got paid. Guess what, yep he was asked to do it again …. the guy thought ok something’s up, “what’s wrong have I failed again?”, “no” said the adjudicator , “we’ve never seen scores like this before, I’m the one that wrote the test and this is incredible, we had to make sure you that this wasn’t a fluke, these are the highest core we have ever seen!”

 The down and out had the highest MENSA score ever recorded; he later became the head of MENSA. For years the down and out had been told that he was not clever enough, he had believed all his life that he was totally inadequate, it’s the story he was told and the story he told himself. That morning he had walked into that place as a loser, and walked out as a genius. That day changed his life; he had a different story to tell.

Think about it, the future is only a story we’ve made up. We all have a story about the future and how we believe or hope it will be. We make it up in the present. If we make it up all up anyway, why not create what we prefer and live it as if it were true. This is a very simple shift and yet profound process or creating what we want to achcive.
Don’t let your current or past story define you if that’s not who you choose to be now, it’s not set in stone, you can decide what story you want to live and tell in life.

Shift #5 : From “IF to When?” - From “I Can’t to I Can”

From “IF to When?” -  From “I Can’t to I Can”

Changing one word in your vocabulary is simple, but it can change everything for you. How many times have you said ‘If only I could…” or “I can’t because …”? Which one feels better to say?


The shift from ‘IF’ to ‘when’ and ‘Can’t’ to ‘Can’, can be magical and transformational. That’s not to say that your dreams will magically happen as soon as you say ‘when’ or ‘can’. Saying these words are subconscious motivators they look at the world with optimistic eyes. It works because our brain and our inner self still wants to think positively no matter how far it may have been conditioned to think otherwise.


So next time just make the shift, and change the words you are using to ‘When I ….’ or ‘ I can do….’ you will begin to relate your aspirations with a road map to obtain them. No longer will the future seem bleak, but rather as a blank canvas in which anything is possible.

Shift #4: The 20 Second Rule

The 20 Second Rule

We all have a vice we’d like to exchange for a better alternative. It may be grabbing that cookie instead of a handful of celery. Or it may be plunking down in front of the TV instead of reading. Whatever it may be, there’s hope.

Results show that for example  a cafeteria could reduce the consumption of unhealthy snacks by moving the ice cream refrigerator further from the lunch line. Or increase the chances of reading a book by placing it next to the TV remote and moving the remote’s batteries into the next room.

To explain further, when you make your bad habit harder to do while making the good habit easier, you are much more likely to take the easy route.

The golden rule is to make your vice 20 seconds away, while making your good habit immediately available.

Shift #3: Emotion = Motion

Emotion equals motion

Have you ever thought why we do things in a certain way? We have a mindset, a set of beliefs, a set of rules on how life should be, that shapes our world and shapes the way we live and way that we think. Our rules shape our emotions and therefore shape our actions. But it’s our actions that give us meaning in our life and to what we do, hey if you progress and are doing well there is a sense of achievement, fulfillment even that encourages you to do more.

Whatever you do and why you do it is mainly to change the way you feel - right? But the ability to move from one meaning to another in an instant can make a difference on how you feel and what you do. If we want to stay alive we've got to take control of our emotions, and your emotions can change in an instant and change what you do.

Shift #2: How You Think is Everything

How You Think is Everything
Always be positive. Think Success, not Failure. Beware of a negative environment.

This trait has to be one of the most important midset shifts, just a small change in thinking, Your belief that you can accomplish your goals has to be unwavering. The moment you say to yourself “I can’t…”, then you won’t. I was always given the advice “never say I can’t” and I’d like to strike those words from the dictionary.

I’ve found that from time-to-time my attitude waivers. A mentor of mine once said “it’s ok to visit pity city, but you can’t stay and there comes a time when you need to leave”. Positive things happen to positive people.

Shift #1 - Set Your Alarm Half an Hour Earlier

Set Your Alarm Half an Hour Earlier

There’s never enough time in the day – especially when you want to start something new. Maybe you’d love to write a novel, take up exercise, or have time to pray or meditate.

Rather than trying to overhaul your schedule or make massive efficiency gains, how about simply setting your alarm half an hour earlier? An extra 30 minutes in the morning, before you go out to work, could make all the difference.