A Tale of Two Mindsets

Mindset is everything.  Check out Part 1 of 3 in this series.

Mindset plays a role in all we do and negativity is like a virus that can infect every part of our lives. I want you to meet Susan and Karmen.

Both individuals face life challenges, yet the two mindsets are totally different.

Meet Susan-Her friends call her “the Whiner”

She is a stay-at-home mom, with 2 beautiful children. She wants to start a business but constantly gets distracted with the small tasks of everyday living and this holds her back. In her mind, every day there is a new “disaster”.  Her husband always turns off the alarm so she consistently wakes up late and has to run through the house trying to get the kids ready for school in record time.  The dog seems to know she is running late and poops right by her door so she steps on the poop and now there is another big mess.  Susan screams in frustration and scares her poor kids who wake up crying.

On that same day, the washing machine broke,  and the car had a flat tire.  But Susan feels like this is just her luck.  She never has it easy.  Something bad seems to happen everyday. Susan is overwhelmed with each new issue and completely unable to function. She believes the drama in her life keeps her from fulfilling her dreams.

Susan joins groups and tries to make friends but finds herself complaining to everyone and of course, over time, these friends fade away.  One friend was brazen enough to tell her that she was becoming so negative it wasn’t fun hanging around her.  Susan is known as a taker.  She always needs a favor or a little bit of help but when you come back to her and ask for help she provides you with a long list of reasons why she can’t help.

Next meet Karmen, a young widow, Her friends think she is “amazing”

 

Karmen is a young widow.  She lost her husband when she was just 28 with four young children to raise. She holds a full-time job and also runs a successful business. Her days start at 4 AM and don’t stop until after 10pm.

She sees her children as her joy and her legacy.  They definitely create drama fro her but she feels it’s just part of being a mom.  Her business always has a major project due and she never feels like she gets a moment to just sit down until late at night when everyone is asleep.  When they sleep she enjoys a cup of tea and soaks in the quiet.  She knows her husband would be proud. And of course, she encounters challenges similar to Susan’s.  Karmen keeps her mind active by reading and listening to music.  When she feels overwhelmed she quiets her mind by taking a short walk or having her beloved cup of tea.  She shakes off negative thoughts and refuses to wallow in self-pity as a result Karmen is happy and satisfied most of the time.

 

If Karmen has a bad moment she takes time to listen to music, vent her emotions by punching a pillow, and moves on but not without a cup of tea first.  Susan, calls anyone who will listen to complain.  She tells everyone how awful her life has been and she is always in a hurry. Karmen finds her home buzzing with happy sounds of kids playing and she regularly slows down to make time to volunteer to help other young widows.  Susan’s kids seem to have a lot of emotional tantrums and she finds herself screaming in the middle of brawling kids daily.  She feels like her husband doesn’t help enough and she can never get a break.  Karmen’s friends reach out to offer her a helping hand when needed.  Susan’s remaining friends are in the struggle much like Susan so they really can’t or won’t help.

The story above shows us how positivity and negativity can manifest joy or drama in our lives.  God wants us to succeed in life.  Success begins with a mind focused on the good not the bad.

Mahatma Gandhi says it like this: “Keep your thoughts positive because your thought becomes YOUR WORDS. Keep your words positive because your words become YOUR BEHAVIOR. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes YOUR HABITS. Keep your habits positive because your habits become YOUR VALUES.” (Date Unknown)

Our habits do become our values and our mindset either positive or negative does become a habit!