Improve Your Mindset with 8 Simple Hacks

Want to improve your mindset?  Congratulations… you’ve come to the right place! 

Improving your mindset is not an easy task, and it will take some time.  In fact, it’s probably going to be something that you have to work toward for the rest of your life – but don’t worry, that’s totally expected.  No one is going to have a perfectly positive mindset all the time, so don’t expect yourself to be perfect all the time, either.

For now, let’s focus on what we can do to start making those shifts because these little changes can make a huge difference.  If you’re ready to live a happier, healthier life, keep reading for my top 8 ways to improve your mindset!

first off… what is a mindset?

Our mindsets are the attitudes and beliefs that we hold onto in order to make sense of things.  Our mindset influences everything we do – how we talk and act, the decisions we make, and more!  To dive deeper into the definition of a mindset, check out this article.

This is why it’s so important for us to continuously check on and work on improving our mindset – because these attitudes and beliefs affect our perception of the world around us, which influences our experiences and the outcomes of such things.  So how can we actually change our mindset?! 

improve your mindset with 8 simple hacks

positive self-talk

 What you say to yourself matters!!  If you’re always talking down to yourself, you’re never going to feel confident, proud, or capable.  Likewise, if you’re consistently cheering yourself on and saying kind things to yourself, you’ll likely feel happier, more confident, and overall better.  

Whatever we tell ourselves, our minds believe.  If you tell yourself that you’re dumb or lazy or not good enough, you will believe that.  And those negative thoughts, beliefs, and ideas will influence the decisions you make – likely leading to worse outcomes.

If you flip the switch and say things like, “I’m smart,” “I’m doing my best,” and “I am more than enough,” then you’ll believe those thoughts, and those will make a positive impact on your actions and overall life.

If you’re used to talking negatively about yourself, shifting over to positive self-talk can be challenging.  It might even seem pointless at first, but I encourage you to try it – even if it feels like you’re lying to yourself.  Keep fighting those negative thoughts with positive ones, and eventually, those things will get easier to say and believe.

surround yourself with optimistic people

We all know how draining it can be to be around someone who is always negative, constantly complaining, and never looks on the bright side.  Don’t be – or surround yourself with – someone like that!

If you have people in your life who act like this, maybe you can try to gently encourage them to think more positively.  But sometimes people don’t want to change, and that’s okay.  In that case, it’s probably in your best interest to cut ties with them – or at least minimize contact with them.

This can be difficult, especially if this negative person is someone you can’t easily get away from – maybe someone you live with, a boss or coworker, etc.  If this is your situation, still try to minimize contact as much as possible, but also work on combating their negative mindset with your positive one. 

I don’t necessarily mean verbally saying something positive every time they say something negative (you can try that if you want), but at least say something positive in your head.  It doesn’t even have to be related, just make sure you’re creating a positive space in your brain. (:

While you’re detoxing from all the negative energy in your life, try to find some more positive people to add to your circle.  Find the people who are more optimistic than pessimistic, who are happy for you when something goes well, who you love to be around!  It’s not easy to find these people, but it’s very much worth it.

be slow to complain

Just like you don’t enjoy being around people who complain all the time… if you’re complaining all the time, people won’t want to be around you.  

So instead of complaining whenever something goes wrong, try to shift your perspective and think of all the things that have gone well for you or all the things you take for granted. 

For example, if you’re stuck in traffic and find yourself becoming frustrated, maybe say to yourself, “Well at least I can listen to my music a little longer,” or, “At least I’m safe in my car right now.”  

Of course, it can be therapeutic to vent or talk about things that have gone wrong or that are bothering you, but it’s important to 1) not make a habit of complaining 2) especially about small things that don’t really matter.  

lookout for lessons to learn

Another great way to improve your mindset is to always be on the lookout for lessons to learn.  If there’s an opportunity for you to learn something and grow your skillset that you find interesting, take it!

Be on the lookout for both big and small opportunities – a new job, a volunteering position, reading an insightful book, researching a topic you’re interested in.  Do things that you find intriguing and will help you learn something – whether you’re learning about yourself, others, or the world around you.

go with the flow

This one has always been a tough one for me because I am very much a planner.  But, nonetheless, this one can make a huge impact.  

If you are always stressing about what’s coming next, what you should be doing right now, what you need to be doing tomorrow or the next day or next year… you’re probably not going to have much mental space to enjoy the here and now.  

I know how hard it can be to try to stop worrying and planning everything out by the minute – especially if that’s something you’ve done most of your life – but I also know it can be just as difficult, if not more so, to never feel capable of enjoying the present moment.

Of course, planning things is important and can be a great way to stay organized and on top of things, but it can become a problem when your plans have no room for flexibility. 

So instead of obsessing over what you “should” be doing today, tomorrow, this week, this year… take a breather and remember that plans will change and it’s much easier if you just take it day by day.

do things that fire you up

Doing things that you enjoy – or that fire you up – is what life’s all about, right?  So why does it seem like so few of us are actually doing this?

If you want to have a healthy mindset but you’re only doing things that leave you physically and mentally drained, you’re going to have a much harder time maintaining a positive perspective.  

You need to do things that fire you up, that make you happy to be alive, that absolutely light you up from the inside out!  Find your passions and do them!  ALL. THE. TIME.  

Whether it’s something you do in your free time, what you do to make money, or something entirely different… do it as much as you can!  Because if you’re not putting energy back into yourself, you’ll have very little energy left to work on maintaining a healthy mindset. 

gratitude practice

If you’ve read any of my related posts before, you already know how much I love gratitude practice.  Because it can make such a huge difference!!  And it’s not time-consuming!!  And it’s a free way to improve your mindset!!

All you need to do is think of a few (I usually aim for 5) things that you’re grateful for in that moment.  The more specific, the better. 

Maybe you’re grateful for the person who held the door open for you, the people who grew the ingredients for the food you ate at dinner, class ending early, something funny that happened at work… whatever it is, just acknowledge it and don’t take it for granted. (:

spread joy

Last but certainly not least… one of the 8 ways to improve your mindset is to spread joy.  We all feel better when we help someone else feel good; and if we’re spreading positive vibes around, our mindset will follow!

There are so many ways we can spread some joy!  Compliment someone, pay for the person behind you in line, volunteer somewhere, donate your money to a worth cause, surprise someone with a gift, send a thoughtful text, take your friend or significant other on an adventure, buy someone flowers… just be kind and spread the love around. (:

If you need more ideas, check out these 50 random acts of kindness ideas!

I hope these 8 ways to improve your mindset are helpful for you!  Remember: shifting your mindset is not going to happen overnight, so be patient with yourself!