Home / Blog / Self-Development / 6 Personal Development Practices That Will Completely Transform Your Mindset
6 Personal Development Practices That Will Completely Transform Your Mindset

Tony Robbins, a master of personal development, once said that success is 20% skill set and 80% mindset.
….And I couldn’t agree more.
If you want to become successful in ANY area of your life, it’s not going to happen until you get your mind in the right place.
Think about it… if you’re still talking about how hard it is to diet and thinking about how much you hate to exercise, you’re not going to get very far with your new healthy lifestyle before you talk yourself out of it again.
If you’re serious about making a lasting change in your life, you have to make personal development a priority.
And it’s not just making it a priority one day, but making the time to do it everyday.
Because I believe that if you want to go the next level, you have to GROW to the next level first.
Taking care of your body is incredibly important, but taking care of your mindset and emotional health is equally important to your well-being and success!
Personally, I love to carve out some quiet time in the morning to get my mind in the right place, right away.
Spending some alone time with God as I pray, journal, reflect and visualize how I want my day to go first thing has such a positive impact for me.
There is no doubt in my mind that I’m more peaceful, patient, thoughtful and happy on the days I put my personal development first.
And because there are SO many different ideas and exercises that you can implement into your own personal development plan… I recommend that you read through this post, see what feels right to you & create your own daily ritual!
This is something I’ve been doing since my middle school years of playing basketball, although I didn’t necessarily know what it was called at the time!
As we listened to the National Anthem before each game, I’d focus my attention on one particular star on the United States flag and I’d visualize myself playing exactly as I wanted to in the game.
I’d picture the plays we would run, the rebounds I would grab, the baskets I would make, and every little action in between.
I didn’t just “see” it either… I let myself imagine every detail so that I could actually feel myself playing.
I’d feel my heart beating faster, my legs stretching down the court, the sweat collecting on my forehead, and how I’d feel celebrating after I made that 3-pointer.
It might sound ridiculous, but it worked. Visualizing helped me play better. My confidence was higher, my vision was clearer and my subconscious was at work to help me play at my highest level.
I continued to visualize throughout all the years I played sports, but it wasn’t long before I realized that visualization was an incredible skill that could apply to so many other things in my life.
I’ve used visualization before important business meetings and appointments, visualizing that my guest and I would have a great connection immediately, that we’d laugh and have a good time, that they would be totally receptive to what I was sharing with them, and so much more.
I’ve used visualization to imagine myself waking up easily and effortlessly, excited to workout, have my quiet time, and take on the day.
I actually dedicated an entire episode of my podcast to visualization and all the ways I’ve used it in my lifetime because I honestly believe it can help anyone… not just in work or sports, but in life!
Just remember this… practicing visualization is like a muscle! The more you do it, the easier and more powerful it will become.
For me, this is a non-negotiable! If my personal development time is limited, this alone time with God is a must for me.
This is when I slow down, get quiet, and connect with Him to get clarity on what’s most important.
I recently attended a leadership event that I’ve gone to for the last 18 years and one of my greatest mentors, Bill Hybels, asked this question during his talk:
Are you getting better? Or busier?
I know with our fast-paced society, it’s easy to get caught up in to-do lists and schedules without taking time to reflect. I know I’m guilty of it.
But I can tell you that when I DO take that time, it’s worth every second. Those quiet little moments with God get me through my busiest days with gratitude.
This leads me to another important exercise in developing a strong and abundant mindset…
Happiness doesn’t just “arrive” one day, yet I see people talk about it like that all the time “I’ll just be so happy when I ______ (finally finish school, get that promotion, find that perfect someone, etc.)
The truth is… happiness is a choice. It’s the decision to develop an attitude of gratitude and appreciate the little moments.
Gratitude isn’t just something you say, either… it’s something you FEEL!
And when you make it a habit to get in that state of thankfulness and gratitude everyday, it changes the way you think and perceive the world.
Creating a mindset that focuses on gratitude and abundance will have a ripple effect on every other area of your life!
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Proverbs 18:21
Our words are so very powerful and The Bible reminds us of this power again and again. The words we think, write down and speak out loud can impact and shape our lives without us even realizing it.
For a long time, I talked about the things I had to do. Most of us call it a “to-do” list.
And when you think about it like that, it feels like an obligation or a chore… right?
That was me! As a businesswoman and mom of 3… there were no shortage of things on my “to-do” list.
But last year I went to an event that completely changed the way I looked at that list simply by shifting a few words.
My very wise mother was the one to pass this onto me and I’ll never forget it…
You don’t have to pick up the kids from school.
…You GET to be the one who picks them up.
You don’t have to do the dishes.
…You GET to do the dishes after a meal with your family.
One simple switch in your language takes you from obligation to gratitude.
It amazes me how much our words shapes the world around us… are you using language that makes your life better?!
As a coach and mentor, I believe it’s one of my biggest and most important roles to speak life into others.
To lift them up with my words, pour my belief into them & cast a vision of the huge potential they have.
I do it for myself too! I journal about the things that bring me joy and gratitude, I put my prayers and goals into writing, and write down life-affirming statements of what I want, as if it’s already happened.
If you’re feeling stuck with where you’re at, I challenge you to stop wasting energy on what you don’t want or where you lack…
Instead, I want you to start thinking, journaling and speaking life into who you are, who you want to become, and what you want to do.
Use the words “I get to” instead of “I have to.”
And watch how it changes your world!
INNER CIRCLE
Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
The people you hang out with on a regular basis start to influence the way you think, talk and even the way you act…. and it’s often long before you even realize it.
If you’re not careful about who allow into your circle, you might just find yourself acting like people you don’t want to become.
That’s not to say they’re bad people in any way, but not necessarily people you want to model your own life after.
Think about it this way… would you take financial advice from someone who’s broke?!
I know that in order to become the very best version of myself, I have to hang out with people who push me to become better and make personal development a priority like I do!
I want to hang around people who are succeeding in the areas I want to improve in, and who inspire me to take on challenges, get outside my comfort zone and live to my fullest potential!
I’m not suggesting that you leave everyone else behind just because they aren’t growing in the same ways you are, but rather to be conscious of who is influencing and impacting your beliefs and behaviors.
Are the people you spend the most time with helping you to become the best version of yourself?!
Family and friends will always have an important place in your life, but I can tell you that it’s equally important to surround yourself with people who inspire you to reach your highest purpose and potential.
If you don’t already have a strong Inner Circle in place, I can’t stress the importance of this next piece of personal development enough…
There is no shortage of information in today’s technology driven-world, so it’s not a matter of getting more information, but instead focusing your attention on the right things.
Who is in your ear? Who is influencing you? Who is speaking life into you?!
If you don’t already have a solid Inner Circle in place… you need to feed your mind with the kind of books, podcasts, and videos that will inspire you and motivate you to keep pushing toward your goals.
I highly recommend the “5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins to everyone, as well as anything by John Maxwell, Tony Robbins, or Steven Furtick.
I have SO many other personal development favorites to share with you, but I will save that for another post in the near future!
Can you see how all of these different aspects of personal development work hand in hand to mold your mindset into someone who’s happier, more grateful, more at peace and ready to reach their goals?
I could go on and on about all the other ways you can work on growing and developing yourself, but it’s more important that you simply get started.
Remember… there is no wrong way to grow.
And I have a feeling that once you start your own personal development ritual… you won’t be able to stop!
I can’t wait to hear what kind of routine you already have in place (or plan to start) in the comments…
- By Kami Pentecost
- August 19, 2017
- Self-Development