This morning I woke up at 5 a.m., and immediately my mind started spinning about a difficult situation. My thoughts became darker and more tangled. About 30 minutes into this black vortex of negativity, I finally caught myself and remembered a favorite quote from Joyce Meyer and others, “You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop him from making a nest in your hair.”

In other words, as the Bible tells us, I can control what I let my mind dwell on.

Throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

Mindset Shifts for Success

As I aligned my thoughts with Christ’s, I realized there were other thoughts I needed to take captive during this New Year. After praying about it, I had a list of seven mindset shifts to make. Here they are:

1. Mindful Instead of Mindless. This simply means I need to think about what I’m thinking about. This morning, when I finally realized “a bird had made a lot of progress nesting in my hair,” I destroyed the nest. What thought constantly takes up valuable brain space in your head that isn’t helping you? Yours may be different than mine. Take a few minutes and list your negative thought obsessions. Here’s an article from Focus on the Family that may help.
2. Gracious Instead of Grumpy. It’s easy to fall into grumpiness when I’m sick, overworked, tired, or just too busy. I’ve found that taking a breath before answering someone with a snarky comment can help me maintain a gracious attitude. If I happen to be speaking to a grumpy sales clerk, I try to give him or her the benefit of the doubt. I don’t know what their day has been like or what hard situation they may be going through.
3. Disciplined Instead of Distracted. I have to admit, I’ve become much more distractible in the years since I’ve had my smartphone and other electronics. The constant dings, vibrations, and buzzes have trained me like Pavlov’s dog to pick up my device as soon as it makes a noise. To counteract that, I am experimenting with the Focus app on my iPhone so I can control the notifications. I have set up a work focus and sleep focus to lessen or eliminate distractions. Here’s how to do this for the iPhone and Android devices.
4. Holy Instead of Hurried. In the book “Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools,” author Tyler Staton says, “Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life. Why? Because hurry kills love.” When I hurry through my days, I have one thing in mind: my agenda. It’s harder for God to get my attention because I don’t want to be interrupted. Yes, it’s essential to plan your days, but it’s equally important to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I am also trying to be early to appointments. That gives me margin in my life to take a short detour if the Spirit leads.
5. Meaningful Instead of Meticulous. Last month I was talking to my daughter, Amber, and she said this year for Christmas, she was changing her focus from meticulously planning the perfect Christmas for her family to making it meaningful. I love that. I, too, want to minimize the stress and exhaustion of holidays and other important events in life. It doesn’t matter if every detail of the decor or the menu is perfect. What’s important are the spiritual significance, the people, and the time together.
6. Content Instead of Covetous. It’s easy to be envious of others’ accomplishments and possessions. We live in a world where nice things are constantly paraded before our eyes on social media, in commercials, and in stores. Learning to be content with what we have helps us to live a happy life. One way to do this is by planning our purchases. Impulse buying is why we end up with drawers and closets stuffed with clothes we don’t wear, make-up we don’t use, and toys we don’t play with. This year, I want to pare down and give away some things I don’t need or want anymore. I want to make intentional purchases of fewer things I will actually use.
7. Peaceful Instead of Pressured. Modern life comes with pressure from all sides. The temptation is for our family to attend the best schools, join all the popular activities, live in a big house, and drive the nicest cars. All of these things can cause constant stress and pressure. When our kids were young, my husband and I decided to limit our kids’ activities. In addition to the youth group, each child could pick one other activity they wanted to join. We also determined to live within our budget and our goals. It helped us to cultivate a more peaceful atmosphere in our home. In our empty-nest years, I am learning to still choose my activities thoughtfully and not say yes to everything. 

Daily Mindset Shift Strategy

 I encourage you to make one mindset shift at a time. Choose one from the list above or a different one that resonates with you. Once you have that down, try adding a second as God leads.

Let us know in the comments below if you’re thinking of making a change so we can pray for you. Blessings on the New Year!