What’s your Celery?

I attended a mindset workshop recently; you know those big ra-ra ones that are hosted on Facebook groups?

The content was absolutely incredible, with loads of new actionable points I can incorporate into my routine as well as use to help my clients. On the last day, the presenter spoke about the mind-body connection, and introduced Celery Juicing as a great way to start your day.

Since then, this group has done nothing but chatter about juicing for the last two weeks!

It blows my mind how people can get so hung up on one teensy tiny little thing until it occurred to me – it is this very simplicity that makes us pursue what we deem as the quick fix.

We have become a society dedicated to finding the easy wins, the quick fixes and the silver bullets. If I told you that you could achieve your dreams within the next year if you just commit to drinking a glass of celery juice every morning, I bet you’d be on your way right now to picking out the best blender you could find and sourcing a limitless supply of celery!

Right?

Our brains are designed to look for frameworks. So, when I present celery juice to you as part of a framework for success, your brain immediately latches onto the thing that you feel is do-able and fairly hassle-free to replicate.

One of the reasons we don’t pursue the mindset work is because we perceive it as something that’s just so hard. It’s also somewhat intangible. You want me to control my thoughts? Goodness, isn’t it easier to juice a bunch of celery?

Another reason we get side-tracked by the celery juice is because it’s tangible. I can see it, taste it, hear it, smell it, feel it, and most importantly: I can measure it! Mindset work on the other hand cannot be seen, heard, tasted, smelled, or even physically felt. And what’s worse – you can’t really measure a mindset shift.

Here’s my point: you CAN achieve your dreams within the next year.

Full stop.

The caveat? You have to do the mindset work.

So, what’s your celery? What is the thing that is distracting you from actually doing the inner work to achieve your goals?

Here are a few things you need to know about shifting your mindset:

1. Acknowledgement is your starting gate

This is the down and dirty part of mindset work that causes most people to shy away from it. In order to change something in your life that’s not working, you have to get down and dirty with who you are. You have to acknowledge those blind spots and the parts of yourself that you don’t really like. You have to square up in the mirror and call it as you see it.

Until you acknowledge what needs changing, you cannot change it.

If you have a habit of sabotaging your goals or experiencing Imposter Syndrome you need to uncover what’s beneath the surface. These behaviours can often be traced to a low self esteem and a negative identity. Acknowledge the belief systems you have that need changing before committing to change them.

Maybe you’re just not the problem – everyone else is. Your life just doesn’t seem to work no matter how hard you try. And when you look at all the reasons, you start seeing a pattern of blame. It’s never your fault: it’s the government, your boss, your spouse, your children, your job, your house…. This list is endless, but your thought pattern consists of this sort of vocabulary: “If it weren’t for xxx, then I’d be happy/successful etc”. So, you don’t take responsibility.

Acknowledge. And commit to change.

2. Consistency trumps Quantity

Once you know what needs to change, create a program to change it. Change your identity, change your belief systems, change the way you see the world. There are countless online resources that won’t cost you a thing, but you have to commit to a program that will help you change your mindset. Mindsets are not born overnight – they are the product of years of conditioning; and conversely, they will not change overnight, but through endless repetitive conditioning. Conditioning is the only thing that will change your mindset. And conditioning only happens through repetition. ?

Imagine you decide you need to lose weight, so you join a gym and sign up to a new eating plan. Because you have such a crazy schedule, you only manage to go the gym once every week or two, but you really put in heaps of effort. A good couple of hours every second week or so. On that day you eat really healthy and follow the plan for the whole day. Do you think it will work?

NO!

To see results you will need to exercise and eat healthy consistently. In other words, every day, or at the very least, most days. It’s the same with mindset. You cannot spend 6 hours on mindset today and nothing at all for the next 2 works and think you’re going to see results.

Create a success toolkit that you can roll out daily and commit to following it consistently.

3. Mind and Body are Systemic

What happens in the mind happens in the body. And what happens in the body happens in the mind. This is not a new concept and it’s been backed by science again and again, so I am not going to weigh the odds here.

When you exercise and eat the right foods for your body, you feel good. And when you feel good, you are in a better frame of mind. And when your mindset is positive, it is easier to condition the new beliefs you are working on inculcating. It’s that simple.

Yet – this is where people hear “celery” and miss the entire point. I’m sure juicing has its benefits, but much like your mindset routine – it has to be something that works for you. Mindset teachers and coaches will always tell you what worked for them, but this is YOUR journey – learn what works for you.

Above all, as you grow your mindset, support your body.

4. Take Action

You can do all the mindset work in the world, but if you never set foot outside your bedroom, aint nothing gonna change!

As you start conditioning your new belief system, you are going to have to start taking action that aligns with your new reality, or at least positions you for your new reality. This is going to require some doses of faith but start small. Start with what you’re comfortable with and build from there.

Let’s say your dream is to get promoted into a CEO role but you struggle with Imposter Syndrome and don’t believe you’re good enough. So, you’re working on building up your self esteem and you’ve adopted a mindset practice that support this new belief system.

Now you must take action. Do the things a CEO does; talk like a CEO, act like a CEO. Stop being the manager who escalates things up the line, and start being the CEO who takes responsibility and makes decisions. Join a forum for CEO’s, hang out with CEO’s, do whatever it takes to fully immerse yourself in becoming what you want to be.

Just do it!

5. Forget the Celery!

When I do goal setting with my clients, we take a hard honest look at the things that are going to de-rail or hinder our efforts. As you progress with your mindset routine, you too need to objectively identify the things that may creep in and replace your inner work with outer work.

I use a meditation timer app on my mobile for my mindset practice in the mornings, and some mornings I find myself opening Facebook when I should have opened the app! So pervasive!

Other mornings I may find myself going for a walk on the beach and just allow myself to freewheel mentally. My intention when I left the house was to use the exercise time as a time to focus my thoughts, but I justify the lack of discipline with the reasoning that exercise makes me feel good.

Mindset work takes discipline and commitment, and most of the distractions you will encounter are mental ones. We may find ourselves fixating on celery juice or a component of our mindset routine as a replacement for the entire routine. The inner work is still the most important work you will ever do with and for yourself. And it is this that will see you achieve your dreams, with or without the celery. ??

Friends, whether your dream is a new job, a promotion or starting your own business, you will find it so much easier if you incorporate a mindset routine into your daily practice. It needn’t take extra time, but it will take discipline. The discipline you need here is not tangible and this is what will make it so challenging when you start out.

But I promise you that it will change your life.

I, and many others like me, are living proof.?