Changing your mindset isn’t just remembering a few tips and tricks about having a growth mindset (sorry!). In order to change your mindset, you need to see and think about things through a different lens.

If you’re a glasses wearer, you know that sometimes the lenses can get dirty. Most people who wear glasses have lens cleaners - sprays, wipes, rags. But eventually, the glasses need to be replaced. Cleaning them over and over again can remove important coatings on the lenses that keep them from smearing. And even if they’re clean, sometimes your eyesight changes. You definitely can’t fix that by cleaning your lenses.

It’s a simple metaphor, but just like replacing the lenses of your glasses means that you see things differently, so can adopting a new mindset. But you have to make sure you’re actually using the new lens. After all, if you went out and got new glasses but kept wearing the old ones, what good would that do?

Looking at things through a new lens isn’t easy (we wish it was!). It takes practice, and utilizing tools that might be new to you. While we always recommend utilizing the people around you (don’t be afraid to ask people to help you see things from their perspective), here are some tools that might help:

• Practice Mindfulness - If you haven’t used it before, mindfulness is a meditative practice that asks you to focus on what you are sensing and feeling in the moment. We recommend trying one of the many beginner mindfulness videos you can find online - just five minutes could help you see things from a new perspective.
• Practice Optimism - This one sounds simpler than it is, but it’s important as it will certainly change the way you look at things. Start small, by acknowledging what you can and cannot control, and looking for the silver lining in things.
• Practice Giving - We don’t mean money or gifts here (though those are nice!). What we’re actually talking about is giving more of the things you want to see around you - creativity, peace, joy, kindness, or whatever comes to mind. It might feel difficult, but the best way to change how you see the world is just to practice seeing it differently