Enjoy Life Podcast w/ Nick Maizy: Live Your Best Life

Barry had a great date night with his wife on Saturday night. They got a babysitter and went out for dinner and a movie. Nothing super fancy, but just really nice. They both had fun and enjoyed their time together. Then, Monday morning came. Barry was off to work. He quickly was right back into grumbling about work and thinking about his struggle to keep up. It seems to him that he can’t ever get ahead no matter how hard he works. Barry didn’t think much about the nice time he had. When ask about his weekend, he thought about it for just that moment and then back to work and not a second thought. Bonnie also had a great date over the weekend. Her and her husband went out for dinner and a movie too. They enjoyed themselves just having a little bit of time to relax and be together. Monday morning also hit Bonnie pretty hard. When the thoughts of work, working hard, and the struggle to keep up crept into her mind she starting feeling kind of miserable. So, she did something different. She didn’t like feeling miserable and knew she could choose her mindset. Bonnie decided to take a minute (just one single minute) and replay some of the fun she had over in her mind. She even said out loud how much fun and enjoyment she had. After that minute, Bonnie felt a little bit better.

If you want to be unhappy, all you need to do is spend time thinking about what you don’t have, haven’t be able to do, how life/things could be better, or things you missed out on. Simple. Do that and you can be miserable too. What about the other side?

Want to be happier? Even a little energized? Think about the good things more. You can do it because you can choose your thoughts. Ever notice that when you’re having a great time it feels nice, you may even have a little bit more energy, and time can pass quickly? You can choose to have a better time NOW by reminding yourself, replaying in your mind, and reliving some of the fun you’ve had. It’s simple. You can choose what you think about. Choosing to think about the good, fun, and enjoyable things more will help them to be bigger in your life. When to fun is bigger, more memorable, and more thought about, you can live it more.    Like all the other suggestions in this series, It Will Take Some Work & Effort. Making yourself think about the fun and enjoyment you’ve have may not come natural. That’s okay. It definitely didn’t (and doesn’t) come naturally to me either. In fact, it felt pretty weird the first time I tried it. But, the weirdest part isn’t how I felt doing it. The weirdest part (and the absolute best part) is that it works. 

Having the right opportunity can make a huge difference in being able to achieve a big goal, right?
Having the right resources available can also be a big boost in achieving the success you want too, right?

Of course good opportunities and abundant resources can help you achieve your goals. That isn’t anything profound or new. But, what does that have to do with mindset.

Where You Focus

Have you heard of being solution focused? That’s where you look for and end up seeing solutions wherever you can. You get more of what you focus on. The same can be true for opportunities.

Some may say it is just being realistic to look for what might go wrong or not work out. That way you can prepare for it. There is just one problem with that. When you look for all the limitations, you end up seeing more limitations and the reasons why things might not work out. And that can get your focus and your thoughts.

There may be a million reasons why something won’t work that doesn’t mean it won’t work. But, there’s a thousand inspirational stories of people that overcame all odds overcame the challenges struggles frustrations the limitations that they didn’t have any control over. They overcame those to succeed in the areas that they wanted to succeed in. They didn’t pay attention to all the reasons why their efforts wouldn’t work. The same can be true for you and me. It’s just up to us to make it happen.

You’re more likely to see the opportunities and resources with an open mind that is looking for them. Look for those opportunities, see them, remind yourself that they are there. Tell yourself that all you need to do go out there and find them. That way you can see them, recognize them, and take full advantage when they’re there.

That requires you to KNOW you have opportunities and resources. Know that you have all that you need right now to move toward your goal. Yes, you may need to learn new skills develop new abilities acquire more resources develop better opportunities along the way yes that might be true. But, you have all you need to have to start right now and the continue to improve and get better. With the right mindset that is.

Having the right opportunity can make a huge difference in being able to achieve a big goal, right?
Having the right resources available can also be a big boost in achieving the success you want too, right?

Of course good opportunities and abundant resources can help you achieve your goals. That isn’t anything profound or new. But, what does that have to do with mindset.

Where You Focus

Have you heard of being solution focused? That’s where you look for and end up seeing solutions wherever you can. You get more of what you focus on. The same can be true for opportunities.

Some may say it is just being realistic to look for what might go wrong or not work out. That way you can prepare for it. There is just one problem with that. When you look for all the limitations, you end up seeing more limitations and the reasons why things might not work out. And that can get your focus and your thoughts.

There may be a million reasons why something won’t work that doesn’t mean it won’t work. But, there’s a thousand inspirational stories of people that overcame all odds overcame the challenges struggles frustrations the limitations that they didn’t have any control over. They overcame those to succeed in the areas that they wanted to succeed in. They didn’t pay attention to all the reasons why their efforts wouldn’t work. The same can be true for you and me. It’s just up to us to make it happen.

You’re more likely to see the opportunities and resources with an open mind that is looking for them. Look for those opportunities, see them, remind yourself that they are there. Tell yourself that all you need to do go out there and find them. That way you can see them, recognize them, and take full advantage when they’re there.

That requires you to KNOW you have opportunities and resources. Know that you have all that you need right now to move toward your goal. Yes, you may need to learn new skills develop new abilities acquire more resources develop better opportunities along the way yes that might be true. But, you have all you need to have to start right now and the continue to improve and get better. With the right mindset that is.

Having a strong belief in yourself can be a huge help to you achieving your goals. The helpful mindset isn’t just knowing at an intellectual level that it is a possible for you to succeed. The mindset I’m looking at is one where you know your success is a clear certainty all you have to do take the steps to get there. Today we want to develop the mindset where you KNOW that you can achieve your goals, you CAN take the steps needed to succeed, and you ARE capable. Your successes and progress you’ve made so far can help you.

Jo has been working very hard to make improvements in his life. He is trying to reduce his debt and save money. He has been eating better and getting a little exercise. Jo works very hard to make his life better, but he is exhausted. No matter how hard he tries and how much he does, there is always still so much more to do. Most the time Jo ends up thinking about how much further he needs to go and steps he still needs to take. Jo feel like he can’t catch a break and feels like giving up sometimes.

Sally is also working hard to improve improve areas of her life. She saves money where she can, is trying to eat better, and get some exercise too. Sally is working hard toward her goals and feels tired sometimes. But, she knows she has made some great progress. There is still a lot road in front of her toward her goals. At the same time she has come a long way from where she started. She gets a little extra energy each time she thinks about how far she has come. The work she still needs to do seems a little bit easier when she reminds herself of the progress that she has already made.

What successes have you had thus far? Sounds a little backward? Thinking about your past successes when you should be taking steps forward toward your goals. You should be looking toward the future not the past right? YES! But, this episode/series is all about having the mindset that will help you. Your past successes can help you develop that helpful mindset.

Too much focus on what you haven’t done, the steps you need to take, what’s left on the list to do, can be a little defeating. You’ll end up seeing and focusing on challenges ahead. It can be easy to forget about all that you’ve done.

When you accomplish something, don’t you feel good for a moment afterward? I do. For a little bit you can feel like you can do anything. That’s what we’re going after right here. It’s that “I Got This” kind of mindset. Think if I could do that (the past success), then I can do this (whatever you need to do).

It’s not just the successes or things you finished that can help you to have the mindset to you can succeed at your current goal. Progress is success. It’s just not final. But, then again, most success isn’t really final either.

Having a strong belief in yourself can be a huge help to you achieving your goals. The helpful mindset isn’t just knowing at an intellectual level that it is a possible for you to succeed. The mindset I’m looking at is one where you know your success is a clear certainty all you have to do take the steps to get there. Today we want to develop the mindset where you KNOW that you can achieve your goals, you CAN take the steps needed to succeed, and you ARE capable. Your successes and progress you’ve made so far can help you.

Jo has been working very hard to make improvements in his life. He is trying to reduce his debt and save money. He has been eating better and getting a little exercise. Jo works very hard to make his life better, but he is exhausted. No matter how hard he tries and how much he does, there is always still so much more to do. Most the time Jo ends up thinking about how much further he needs to go and steps he still needs to take. Jo feel like he can’t catch a break and feels like giving up sometimes.

Sally is also working hard to improve improve areas of her life. She saves money where she can, is trying to eat better, and get some exercise too. Sally is working hard toward her goals and feels tired sometimes. But, she knows she has made some great progress. There is still a lot road in front of her toward her goals. At the same time she has come a long way from where she started. She gets a little extra energy each time she thinks about how far she has come. The work she still needs to do seems a little bit easier when she reminds herself of the progress that she has already made.

What successes have you had thus far? Sounds a little backward? Thinking about your past successes when you should be taking steps forward toward your goals. You should be looking toward the future not the past right? YES! But, this episode/series is all about having the mindset that will help you. Your past successes can help you develop that helpful mindset.

Too much focus on what you haven’t done, the steps you need to take, what’s left on the list to do, can be a little defeating. You’ll end up seeing and focusing on challenges ahead. It can be easy to forget about all that you’ve done.

When you accomplish something, don’t you feel good for a moment afterward? I do. For a little bit you can feel like you can do anything. That’s what we’re going after right here. It’s that “I Got This” kind of mindset. Think if I could do that (the past success), then I can do this (whatever you need to do).

It’s not just the successes or things you finished that can help you to have the mindset to you can succeed at your current goal. Progress is success. It’s just not final. But, then again, most success isn’t really final either.

Why do you want to achieve your goal? What’s the real reason why?

Jeff wants a better job one where he will have more time and energy for his family. He currently is working as an electrician. He makes decent money. But, he has to work long hours, it’s physically demanding, and not what he really wants to do. Jeff wants to get an master’s degree and help people make changes in their lives. He goes to school. Along the way to his bachelor’s degree all he see is the struggle and how much more time it will take. Jeff gets really frustrated and feels like quitting just about every day. He has forgotten to focus on his real reasons why the new career is important to him. All he see is the work and struggles it will take to achieve. Jeff is miserable the whole way to his advanced degree and even carries some of that misery to his new job after finishing school.

Now let me tell you about Stella. She is working in customer service right now. But, she wants to become an account. She knows she could make a lot better money as a CPA and could create a better life for herself and her family. She starts school. Throughout that whole time in school she always remembers why she started on this path. She reminds herself of the payoff, what she is working toward, and all the benefits of the hard work she is putting in. Stella knows her reasons why. They are big and important to her. No matter how big the required hard work gets – her reasons why she will succeed are bigger.

Who do you think will find it easier to take action and make progress?
Which one will enjoy the journey (and even the work) more?
Do you think one is more likely to continue to set big goals?

Keep the reasons why you really want to achieve your goal in the front of your mind. Whatever your reasons, remember them, remind yourself of them, feel them. Every step you take is for that reason why. Every single inch of progress you make is for that reason why.

When you focus on your BIG WHY, the how becomes a little easier. You are capable of so much. You can do great things when your effort is focused and your give it your absolute best.

The problem is that it is too easy to give excuses on why we don’t need to give it our best. A helpful mindset can help reduces those excuses or at least stop you from believing them. When you have a big, important, powerful reason why you want to improve your health, get out of debt, get a better job, reduce stress, enjoy life more, or achieve any goal – When the WHY is big enough you can overcome any HOW and even those excuses too.

I don’t feel like studying isn’t a valid excuse when the reason why your getting an advanced degree is to better provide for your family. I’m tired and don’t want to do my stress reducing mindfulness exercise isn’t much of an excuse when your WHY is huge. If you really feel and embrace your reason why to reduce stress is to be a better parent with more energy and focus, then doing the exercises is little bit easier.

What are your BIG reasons why you want to achieve you goal? 

Find the rest of this series at: 
NickMaizy.com

Why do you want to achieve your goal? What’s the real reason why?

Jeff wants a better job one where he will have more time and energy for his family. He currently is working as an electrician. He makes decent money. But, he has to work long hours, it’s physically demanding, and not what he really wants to do. Jeff wants to get an master’s degree and help people make changes in their lives. He goes to school. Along the way to his bachelor’s degree all he see is the struggle and how much more time it will take. Jeff gets really frustrated and feels like quitting just about every day. He has forgotten to focus on his real reasons why the new career is important to him. All he see is the work and struggles it will take to achieve. Jeff is miserable the whole way to his advanced degree and even carries some of that misery to his new job after finishing school.

Now let me tell you about Stella. She is working in customer service right now. But, she wants to become an account. She knows she could make a lot better money as a CPA and could create a better life for herself and her family. She starts school. Throughout that whole time in school she always remembers why she started on this path. She reminds herself of the payoff, what she is working toward, and all the benefits of the hard work she is putting in. Stella knows her reasons why. They are big and important to her. No matter how big the required hard work gets – her reasons why she will succeed are bigger.

Who do you think will find it easier to take action and make progress?
Which one will enjoy the journey (and even the work) more?
Do you think one is more likely to continue to set big goals?

Keep the reasons why you really want to achieve your goal in the front of your mind. Whatever your reasons, remember them, remind yourself of them, feel them. Every step you take is for that reason why. Every single inch of progress you make is for that reason why.

When you focus on your BIG WHY, the how becomes a little easier. You are capable of so much. You can do great things when your effort is focused and your give it your absolute best.

The problem is that it is too easy to give excuses on why we don’t need to give it our best. A helpful mindset can help reduces those excuses or at least stop you from believing them. When you have a big, important, powerful reason why you want to improve your health, get out of debt, get a better job, reduce stress, enjoy life more, or achieve any goal – When the WHY is big enough you can overcome any HOW and even those excuses too.

I don’t feel like studying isn’t a valid excuse when the reason why your getting an advanced degree is to better provide for your family. I’m tired and don’t want to do my stress reducing mindfulness exercise isn’t much of an excuse when your WHY is huge. If you really feel and embrace your reason why to reduce stress is to be a better parent with more energy and focus, then doing the exercises is little bit easier.

What are your BIG reasons why you want to achieve you goal? 

Find the rest of this series at: 
NickMaizy.com

Have a laser-like focus on your vision. What is the ideal you’re working toward? What is your goal? Your vision?

Let me tell you about Jim and Sara. They both want to save money and become more financially secure and better off. The stress of living paycheck to paycheck is beginning to get to them and they know they need to make a change. So, they both make budgets and take steps to improve their situations. Let’s see how it plays out for each of them.

Jim knows he should stick to his budget. But, it’s friday night, he has had a long week, and really wants to go out to dinner and have a few drinks to relax. It won’t cost a lot of money. At the same time, it’s not in his budget. He is able to say ‘No’ this time. Jim stays in and makes dinner for himself. While eating he thinks about his friends having fun and relaxing. Jim is miserable feeling like he is missing out. Jim promises himself that next week he will go out with his friends no matter what.

Sara didn’t make a budget. She called it a spending plan because it’s her choice on how to spend her money and it’s her plan. It was also a long week for Sara. Sara knows that going out to dinner would be nice, but it’s not in her spending plan. She stays in, make dinner at home, reminds herself of her goal, and knows she is getting closer by sticking to her plan. Sara sees her clear vision of a better financial situation and smiles as her actions get her closer to her goal.

For the time being, both Jim and Sara are sticking to the budgets they made. But, which one do you think will most likely continue to stay on track? Which one do you think will enjoy the journey most?

What is your vision? If you haven’t thought about it, then now might be a good time to think about the ideal like you’d like to work toward. It’s time to develop a clear picture of your goal. What do you really want?

Click here for an episode on getting clear on what’s important to you.

Next, keep that vision in your mind. I’m a big fan of finding ways to remind myself of what I’m working toward. In grad school I had a vision board next to my computer. Each time I got tired of work hard, which was quite often honestly, I’d look at it and remind myself of what I was working toward. Now, I do a mindset exercise where I take some deep breaths, tell myself what I’m working toward, see myself being there having achieve those goals, and take some more deep breaths. Each way helps me see my goals being real and experiencing the benefits. Each method has helped me keep my vision in mind.

• Actions are easier
• Journey is more enjoyable
• Get back on track faster (click here for an episode on using a trigger to get back on track)

When times get tough, remind yourself of what you’re working toward. When times are not tough, remind yourself of what you’re working toward.

If you want the mindset that will help you to achieve your goals, remind yourself of what your goals and that the steps you’re taking are what’s getting your there.

Have a laser-like focus on your vision. What is the ideal you’re working toward? What is your goal? Your vision?

Let me tell you about Jim and Sara. They both want to save money and become more financially secure and better off. The stress of living paycheck to paycheck is beginning to get to them and they know they need to make a change. So, they both make budgets and take steps to improve their situations. Let’s see how it plays out for each of them.

Jim knows he should stick to his budget. But, it’s friday night, he has had a long week, and really wants to go out to dinner and have a few drinks to relax. It won’t cost a lot of money. At the same time, it’s not in his budget. He is able to say ‘No’ this time. Jim stays in and makes dinner for himself. While eating he thinks about his friends having fun and relaxing. Jim is miserable feeling like he is missing out. Jim promises himself that next week he will go out with his friends no matter what.

Sara didn’t make a budget. She called it a spending plan because it’s her choice on how to spend her money and it’s her plan. It was also a long week for Sara. Sara knows that going out to dinner would be nice, but it’s not in her spending plan. She stays in, make dinner at home, reminds herself of her goal, and knows she is getting closer by sticking to her plan. Sara sees her clear vision of a better financial situation and smiles as her actions get her closer to her goal.

For the time being, both Jim and Sara are sticking to the budgets they made. But, which one do you think will most likely continue to stay on track? Which one do you think will enjoy the journey most?

What is your vision? If you haven’t thought about it, then now might be a good time to think about the ideal like you’d like to work toward. It’s time to develop a clear picture of your goal. What do you really want?

Click here for an episode on getting clear on what’s important to you.

Next, keep that vision in your mind. I’m a big fan of finding ways to remind myself of what I’m working toward. In grad school I had a vision board next to my computer. Each time I got tired of work hard, which was quite often honestly, I’d look at it and remind myself of what I was working toward. Now, I do a mindset exercise where I take some deep breaths, tell myself what I’m working toward, see myself being there having achieve those goals, and take some more deep breaths. Each way helps me see my goals being real and experiencing the benefits. Each method has helped me keep my vision in mind.

• Actions are easier
• Journey is more enjoyable
• Get back on track faster (click here for an episode on using a trigger to get back on track)

When times get tough, remind yourself of what you’re working toward. When times are not tough, remind yourself of what you’re working toward.

If you want the mindset that will help you to achieve your goals, remind yourself of what your goals and that the steps you’re taking are what’s getting your there.

Jon is overweight and knows he needs to lose 30 lbs because it is impacting is health and leading to other negative medical conditions. Jon also has a negative mindset. He sees all the challenges and obstacles that he will have to overcome. Just about everyday he ends up thinking “I’m going to fail. This will be the worst thing I’ve ever tried. There is no way that I can do this. It will be such a struggle.” He tells himself those things and the worst part is that he believes them.

Sandy is also overweight. She has struggled with her weight for a long time. Unlike Jon, Sandy knows that she can make changes and that the hard work that she put into improving her health with pay-off. She tells herself “I can lose weight and get healthy. It will take a lot of hard work. But, it’s worth the effort and I am the one who will enjoy the benefits. She adheres to a rigorous exercise routine and begins to eat healthy. As Sandy works toward her goal she encourages herself, reminds herself of her goal and the progress she is making, she sees the benefits of her efforts even before other people see them. Sandy truly knows exactly what she is doing, the results she will get, and her reasons why.

Which do you think will achieve their goal?
Which do you think will enjoy the journey most?
If they both lost 30 lbs, who do you think would keep it off?

Mindsets can be broken up into many different groups.

Growth/Fixed – for more on these read Mindset by Carol Dweck (CLICK HERE for my affiliate link)
Abundant/Limited (Scarcity)
Open/closed
Positive/Negative 

Struggle – difficult – royal pain – negative thoughts & focus – miserable

Hard working – willing – positive – worth the effort – not bad – purposeful – rewarding 

Here we will just be looking at simply helpful or not helpful. I want to you succeed at conquering your goals. You’ll want to shape your mindset to one that will help you do just that. Yes, you can take any and all of the actions to conquer your goal with or without any particular mindset. But, the right mindset can make it easier and more enjoyable. 

Maybe

Some people were just born with the right mindset. The helpful mindset that makes it easy for them to do anything they want, achieve their goals, make improvements, and have a wonderful time doing so. And other people weren’t born with that mindset. Does that mean that the people who weren’t born with that helpful mindset are just screwed? NO! Not at all. Those who naturally have a mindset that isn’t helping them succeed have to work at developing can do what anyone can do – Work To Make Changes! Just as much as some people were born with natural skills and abilities that make sports and athletics easy for them. Other people have to work very hard at it. Some people were born with the ability to learn new information very quickly. Other people have to work very hard to learn anything. I believe the same as true for mindsets. You have the ability to shape your mindset. One way you can change your mindset is reminding yourself of the things that you want to know, think about, and believe. The more we think about something the bigger it becomes in our minds. 

What you choose to focus on grows.
Choose where you focus.

Your mindset has the ability to make things seem easier or make them seem harder. It can it easier to take action, make progress, improve yourself, and even focus. Your mindset can make all those things much easier and it can make them more enjoyable too. But, if you don’t watch out, your mindset could be making all those valuable things much harder. A negative mindset can make the things you need and want all but impossible. It can become such a challenge to move forward, take action, make progress, or focus when you need it. A negative mindset will definitely ruin your chances at enjoying the journey to your goals too.

Have you ever heard inspiring story? If you have, then you know it’s possible for people to overcome barriers and challenges and make progress toward their goals. You know it’s true because people have done it. It can be as simple as reminding yourself that it’s possible for you can overcome your challenges, make progress, and succeed at your goals. When you REALLY believe that you can succeed, the actions to get there become just a little bit easier. 

Remind yourself of the things that you want to believe that will help you succeed in the areas that are important to you. Would it help you if you believed that you could overcome the challenges in your way? Yes! So, reminder self of that. When you tell yourself something enough, you’ll begin to really believe it. You’ll begin to experience that belief in your everyday life and that can help shape your actions and ultimately your results. 

What do you need to believe? Over the next few weeks we’ll go over a few different areas of key things to remind yourself of to help you keep moving forward, making progress, conquering goals, and enjoying your life. Make sure you’re subscribed and stay tuned – don’t miss a single episode!

Visit: NickMaizy.com for more