My pro tip is, once a new thought is introduced, allow it to be nurtured. It will mature in your mind. The maturation of a healthy thought is the beginning of real change. Real change has the power to transform the rest of your life.

As an avid reader, I’m always growing my mindset with new ideas.  There are five core beliefs I return to without fail. These five beliefs have transformed my life and empowered me to go after my dreams.

If you are feeling broken, lost, and unmotivated, read these five quotes and begin the process of healing your mindset. Remember, real change takes as long as it takes. These quotes are meant to inspire change. Commit to the process of transformation by doing the hard work; whatever that looks like for you.

Sometimes, hard work takes the form of saying no to over-scheduling your days, or driving past that mom and pop donut shop. It could be as challenging as finding a therapist and showing up to do the work Whatever changes you are after, accept the fact that change rarely happens overnight and often involves pain. Transformation can take days or decades. No matter the timeline, believe you are worth every second and start right where you are.

Just FYI, it’s my professional responsibility to tell you that I am not a guru or therapist. I’m just a woman who has been wounded by life and had lots of therapy to find healing. My future was almost derailed by a grown man who preyed on me as a child.  Getting the help I needed changed the course of my life.

As I was saying, no one needs another quasi guru telling them, “If you think this or do that for 90 days you will get the life you’ve always dreamed of”. Many of us fall prey to these scams, especially when we are weak and vulnerable. It happens to the best of us. I have fallen victim to a few in my lifetime. Nothing I’ve ever purchased or tried from a scam has produced lasting, healthy results.

What really worked for me, you might be asking? After nearly 50 years on this complex orb, I can only tell you that real transformation happened for me and millions like me when I changed my mindset.

It took nearly two decades for me to realize that wounded people think wounded thoughts and behave in wounded ways.

I could only think as far as my experiences had taken me. What thoughts do you find limiting? If you find yourself in need of expansion, here are five power quotes to introduce into your thought/ prayer time to begin the journey. These quotes are forever in my arsenal and housed neatly in my journal. This makes them easier to access.  You may want to screenshot each one or write and post them where you can see them often.

5 Life-changing quotes

1. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34 b)

This powerhouse verse is emblazoned across my soul and taped to my mirror. This quote made me realize I was speaking (and living) from a handful of traumatic experiences. In my youth, I believed I was unattractive, and unlovable because of my weight.  As a result, I made fat jokes about myself before anyone else could. I also found it normal to talk about poverty and my mistrust of others. These experiences were all I knew at the time, they flowed easily from my heart to my mouth.

This quote helped me understand, I was speaking from an abundance of childhood trauma and hardship. I lived this way until my mind was transformed.  Learning how to get healthy and valuing myself did not invalidate my life experiences. Knowledge gave me better options. I realized living through poverty does not mean I have to live in it. Having been overweight in the past does not mean my future can’t be healthy. I started filling my mind with as much as I could learn about health and fitness, even while I was helplessly overeating. Over time, my thoughts and language shifted. I  became aware of saturated fats and grams of sugar in food. This newly acquired information cemented its way into my mind. I eventually started living in a way that transformed my life and health. I was filling my mind with new ways to think and be. This quote changed me. It can do the same for you.

2. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.– Confucius

Confucius gives us all permission to kick the comparison game to the curb! Real change takes however long it takes. I found it much easier to learn about saving a portion of all I earn; forever changing my poverty mindset. Meanwhile, I’m still fighting to extract myself from the people-pleasing trap that child abuse dropped me in. I’m not sure if I will ever see a fully healed version of me.  I will not stop pursuing it. I allow myself grace and time to heal. Extend yourself that same grace. If the process is slow, respect it. Your only job is to stay the course and DO NOT STOP.

3. The Secret of getting ahead is getting started. Mark Twain

There really isn’t a lot to explain about this quote. It’s the kick in the pants we all need from time to time. I wish I could say I have honored this one perfectly. I haven’t. What I have done is to allow my fears to hold me hostage for too long. Have you found this to be true for you?

Getting started requires courage. And that’s just the deposit. You may be required to give time, savings, and information along the way. The beauty of what Mark is saying here is that you need to take one singular step to get started. That’s it. When you are finished taking one step, take another. I recall feeling so fearful to start my business at the ripe age of 49. I mean, who does that??? I did! The best part about birthing my company is it all started with a single step. I did one thing and then I went to bed. Of course, I took another step the next day and the day after that. But it all started with a single step.

Let yourself off the hook, and stop thinking about losing 50 pounds or making your first million.  Whatever gigantic mission you are on, just take a step in that direction. Eat healthy today and save 10 percent of your pay tomorrow. Keep taking one more step and then another. The real secret to getting ahead and achieving your goal is to get started!

4. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. — Aristotle

When I look out at the expanse of my life, I realize I got here by habit. Love it or hate it, our lives reflect our habits. I blame habit for my current health status, relationships and the bulk of my being. It’s almost frightening to realize how much power is held in one’s habits. The comfort comes in knowing that new healthy habits hold the same power.

It’s easy to say, “If you don’t like what you see, change your habits”. It’s much harder to change your habits quickly. I’ve heard it takes anywhere from 2 weeks to a year to make the change. If that’s the case, none of us has time to waste. What habit(s) would you like to break or incorporate for a better life?

Oxford dictionary defines habit as, “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.”

Notice the part about “hard to give up”? I like to think of habits as having a life force of their own. Habits want to live and exist at all costs. Breaking a bad habit causes pain. You feel it breaking.  I have experienced this. I mourn its loss. I suffer mentally by second guess myself.  I  generally feel miserable in the process. Habit breaking is not for the faint of heart. It’s a long and intense process. So why do it- ever?

Just imagine what your life would like if you dropped that bad habit and put a really amazing one in place.

The beauty of a good habit is it works the same as a bad one. Good habits are equally hard to give up. Once formed, good habit fights to live in you. It will pain you to walk away. A good habit has the power to transform your life. Identify good habits you want to form and begin the process. They will reshape your future for the better.

5. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”-Maya Angelou

This quote rings true even though I stumbled across it decades ago in undergrad. I included it in my teaching portfolio. It summed up why I wanted to become a teacher. Thankfully, this bit of wisdom seeped into the other areas of my life. It has become my motto in business and a part of my faith journey.

I think the best example of this quote in action is Starbucks®.  I know I can make a good cup of coffee at home. Homemade coffee literally costs pennies on the dollar. I go to Starbucks® because they make me feel welcomed and wanted. It’s the reason I’ve never minded paying several dollars for a cup of joe.

What if you applied this quote to your profession, family, and faith? What if you applied this to yourself? Maya wants us to remember the power of our words and actions towards others. This power comes with great responsibility. We have to be careful not to intentionally wound others. She reminds us that they will “never forget”. Those who’ve been verbally and physically abused remember and relive the horrors. Their wounds heal, but the scars remain for a lifetime. Let this quote become a life-changing habit of treating others with kindness and respect. This quote will not only transform your life but the lives of others.

These five quotes are loaded with seeds of wisdom. Allow each one to have its time and space in your mind. There is no rush to master them in a day. Whether you choose one to focus on or all five over time, your life will change in ways you never thought possible.

I wish you grace on your journey to a new mindset.

Kim J.

Until our next time, I wish you unshakeable faith, wealth beyond measure, and laughter till it hurts.

Love ya!  Kim Jagwe , proud Co-Owner of Sowl Studios

Recommended reading here-  http://www.kimjagwe.com/a-career-change-at-50-is-it-too-late-to-start-over/