A Series of 4 Posts Originally Written for Cohen Children's Medical Center's Holistic Team Newsletter. Post 1 of 4. Published 2/26/23.
It is 12:15, I’ve been at work for a whole 15 minutes and my mind is already elsewhere. I think I am doing a good job at keeping my thoughts at bay until I’m asked that dreaded question, “How are you doing today, Emily?” My immediate response was, “Oh you know, I’m here.” I fully anticipated an empathetic and understanding response, you know, a coworker who felt the same way. However, I was met with a very direct, yet genuine response, “Hmm, well I am thankful to be here today, and for the paycheck, it will provide me.” For a moment I had to pause, I wasn’t expecting that response!
I paused, and I took a moment to realize I was receiving a lesson on mindset in the most peculiar way. Our mindset; the beliefs that impact what we do, what we say, how we think, and ultimately, how we act, matter more than we tend to realize. Our mindset shapes everything about our day-to-day lives, and when it came to my work mindset, it was less than appealing.
When it comes to mindset, you ultimately have two options; you live in a mindset where you are growing and learning or you live in a fixed mindset that limits you and your ability to persevere, even when it is as simple as remembering that our ability to go to work is a blessing.
Believe it or not, my mindset on coming to work has changed since that conversation. Sure, I may not always enjoy the day-to-day activities, and I can certainly share that I would rather be sitting on a beach somewhere warm. However, when I actively challenged my fixed mindset and pivoted my thoughts to the blessings that are a result of my work, it certainly made coming to work feel less of a burden and more of an opportunity to build upon blessings.
In the weeks to come we will dive into the concept of our mindset a little more and how we can improve upon our existing mindset. For now, I challenge you to identify an area of your life where your mindset needs adjusted and work on pivoting those thoughts ever so slightly.
Emily Conley Baker
Registered Nurse & Health Coach
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