Making Positive Changes: How to Protect Your Precious Energy

Changing our mindset and making positive changes should be easy, but we face saboteurs at every turn, both internal and external.

How we think determines every aspect of our experience, so the importance of succeeding with this mission cannot be overstated.

Bringing the things we want into our experience is a worthy goal that deserves our time and attention.

Changing how I thought transformed my entire world; the great things I have done with my life over the years is nothing short of amazing to me, considering where I started.

Looking back, I realize a key component in my success was employing strategies that protected my energy from nefarious forces, whether it was my own fracked-up mind or the unhelpful musings of others.

That spark within us to be different can be fragile at first, but will grow stronger over time if we take the proper steps to protect it.

Being able to sustain my mindset, and commit to the changes I wanted to make, led me to randomly decide to teach English in Japan. This decision was the start of a new path–that while bumpy at times– led me to crafting the exact life I wanted. Said life consisted of two basic components–getting paid to write in some form, and traveling the world whenever I wanted for as long as I wanted.

I like peppering my posts with pictures (say that five times fast) of my travels in hopes they will inspire you to work towards what you want in your own life, and become the person you want to be. I decided to do Japan today since that was what really go the ball rolling for me.

Here are just a few ways you can protect your energy, and ensure success.

Keep Feeding Your Mind the Good Stuff

Chances are, your desire for change was triggered by some piece of information you came across that introduced you to a new perspective or way of being. Something within clicked, and it motivated you to try and be different in some way.

Maybe you are looking to adopt a more positive mindset; maybe the idea of law of attraction sounds pretty cool, and you want to give the principles a whirl. Perhaps you are interested in techniques to modify some problematic behaviors.

Whatever the specific change you are trying to make upstairs, you are likely contending with all sorts of junk. The mindset that gave birth to how you are now was developed over a long period, and the programming runs deep.

Uprooting it instantaneously is not likely to happen. You will need repeated exposure to the new ways of thinking and being—this is the only way you can clear out the trash, and make room for the good stuff.

Just like you continuously need healthy food for a healthy body, your mind needs a steady diet of empowering information to remain in a ‘good’ place.

Without this reinforcement, you will never make significant strides. You will have spurts where you feel good, but ultimately, the old programming will win out, and you will stay stuck where you are.

Keep it To Yourself

Other people can be one of the biggest barriers to positive change. Their criticism and judgment can really sting, and may even completely stop you in your tracks. We worry about what other people will think about us, and it prevents us from doing the things we really want. Their negativity infects our minds.

Many people pride themselves on being ‘realistic’ which just basically translates to ‘pessimistic.’ You share some idea ,and their first thoughts always go to what is ‘wrong’, why it won’t work or can’t happen— whether they were just being jerks, or well-meaning and just trying to be ‘helpful’, the end result of you feeling crappy and deflated is the same.

Right now, you are in a really fragile state—you are test-driving this new way of thinking; you may have only taken small steps towards whatever goal you have set for yourself. You are not strong enough yet to withstand all the ‘stuff’ from other people, and it will knock you completely off track.

As you go along your path, and develop greater confidence in your new belief system, who you want to be and what you want your life to be like, your skin will thicken, and what other people say won’t have as much of an effect.

But, right now, you’re not that good, and you need to keep your energy as pure as possible. Chances are, your own mind is putting up quite the fight, so you don’t need anyone else’s crap getting in there.

If you know your best friend would just roll her eyes at the mention of Law of Attraction, don’t talk about it with her.

If your father is one of those ‘realistic’ people who will poop all over your desire to start your own business by rattling off statistics of how many businesses fail, reminding you of the bad economy and the million other reasons it probably won’t work, don’t mention it to him.

Depending on what you are trying to do, some people may get a bit jealous of you trying to better yourself, and will do and say things to get you to stay where you are. They are not always doing this 100 percent consciously, but again, the end result of you feeling badly is the same regardless of motivations.

At this point, you should only be talking to people who will help reinforce these good beliefs, encourage the changes you are looking to make, and just make you feel really good about what you are trying to do.

If there is no one in your life like that now, go online. You can find plenty of like-minded people who are on this same journey, and will give the support that is so crucial right now.

Start Tuning In to How Things are Making You Feel and Adjust Accordingly

There are so many things that we come across during our waking hours that make their way into our heads, and impact our belief system and how we feel. Over time, even seemingly small things can have a huge effect due to the repeated exposure.

When it comes to making positive changes, and shifting our mindset, we want to do all we can to let the good stuff in, and keep the bad out.

One of the greatest benefits I have reaped from all my work on myself is being more attuned to my thoughts and feelings—I am not on auto-pilot as much, and I notice more quickly the emotions, and trains of thought, invoked when I take in various ‘stimuli.’

This is a very powerful tool in nurturing a more empowering mindset, and making positive changes in your life.

Pay attention to how watching the news or certain television shows make you feel. It might be good to cut back a bit on the negativity of the media, or choose your programming more wisely.

A show like Criminal Minds is fascinating to me, but it reminded me of all the sickos in the world who do those type of horrible things to people in real life, and I really don’t watch it as much anymore because it didn’t make me feel good.

If you are trying to develop a mindset more attuned to financial abundance, for example, it might not be a good idea to watch the myriad reality shows about rich people who are famous for doing basically nothing, if they stir up feelings of jealousy, or make you view wealthy people in a poor light. You can’t attract money if you have a strong distaste for people who have it.

Be careful of magazines packed with ads that make you feel like you’re not good enough, remind you of all the ‘flaws’ that need to be fixed, or convince you that you need a bunch of ‘stuff’ to be happy.

Clean up your Facebook feed to remove people who just don’t make you feel good for one reason or another—limiting your time on this site is the best thing you can do overall.

For most of us, there is a big disconnect between knowing not to compare ourselves, and that no one has a perfect life, and feeling this truth. Constant exposure to everyone’s ‘highlight reel’ will only widen this gap.

Avoid getting in certain conversations with people if you feel it will bring your energy down—there is always a way to steer things in another direction. Do your best to limit engagement with people who don’t make you feel good.

If you really make an effort here, and make more conscious choices about what you let into your head, you will be amazed at the changes you will see in your life.

The desire you have right now to be better and do better has the potential to consume you in a good way, and lead you on a path to all sorts of great things. But, it can be easily extinguished if we don’t shore up our defenses. Make protecting your energy a top priority.