Winning takes talent, hard work, some inspiration, and often a little luck. But there is one other element so crucial to being a winner that it often contributes more to a winning outcome than all of these other things combined.
What is it? A winning mindset. People with a winning mindset recognize that true success is determined by the way a person acts, thinks, and behaves on the journey to victory. They understand that the journey is the destination.
This week on my Emotions Mentor Podcast, Danielle Daniel (LCSW) and I spoke with a successful, licensed psychotherapist who also happens to be the reigning Miss United States—Andromeda Peters. She attributes her own big win to the mindset she developed on the journey to her crown.
Here are five traits Andromeda—and others like her—have used to develop a winning mindset:
1. Be self-aware.
Know your own emotions and understand what is going on internally with your mind and body. Doing this can help you push harder when you’re capable and ease up when you’re overdoing or over stressing things. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in learning how to understand your emotions. A friend, family member, or licensed therapist can provide valuable feedback as you process thoughts and emotions. You can also use the natural power of essential oils on your journey to self-awareness.
For example, Andromeda uses doTerra’s Motivate blend to help her stay energized when she feels depleted. Like other minty, citrusy blends, Motivate interacts with the olfactory nerve and helps rewrite your brain chemistry, allowing you to clear the clutter in your mind. Apply it to the back of your neck, your temples, and your wrists frequently throughout the day.
2. Visualize what it means to be a winner.
Draw a picture in your mind of what it looks like to win. Andromeda says, “I would visualize myself on stage, hearing my name called as a winner. . . . I would imagine what it felt like to have the sash placed across my chest and the crown on my head. And I would imagine all of the overwhelming emotions and joys that I would experience.”
Visualizing energizes and motivates you to keep pressing forward. A great oil to inhale or diffuse while you do visualization work is doTerra Passion. The blend combines spicy, woodsy, and flowery oils that work together to cut negative feelings and foster courage.
3. Develop good habits.
Good habits are the building blocks that that provide a solid foundation in your life and allow you to focus your energy on your goals. Several years ago, Navy Admiral William McRaven gave a wonderful commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin titled “Make Your Bed.” His words brilliantly explain just how important simple (but often mundane) habits are in daily life:
“Every morning in basic SEAL training, . . . we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that we were aspiring to be real warriors, tough, battle-hardened SEALs; but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right."
“And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”
I couldn’t agree more with the Admiral! To help establish new patterns in your life, experiment with bergamot oil by diffusing or applying it topically whenever you work on that new pattern.
4. Live in the present.
Make specific, realistic goals that allow you to live in the moment. You cannot win if you’re stuck in the past or obsessing about the future. Try using tree oils, such as frankincense, sandalwood, and cedarwood, to ground you to the present. Tree oils help the brain to maintain positive neural connections in the midst of stress.
5. Don’t compare yourself to others.
Remind yourself that you’re worthy of success—and, as Andromeda urges—that there’s enough of it to go around. Rather than thinking negatively by worrying about or resenting others’ successes, focus on the positive elements in your life. Use affirmations to help the positivity sink in and to banish comparisons from your subconscious.
Clove, grapefruit, or Douglas fir oils can all be used to accompany your affirmations and thus cement them in your mind. Apply a drop or two of one of these oils to your wrists, rub your wrists together, inhale, and then repeat an affirmation, such as “I am worthy,” “I honor others’ successes without comparing them to my own,” or “I am loved and capable of success.”
I challenge you to start your own journey to victory by practicing these winning traits. Maybe we’ll see each other along the way!
Best Wishes,
Rebecca Hintze
PS. To hear more from the Emotions Mentor Podcast click below!