What is a Recognition Mindset?
I have been thinking quite a bit about recognition. I want to grow and get better but I tend to revert to the same behaviors. I have found that in order to really change, I must focus on recognizing and reacting to cues in the environment when I am in the midst of the behavior I want to change. Failure to recognize and adapt keeps me firmly on the hamster wheel. I go through the motions and ignore my inner voice. Here are 3 simple types of behaviors that are left unexamined on a daily basis:
- My colleagues and I went out for lunch. Why did we pick this place? What do I really know about these people? What’s our relationship?
- I talk to my family about our day. What’s really going on? Are they sharing the “tough” stuff? Or, are situations right in front of us that we choose to ignore and hope they get better?
- I have a behavior I am embarrassed to engage in around others. How do I either share it or quit it? Why did I begin it? What am I so afraid of?
You can’t question everything but you should be questioning what you want to change. Opportunity exists to recognize situations, provoke questions and listen to your voice. Then, we can confront decisions and take actions to enrich our lives. Without this interplay, we risk leading unproductive, unfulfilling lives. I don’t think that is good enough.
Why is it Important to Recognize Behavior?
I want to enjoy life and be content. I have learned to change difficult things in life and it has enriched my life significantly. Simply wanting change is not enough. You must recognize when it is happening, call it out, confront it and figure out why it is happening. Until you can dig into the why, you will never conquer what you want to conquer.
If you have read this far, you likely have something you want to conquer. We fail because we don’t look for the signs. They are right there in front of us, but we get too busy to recognize them. Instead, we cover them up. We get busy completing lists or let the daily stressors allow us to unplug by surfing social media or watching Netflix. In order to notice what is going on (find the truth), take time to recognize and raise awareness. Here are 5 steps to embrace a recognition mindset:
- Journal, Meditate or Think about what is keeping you from being the best person you envision yourself to be.
- Narrow that down to your one biggest obstacle. Ponder where this thing intersects with various aspects of your life.
- Get intentional. When you recognize this situation occurring, call it out to yourself and state what is going on, i.e. Why is this occurring? What do I really want to be happening?, etc. Listen to your inner voice!
- Examine the situations that occurred to bring on this situation and devise strategies to deal with them. These are the root causes of your behavior and what you will need to adjust.
- Set goals and work really hard to change. Give yourself a break for when you mess up but also learn from it and focus on not repeating it. Return to step 1 and evaluate progress
Benefits from Adopting a Recognition Mindset
Confronting the hard truths and things we are pushing down is not easy. But, if you desire a clear conscience and the opportunity to enjoy your life, it is the best way to go. You will never be perfect but making adjustments and winning will make you more self-confident, happier and set you up to tackle even more challenging issues. Every fire starts with a spark.
Get Started!
Start thinking about things you have always wanted to do, habits you want to quit or people you need to get closer to or farther away from. Identify one of those situations and invoke the steps outlined above. I guarantee, if you recognize when that behavior or decision is being made and you stop and invoke your inner voice, you will start the process of change. From there, you can change those drivers and get them working for you, instead of against you. Could there be anything more exciting than that? Get back control of your life and enjoy it. Fully.
