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Reframing for Action Taking

Writer's picture: Mandy DrakeMandy Drake

A previous blog post I wrote around a holiday mindset shift started to address a concept that you can master and is also the most pressing example of reframing during the holiday time of year.

Reframing is a powerful tool that can move you from a place of victim thinking to action taking.

It really speaks to a bigger mindset shift, one that allows us to reframe times where we don't feel like we have any say in the matter. Or no control.

How can we reframe those times to avoid feeling helpless or like a victim and instead take action to drive our experience of it?

Note: We aren't talking about changing anyone else here.

You can't change others but you do still have control of something. You guessed it - it's your mindset.

Reframing allows for an opportunity to approach these scenarios differently.

I have been very hung up in times where I feel like I can't drive either my experience or an experience for my family. It nearly paralyzes me and keeps me from my normal growth thinking.

I can get caught up in not controlling what I want so it feels like I can't do anything about it.

I have learned, however, that this is just not true.

This quote below struck me last week in my reading and it speaks precisely to why we get stuck in those times.

“Whatever our circumstances, we have the power to pursue a better future. Some don't buy it. They think because they can't control everything, they can control nothing. But that's only a limiting belief. By our choices we become active participants in the outcomes we experience.”

- Michael Hyatt, Your Best Year Ever

I love this. Reframing helps us to think differently - you have control of what you bring to that circumstance.

We are not victims, my friend.

How can you make sure you are bringing your truest self to these situations?

For me, I had to let go of expectations that others would act the way I wanted them to or just differently than they typically do. I also decided to take action, regardless of how others might react.

This way, I will know that I have done what I could to create the experience that I desire.

I chose to think less about how the overall situation wasn't what I wanted and instead what could I do to make it more of what I wanted. I thought instead about how I could create this experience as I wanted….so how can I start doing that?

No more expecting others to take action according to what I hoped for - I would create it.

That is all I can do… but it leaves me in such a different mental state. It really makes all the difference.

Reframing may look different for you though.

Do you need to reframe something with work or your family, a relationship that you value or the holidays?

You may not have control of everything around a situation but you can choose how you approach it to get unstuck and in a place to take action again.

It's easy to get into the mindset that your outlook is the only way to look at a situation. Reframing teaches you to ask yourself questions like, "Is there another way to look at this?"

With practice, you can learn to remind yourself that your initial conclusion is only one possible explanation.

Think about other ways of viewing the situations.

Are there things that you have not considered?

Are there other explanations you should consider?

Lastly, what can you do to move things forward? Maybe it's setting a boundary or taking initiative. Maybe it's considering someone else's perspective.

Let's not live in our limiting beliefs. We do not have to be victims. We can choose better for our future.

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