2: My Mindset

For me to actually sit here and commit to typing a second blog post somewhat shocks me. Not because I don't think I can do it, but because I always hated having to commit to a long, drawn-out piece of literature when I was in school. It's funny how times change. And I think a lot of that has to do with what I am going to touch on in this post.

​I'm a firm believer in a mindset pretty much controlling your life. If a mindset is generally positive, you're naturally going to look on the positive side of things and see most things in a certain light that others may not. When something negative comes around, there is still positivity somewhere in there that you can hold onto. On the opposite end, many people may have a generally negative mindset and see the darker side of things. Even if something overwhelmingly positive comes around, some mindsets could take the shape of, "Yeah this is cool, but how long will it last?" rather than, "This is awesome and I am SO thankful that this happened to me!" These and so many different spectrums of mindsets in between, at least in my own humble opinion, eventually dictate who we are and what we do as people. And luckily for every one of us, mindsets can be changed. I've learned this first hand.

​In my previous blog post, I talked about a lot of things that have gone on in my life so far, and I generally introduced my story to you. But now, I want to focus on the huge rut that I was in from 2014 through most of 2016. It was during this time period, at some point, when I experienced a negative mindset change that I believe could have caused this small rut to become deeper than it ever should have been. I reached a point where, when the negatives kept piling up (both professionally and personally) I would think that I was almost cursed to just be stuck there forever. In my head, I was better than that, but I had absolutely nothing to show for it. So at that point, in those moments, why would I bother? I let that negativity dictate my state of mind, and it drove me to stress eat, binge watch television, and basically stray off of the path that I knew I should be on. I didn't realize it as it happened, but I cared less, stopped lifting weights as much, and gained a bit of unhealthy weight. All of this energy was strictly negative, and unbeknownst to me, a change needed to happen.

​When reality hit me like a train around August of 2016, I started to realize that I was slowly straying further and further away from my goals, and deeper into this rut that I was digging myself. That was when I realized that, in my opinion, the first step to changing that mindset from a negative to a positive is to recognize that negativity has taken over your state of mind. As soon as I realized what was going on, I had to make proper changes, and from there, I focused to get back on track and do MORE THAN I WAS BEFORE. Looking back, I think I got comfortable and lazy and waited for people to reach out to me, rather than me trying to reach out to others. So really, what did I expect? It's almost crazy, right? It's like people say: Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, and expecting different results.

One other thing to think about as well, and man am I sounding like a life coach right now, and that is NOT my intent...
​But think about what you worry about more. Yourself? Or what others think about you?
One of the best pieces of advice I've been given in a LONG time has been to follow Gary Vaynerchuck on all social media platforms. One of his biggest reasons for success is that he literally does not care what others think, and his confidence in what he says is almost overbearing, but not in a negative way. His mindset is positive and his content shows his energy and positivity, but in a way that literally connects to anybody that wants to watch.
THAT is the mindset I crave to have, and one I think that I am close to having. Granted, my introverted reactions to certain situations can hinder confidence at times, but hey, we all have areas to work on.

​To go into the future with all of the eyes that I hope see this, and all of the open minds that want to join me on this journey, this positive and confident mindset is going to be something that will be all but necessary. I know that there will be setbacks. I know that there will be days when I COMPLETELY screw something up on the website. I know that there will be somebody with more experience at this kind of thing creating slightly better content. I know that somebody will disagree with something I say or share here sometimes. I also know that my story will not be for everybody. 

​And you know what? That's all okay.

First of all, I want to hit a point where the thoughts of others literally do not phase me at all, because they used to. One of my biggest problems was worrying about others and their thoughts, rather than worrying about myself and my own thoughts and feelings. Also, this blog and this website are about the journey and the story unfolding in real time. This isn't generally about an end goal, but about the paths we go to get to that eventual destination. I'm going to obviously enjoy the highest of highs, but man I also am going to enjoy the lows, because they are part of this overall story that I get to share with you. What is a good story without some kind of negativity? Some of the best stories can't just be fixated on positivity and good times. When those negative times come, I completely plan on handling them with open arms, and in a positive manner that I used to not understand.

​Again, I have written more than I expected. Never in a million years would I have thought that I could just sit here and talk about MYSELF, but here we are again with another lengthy blog post. I guess I get carried away and excited. Funny thing is, the Barrett Brown of 2014-2016 would never know that feeling. 
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​Thank you for reading and checking out more of my story.

There's much more to come.

​Stay positive.


​-BB