Your thoughts and beliefs can change. You don’t need to feel hesitant, frustrated, or doubtful, all of which are part of a limited mindset. You aren’t stuck with an untrained mind – you can train it.
Most people don’t need more motivation, they need a technique that can actually help direct change. They need mental training exercises that turn limiting beliefs into powerful change driven thoughts. It starts with a shift – stop thinking you’re stuck because you’re not. Your brain responds to direct input. Start telling yourself “you are capable”, or “you are in control of your temper” and your brain will use this to build an updated mindset. Anything practiced can be retrained.
Belief Isn’t Just Mental—It’s Physical
Your thoughts don’t just remain in your head, they permeate your body. Every thought results in a biological reaction. Chemicals are triggered and neural electrical activity results. Over time as you repeat a set of thoughts, they begin to signal how your brain works.
For example::
- If you think “You’re not good at this thing.”
- Your brain responds by firing neurons along that pathway.
- Your body reacts with tension, faster heartbeat, or stress.
- You repeat it again—your brain makes that pathway stronger.
This is how neuroplasticity works. Your brain becomes better at the thoughts you practice, including thoughts of doubt, frustration or hesitancy [1]. This process works for positive beliefs and thoughts as well. If you tell yourself “You’re calm and relaxed when under pressure” your brain begins to build this neural pathway. Repeat this thought enough and this thought and their connections in your brain get stronger.
So when you tell yourself “this is just the way I am”, you’re wrong! Your mindset is “malleable” and can be trained to believe and think differently. You just need to tell it and keep telling it who you are, what you are able to do, and what you believe.
Neuroplasticity—Your Brain Is Built to Change
No one’s brain stays the same from birth to death. Like our bodies, it continuously changes. We know this as we experience life and also when we lose our childlike beliefs of what is possible. Your brain rewires itself based on what you do, say, and think every single day. Neuroplasticity is powerful and keeps working whether you realize it or not.
If you keep telling yourself the same thing day after day, year after year, your brain constructs powerfully strong connections around this [2]. Real change is possible by repeating thoughts that empower you and can even erode negative type beliefs over time. This works for the youngest among us as well as those in their70s and beyond.
It works like this:
- Neurons fire together when you think or do something.
- Those connections get stronger the more often you repeat it.
- Your brain trims away old pathways that don’t get used.
- New patterns take over—and your habits, reactions, and mindset shifts.
You need to repeat this daily for it to work. Remember positive thoughts won’t do it. You must train your brain with repetition for it to work. Try saying “You handle discomfort well” often enough and your mind will begin to make that feel normal. This is biology, not wishful thinking. You have a choice to reinforce your old negative or unproductive thoughts or you can create new ones that serve you better. Remember, you are in control of which pathways get built and last.
Positive Self-Talk—The Code That Reprograms You
How you talk to yourself and what you say build your identity. Repeating what you say is either a mental repetition for good or bad. As time passes your brain treats these words as instruction or code for your brain.
Many say things like:
- “I always mess up.”
- “I’m not wired to be like that.”
- “I can never stick with anything.”
The things you say don’t just stay in your head, they become what you believe and how you behave. Your brain is built to reinforce your beliefs, working to prove you correct.
But a shift can occur. Start by talking to yourself in the second person. Instead of saying “I am confident” say “you are confident. These small changes make the message feel more direct, real, and full of intention.
Try the following scripts:
- “You can handle pressure.”
- “You’ve always been able to follow through.”
- “You always figure things out.”
Make sure to say these scripts out loud. Repeat them everyday but also during difficult moments. As time passes they no longer sound like scripts and start sounding like who you are. Remember, the brain will listen to and internalize what it hears most frequently. Make sure you give it something worth believing.
Meditation and Visualization -Tools to Anchor New Beliefs
In order to make this work you need to train your mind. You also need to quiet your mind. The best way to do this is through meditation and visualization. These tools help you to remove all distraction and mental noise to help lock in better thoughts.
When you meditate it doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply sit still, breathe gently and slowly through your nose, close your eyes, and focus solely on your breath. By doing so you lower stress, boost your focus and open your mind to clearer thoughts. As your mind drifts, notice it and pull it back to focus once again on your breath. After a few days of regular meditation, it becomes easier to keep your focus.
This is why it works:
- Your prefrontal cortex is strengthened – this is your decision-making center.
- It shrinks the amygdala (your panic and reactivity center).
- You are better able to respond rather than react.
Using visualization adds an additional layer that lights up your brain when you imagine success, almost as though they are happening. This means that:
- Because you visualize the event, your mind is calm and focused. This helps your brain to treat the situation as real and when it occurs, and to remain cool and focused, as you practiced in your mind.
- You are able to see yourself completing a task or handling a challenge before it actually happens, increasing your chance of being successful when it does occur.
The key to training your mind is consistency, and when done so, it shifts your brain to respond calmly to pressure, distractions, and fear. When your brain begins acting as you intend, you then become the type of person you want to be.
Identity and Habit—Change Sticks When It Feels Like You
The habits you want to stick are the ones you truly believe in. This is why what you think about and your identity has more power over you than motivation. When your actions, thoughts and beliefs align with your self-image, they stay with you.
Many people try to force new habits or behavior through strength of will. The problem is, your willpower fades. A more effective approach is changing the story you tell yourself.
Instead of saying “I need to work out,” you should say:
- “You’re the kind of guy who trains daily.”
- “You take care of your health.”
- “You don’t skip workouts—you show up.”
This isn’t just about the words, it’s about creating statements about your identity and repeating them so that your brain begins working to make them true.
Here’s how to build or strengthen your identity:
- Think of beliefs that reflect who and what you want to become.
- Combine these beliefs with actions that reinforce the beliefs daily, even if they are small initially.
- Repeat that action and that message until it feels automatic.
Change doesn’t come by just trying harder. It comes from thinking like the man you want to be – the man you’re becoming.
Conclusion: Reprogram an Untrained Mind
You aren’t the same person you were when you were 10 – you have a new set of thoughts, behaviors and beliefs. Clearly you have the ability to retrain your current patterns of thought. Your brain responds to repetition, direction and belief, in a way similar to training your muscles. In fact, your brain is a powerful muscle that you can mold into new ways of thinking.
Say what you want to believe, repeat it constantly, and act like you already believe what you say. This becomes the habit that matches your identity. Your mindset isn’t set – it is changing and can be trained to be the person you want.
Here’s a challenge: Write down 5 powerful things to say to yourself every morning. Say them out loud and in second-person, such as “you are capable and confident”. Design these sayings to encourage positive behavioral change. Make them mean something to you and take action, even if small, to reinforce them.
Check out Age is a State of Mind and Positive Visualization For A Great Life.
