Mindset shifts……Okay, confession time: I used to roll my eyes at the whole “change your mindset, change your life” thing. Like, yeah sure Susan, I’ll think happy thoughts while my rent in Queens skyrockets and the subway’s delayed again. Magical. But here’s the weird part—I accidentally stumbled into a couple of mindset shifts (not on purpose, I swear) that actually… worked. And it wasn’t some guru-on-a-mountain type stuff. It was messy, clumsy, and sometimes just me arguing with myself at 2AM while eating cold pizza.

So if you’re curious how to actually level up your life without selling your soul to the self-help-industrial-complex, pull up a chair. Let me walk you through 7 mindset shifts that literally changed everything for me—or at least stopped me from completely losing it.

1. Progress over perfection (aka stop trying to be a robot)

Perfection was my toxic ex. No matter what I did, it was never “good enough.” Write a blog? Needs to sound like Hemingway and Beyoncé had a baby. Workout? If I didn’t run 5 miles, what was even the point?

But then one day, I accidentally wore two different socks to work (gray on one foot, neon green on the other). Nobody cared. Not a single person noticed. And I thought: wow, maybe I’m the only one obsessing over dumb little details.

Since then, I’ve been team progress. Did I write one paragraph? Win. Walk for 10 minutes? Gold medal. The mindset shift: 1% better beats 100% stuck.

2. Fail faster, laugh harder

Back in 2019, I tried to start a podcast with my friend. We recorded one episode, realized we hated the sound of our own voices, and quit. Old me would’ve spiraled into shame. New me? I laughed so hard listening back that my neighbor banged on the wall.

Here’s the deal: failure is unavoidable. Might as well fail faster and collect the funny stories. If nothing else, you’ll have great material for awkward dinner parties.

3. People aren’t thinking about you that much

This one hurt. I used to think everyone noticed when I messed up. Like the time I tripped on the subway stairs and dropped my iced coffee, dramatic movie-scene style. My brain screamed: “Everyone’s laughing at you!”

Nope. They were all glued to their phones. Nobody cares. Everyone’s too wrapped up in their own problems.

The mindset shift: stop living like you’re on stage. You’re just background noise in someone else’s movie. And honestly? That’s freeing.

4. Discomfort = growth (ugh, I know)

I once took a boxing class in Astoria but not athletic. I was sweating buckets, gloves too big, and at one point, I legit punched myself in the face. Mortifying. But—walking out of that class, I felt like Rocky on top of the steps.

Turns out, your brain kinda needs discomfort. It’s like muscles. If you avoid anything hard, you just stay… the same. Which is fine, but also kinda boring. Now, I chase small discomforts—saying yes to new stuff, even if I’m scared.

5. Gratitude but not in the cheesy way

Listen, I hate those “just be grateful” memes. Like, yeah Brenda, I’ll totally be grateful while my WiFi cuts out mid-Zoom call. But then I started jotting down one ridiculous thing I was grateful for every night.

Examples:

• The guy at the deli who gives me extra pickles.
• The MTA delay not being 45 minutes, only 10.
• My neighbor’s dog wearing tiny rain boots.

It works because it’s silly. Gratitude doesn’t have to be deep—it can just be noticing life’s dumb little wins.

6. Choose your hard

Here’s the truth: everything’s hard. Being broke is hard. Working your butt off at a job you hate is hard. Starting your own business is hard. Even going to the gym is hard (the smell alone…).

So the shift is: pick your hard. Do I want the hard that keeps me stuck, or the hard that maybe pays off? When you realize comfort also sucks, you stop chasing easy and start chasing meaningful.

7. Future you is watching

This one’s a little woo-woo, but hear me out. Whenever I don’t wanna do something (like fold laundry), I imagine “future me” side-eyeing me. And let me tell you, future me is judgy.

But she’s also grateful when I actually follow through. Like, “Thanks past me for not leaving wet clothes in the washer for 3 days.”

So yeah—sometimes the motivation isn’t “discipline” or “success.” It’s just doing a tiny favor for future you.

Wrapping It Up about mindset shifts

If you skimmed all this—hey, no judgment—I’ll make it simple: leveling up your life isn’t about becoming a whole new person. It’s about these little mindset tweaks that make the messy, annoying, hilarious ride of life a bit smoother.

And honestly? You’ll still screw up. You’ll still drop iced coffee on the subway stairs. But you’ll laugh about it instead of hiding in shame. That’s the real upgrade.