How To Use Mindset Reframes To Find Balance

Tony Robbins missed by a mile.

He was taking golf lessons and trying his hardest but he didn’t seem to get anywhere near the hole. As you can imagine, it was deflating to not make any progress.

Yet his instructor pointed out the margins between success and failure are so thin. All Tony had to do was adjust his swing by a few millimeters and he’d hit the target.

Tim Denning, the massive online writer, told me this story as he explained how powerful reframes can be on our outlook in life. Once Tony thought he was close, he regained his confidence and improved significantly.

There are many times in our life where our mindset works against us. Tim collects small phrases he can use to turn around the way he thinks and put him in a positive mood. I looked into a few of the examples he mentioned to help you apply them to your own life.

This article is based on the Mindful & Driven episode with Tim. You can listen here or find the YouTube video at the bottom of this article.

Your brain is like a CD

Tim used to be a DJ before the MP3 age. Back then if one of his CDs got a slight scratch, the pattern would be broken and the music would sound completely different. He likens this to the brain where you want to use reframes to break negative thought patterns.

You know your own mind better than I do. You know that sometimes your mind plays tunes you don’t want to hear and might not rationally make sense. These are your targets. You want to find a quote to snap yourself out as fast as you can. A quote is a reframe. You use the quote to snap you out of negative thoughts.

You’re closer to Richard Branson than you think

We tend to idolize people who appear in the press. We think we could never be like them but it’s in our heads. Some people are complete outliers but many are more normal than you think they are.

Tim used to see Richard Branson as his hero and told his friend how much he’d love to meet the Virgin billionaire. His friend set him a challenge to do it rather than a daydream.

At this point, Tim worked in a bank and didn’t have anywhere near the global reach he has now. Yet he knew a guy who knew someone who knew Richard Branson. It was only four degrees of separation.

He even got invited to one of Richard Branson’s famous parties.

The lesson is if a twenty-something junior bank employee can work out how to reach a world-famous founder then stop believing you can’t reach your idol.

Have less not more

This is a simple reframe Tim uses whenever he finds himself getting jealous of others. He doesn’t need much to be happy so what’s the use in wasting time caring about what he doesn’t have.

This has become part of my own life after stumbling upon the Minimalists a few years ago. I used to chase more through owning stuff I didn’t need and traveling for the sake of impressing others. You might notice if you watch me in interviews that all my t-shirts are the same but in different colors.

I don’t care about brands or showing off my material possessions to others and I’m much happier because of it.

If you find yourself scrolling through Instagram and being saddened by other people’s perfect lives, this reframe could work for you too. You can be happy for others and the experiences they have without coveting it for yourself.

Build your own

Your reframes don’t need to be the same as mine or Tim’s. Don’t try to be a clone of either of us.

I might hate the reframes you use but it’s irrelevant if they make your life better. Don’t seek approval when you start collecting quotes to reprogram your brain.

I know many people who rely on Nike’s slogan of “Just do it” whenever they overthink things. It’s cliche but it works for them and it’s nothing to be ashamed of!

Seek quotes and stories that you find profound for the greatest chances of success.

I hope you found the mindset reframes useful and can see ways you can apply them to your own life. If you’d like to hear Tim talk about it with me in more detail, check out our conversation in the video below.