Maybe you work long hours and you’re rarely home long enough to prepare a healthy, home-cooked meal. In this case, your mindset might be that of a person who’s often in a rush. For example, let’s think about the guiding mindset at play in the McDonald’s illustration we just used. And that’s why changing your mindset is key to improving any area of your life. That’s because you’re still in control of your actions you just run everything through the filter of your mindset and use this filter to decide what to do. However, you might notice that I said your mindset motivates your actions. These are only a few examples, but you get the idea everybody has a mindset and a bias that motivates your actions, whether you’re aware of that bias or not. So, your objective is to get what you can for yourself and do unto others before they can do unto you. After all, no one else is looking out for you. For example, if your worldview has caused you to believe that everyone is out to get you, then you might believe that taking care of yourself is your number one priority. And whether you subscribe to a certain religion or not, the same is true for you: everyone has a mindset that governs their behavior. Because they’re viewing the world through a Christian or “Christ-centered” lens, this perspective controls their mindset. Therefore, Christian people might be inclined to avoid lying, stealing, or mistreating others because they believe that’s the right thing to do. As a result, they would align their morality and decision making processes to fit with what Jesus says is right and wrong. For example, people who subscribe to the Christian faith believe in Jesus and assume that Jesus’ word is law. Because it’s impossible to out-logic OCD with rational thought, it’s also easy to get stuck in a cycle of continually giving into compulsions, seemingly without hope of escape.Īnother word for your mindset is your “worldview.” It’s exactly what it sounds like: your worldview governs the way you see the world, how you believe the world works, and how you make choices in response to that. And when my brain is besieged by these fears and the intense need to get rid of them, it’s easy to feel as though I don’t control my decisions. This fear in turn creates a desperation to do anything that will make that anxiety go away.

That’s how the Obsessive Compulsive cycle works: unwanted intrusive thoughts produce an unshakable fear. And because my brain believes that those threats are real, I respond by feeling as though I need to take appropriate action to mitigate those threats. That means that I frequently receive unwanted signals from my brain which identify certain thoughts, things, or circumstances as threats to me. I suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. To lay some groundwork, we’ll use my personal experience as an example. So, let’s start by unpacking that question and what it means for you. That’s because the answer could literally change your life. This question might come as a bit of a surprise, but it’s a question that every single human being should ask themselves.

The outward mindset