Visualizing a new, vibrant lifestyle, is not created on an external level. Whatever you want to experience outside of you must first be developed and realized from within.
Where this really becomes apparent is the unconscious resistance most people have to change. This resistance to change is not caused by external factors. Your external reality, however, is created by what is going on within you.
Therefore, if you have desires for an improved lifestyle, but the changes you need to make are being met with resistance, your desires will likely not materialize.
Where is this resistance coming from and how do you overcome it?
We will answer this question and more in our second article of a new, 12-part exclusive series for Sixty and Me readers titled “Visualize a Vibrant New Lifestyle After 60”.
Read part 1: The Heart and Soul of Visualizing a Vibrant Lifestyle After 60.
Your #1 Obstacle to Creating a New Lifestyle
Your #1 obstacle to creating a new, vibrant lifestyle for yourself, and ultimately, the source of your resistance to change, is a Fixed Mindset.
Many people over 60 were conditioned early on in life to adopt a Fixed Mindset through fixed beliefs. It is quite possible you remain unconsciously attached to these beliefs because they were instilled in you from people you loved and trusted.
The basis of fixed beliefs is that your abilities, circumstances, and potential for growth are limited after a certain age. Herein lies the resistance to changing things in your life after 60. No matter how much you want your desires for a new lifestyle to come true, deep down you may not believe it can actually happen.
Therefore, as much external effort as you may put in to create a new lifestyle, your unconscious resistance is fighting change from within.
Gracefully Ease Out of a Fixed Mindset
Fighting change is what limits the use of your childhood imagination because you resist the very things you want. Becoming aware of this makes it easier to gracefully ease out of a Fixed Mindset. This is accomplished by restoring your connection to the power of your childhood imagination.
Your childhood imagination was never fixed, nor was it rooted in limitations. As a child, you effortlessly explored possibilities, experimented with new ideas, and genuinely believed anything was possible.
To create a better lifestyle for yourself at any age requires specific beliefs and behaviors to be changed. For you cannot keep thinking or doing the same things over and over and expect new and improved results.
All of this may sound nice, but if you are over 60, you have a lot of experience tied to specific thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors that are not so easy to change overnight.
5-Step Action Plan to Undo a Fixed Mindset
To help you embrace your childhood imagination and overcome fixed beliefs, here is an effective and practical five-step process:
Step 1: Identify and Challenge Fixed Mindset Beliefs
A Fixed Mindset often influences your thoughts and decisions unconsciously. The first step to overcome this is challenging negative thoughts and fixed beliefs.
Make a list of five beliefs that keep you feeling stuck. Examples such as:
- “I’m too old to start over.”
- “I’m not creative.”
- “I don’t like change.”
Next to each belief, write a counterstatement such as the following:
- “I am constantly evolving.”
- “I can create my dream life at any age.”
- “It’s never too late to create something new.”
Step 2: Reframe Change as a Playground, Not a Threat
Many people over 60 were raised to see change as risky, unpredictable, or dangerous. Before limiting beliefs took over, your natural curiosity as a child led you to seek opportunities to learn and grow by exploring new things.
Instead of asking, “What if this doesn’t work out?” ask a playful question like: “What exciting opportunities could this bring? How can I make this feel like an adventure?”
Step 3: Start Small – Play with Micro-Imagination Exercises
Jumping straight into big visualizations can feel overwhelming. Instead, start small, be playful, and allow yourself time to build your creative muscles.
Step 4: Surround Yourself with Growth and Possibility
A Fixed Mindset is often reinforced by your environment. This includes people, routines, media, and habits that keep you stuck in a revolving door of unfulfilling repetitive patterns. To fully embrace change, expose yourself to expansion.
To begin, create a “Growth Mindset Circle” by surrounding yourself with people who embrace learning, creativity, and change. Change one daily habit or routine, such as taking a different route on a walk, and speaking to yourself in a more loving way.
Step 5: Step into Your Future Self Today
Your childhood imagination allowed you to pretend and play without hesitation. Instead of waiting to become the person who embraces change, act like that person today. Ask yourself, “How would my future self approach today?” and take one action that’s in alignment with that version of you.
Next Steps:
In our next article and video in this series, you will learn how to create a physical and/or digital Visualization Sanctuary that will significantly enhance your visualization practices.
I invite you to join me in the video above, where I share six Future Self Affirmations that will mentally, emotionally, and energetically align you with the version of yourself who is already living your dream lifestyle.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What is one fixed belief you have identified recently? How have you overcame it with a new, more empowering belief?
