Paul Siderovski is a community leader and managing director of SiDCOR accountants and is passionate about helping small business owners reach their potential. As a self-made business owner with over 20 years’ experience, he knows the power that thinking has on reaching one’s goals.

Having a clear and positive state of mind not only gets you closer to your dreams, but it can improve your energy levels, resilience, and problem solving abilities. A positive attitude is also likely to rub off on your colleagues!

Challenging unhelpful or biased thinking and replacing negative thoughts with constructive ones is one of the main keys to success - not only in the workplace, but in life. It is almost impossible to succeed when filled with self-doubt!

Thankfully, changing your thoughts isn’t as difficult as it sounds.

SiDCOR’s tips on how to improve your mental game

From constructing a positive self-image to visualising success, here are 3 techniques you can use to rewire your brain for the better:

Choose who you want to be

Having a clear vision for your life and your business starts with constructing a helpful self-image. You might have ambitions to expand your business, but if your self-image is one marked by low self-worth or feelings of failure, you could get in the way of your own success. Make sure that your self-image is in alignment with your goals and objectives, just like SiDCOR. This may involve choosing to be kind to yourself and others, recognising your personal strengths, and knowing your intrinsic worth.

Remember that it’s your life, which means that you are free to decide who you want to be and what you want to do with your time. You are not confined to the life of your parents or peers – you are the one in control of your actions. Taking personal responsibility for your life is the first step in constructing the life that you desire and freeing yourself from any negative beliefs you might have acquired while growing up.

Identify your mental roadblocks

To get your self-image in sync with your goals, you need to recognise the thoughts, beliefs and habits that are holding you back from reaching your potential. This can be tricky as it often involves dealing with the subconscious. Improving your awareness of what is happening in your mind is known as ‘metacognition’ – it takes time but it can definitely be done.

Identifying how you tend to react to specific stimuli – for example, responding to criticism with defensiveness and shame – allows you to decide whether or not you want to continue behaving that way. If not, you can choose an alternative desired reaction – like responding with nonjudgment, curiosity and calm; you might even be grateful for the opportunity to improve your work! Over time you should start to notice your behaviour and outcomes improving as a result of these positive mental shifts. However, repetition is essential – you can’t just think a thought or perform an action once, you need to do it multiple times in order to rewire your brain.

Visualise success

Used by elite athletes, top performers, and Paul Siderovski himself, visualisation allows you to trick your subconscious into believing that your dreams are already a reality – thereby improving motivation, focus and performance towards reaching your goals. This works because your subconscious isn’t that great at telling the difference between thoughts and reality (hence why, for example, if you think people don’t like you, you might feel anxious or sad – even though in reality people might actually love you!). You can do this by closing your eyes and vividly playing out your dreams as a scene in your mind. Repeat this several times a day for best results.

Conclusion

Use these techniques in conjunction with one another in order to get the most out of them. Giving yourself time to relax and unwind is also important – releasing stress is essential for performing at your best! Changing your self-image, thoughts and beliefs doesn’t happen overnight, but with regular practice you should start to see results within a few weeks to a few months. It takes time to rewire your brain but the results are worth it, allowing you to radically change your life for the better.