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Once upon a time, during my 9to5 corporate life, I found myself going through a very, very tough time. I was searching every corner of the internet for help to get me out of my rut.
I was bouncing in and out of burn-outs while working in a very toxic work place. I was bullied and so were my work besties. I also had an episode of severe iron deficiency which plummeted my energy levels to the bottom of Mariana Trench. Amidst all this chaos I dreamed night and day of starting my own business!
Anxious but still ambitious, I returned to immersing myself in self-growth and success material. I read many blogs and books. Watched countless motivational videos. I even started using everything I’d learned from my psychology and counselling studies on myself!
During this time, I told myself, one day when I (there were moments when I said if I ever) get out of this mess, I will help other anxious and ambitious people like myself get out of their funk and go smash their Goals.
Well, it was a process. First, I took time off to rest since I had quite a bit of paid leave left. I was that burnt-the-fudge-out. Then I followed an intuitive hunch and got my basics in order. More on that later. That charged my batteries enough to do the serious mindset work.
And cutting a long story short, I did get out of my rut and started my own mMindset coaching practice.
So, if you’re in a lil pickle like me back then – scavenging the internet for a solution – I’m going to offer you a few options to match you at whatever level and capacity you are.
Pick and proceed with what feels right for you.
1. Best Things Are Free🪷
If you feel drained and derelict right now, like I was, here’s a virtual hug dear friend😌. Please hang in there. Know that what you’re going through is a season. It’s NOT your entire life story.
Use some of your paid leave if you can, to rest; but don’t tell others unless they’re genuinely supportive of the decision. If you don’t have paid leave or own your business, stay in over the weekends to rest. Pause that partying.
Try to get as much sleep as possible. Sip warm decaf drinks and water. Pour your heart out to your journal. Stretch. Get some sun and walk in nature daily. Avoid negative people and content (tv, music, social media etc.) as much as you can. Even family.
I suggest you try Metta Meditation.
If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it is the power of practising loving-kindness a.k.a Metta. Even towards people and experiences which drive you mad. It helped me calm the stuff down, internally and externally, when I was caught up in an avalanche of regrets, doubts and advice. I still practise this medi to this day.
To me the Metta feeling is like biting into one of those Japanese crystal-shaped lollies—and Metta is a rose quartz, lotus-shaped lolly. It tastes like strawberry infused Turkish Delight and smells like strawberries, rose and french vanilla. And it feels like hugging a warm, purring panda on a sunny day.
Originally, I wrote an article on Metta Meditation to share with people who’d ask me for the best advice for juggling sanity and success, as soon as they found out what I do for a living.
Originally, I wrote an article on Metta Meditation to share with people who’d ask me for the best advice for juggling sanity and success, as soon as they found out what I do for a living.
And when I was asked to write an article for the Theosophy In Australia Magazine by the Vice President of the Theosophical Society in Australia, I showed this piece I’d already written. He liked it very much. So, I expanded and rewrote it as a three part series for the mag! You can read the original series here or on my Substack.
So, keep practising this medi for at least four weeks daily to calm down the emotional tsunamis and whirlwinds. Regulate your poor nervous system.
When you see the sun shining through the grey clouds, try one of the below options.
2. Add reading to your wellness routine 💌
Speaking of Substack, I run a FREE newsletter and blog called The Mindset Edit (TME). It’s my online library where I record and share my tips, tools and thoughts as both an entrepreneur and a mindset coach for leaders.
You can learn about the stuff that helps keep me and my clients sane and successful. I aim to publish a weekly blog post (like, How To Put Up With Your Mum Who Thinks Stress Is A Farce) and a Newsletter (like, TME #004 Hope).
My life philosophy, after many trials and terrors, is that your wellness needs to be part of your career or business strategy. In other words, your health and wealth shouldn’t be anxiously balanced but should play complementary roles to enhance each other. When these two synergise, that’s when you achieve real success.
I believe reading is a powerful practice and the right content can elevate both your health and your wealth. The right content uplifts your mood and nourishes your mind. It keeps your psyche in order. I still remember the calmness and clarity I felt when I started reading again. I was like no wonder my mood was cloudy and my mind was cluttered.
Believe it or not, I read my own stuff at times to keep myself on track! And a few OG books once a year.
I invite you to subscribe to my blogs and newsletters on Substack here.
3. A No BS Guide📙
One of my psychology professors once said that people who study counselling are extremely inquisitive (he may have meant nosy) people. Supporting his theory, I have had this habit since I was very young. If I find someone whose wellness and business (or career) game is on point, I’d interview and study them in a serious researcher style.
I’d ask what they do to stay on their A Game. Strangers, friends, colleagues, clients and teachers alike. If it’s a public figure, I won’t stop until I’ve read all the blogs and watched all their interviews on YouTube.
And when my life went off track, I started pondering on what makes us get off track. The anti-success formula if you will. So from studying myself, clients and colleagues over 20 years I can tell you one thing with confidence. Successful people have established a Baseline – minimum standard – to their life. They don’t go past this baseline and hit rock bottom when met with challenges, even extreme ones.
Having established this baseline, they use their time, money and energy effectively to achieve their goals. Those who haven’t established this baseline, not only max out their energy in a crisis (like yours truly did) but they waste their resources daily on basic life maintenance tasks. For them, even attending to meal prepping and managing their finances feel like putting out a fire.
If you can get organised and disciplined in 8 key areas of your life – which I call the Basics – you can set up this Baseline standard to your life too. The immediate effect you will experience is being able to cut down your daily stress quite significantly. And I say boldly, in half!
This allows you to instead use your precious resources on achieving your goals. Getting to this standard also sets up a steady foundation to do the necessary mindset work.
As I promised myself to share what helped me get out of the mess I was in, I created The Mindset Edit 101: Get Your Basics In Order. It’s a 12 week DIY Coaching course in text format, with an 82 page e-book, Google Sheet templates and resources. Btw I created every part of it, not AI!
If you are like me back then, running on a minimal bank balance, it’s darn cheap! Just for the price of 2 cocktails (or 7 lattes), you will learn how to get your Basics in order. If your energy balance is low too, it’s an easy to follow step-by-step guide. I would like to spare you from the pain and make use of what took me a few years to figure out.
4. My Fav Books & Stuff 🎁
Speaking more of reading and wellness and business, I’ve been slowly curating all the tools and books I swear by under resources.
These vary from OG metaphysics books I re-read to wellness tools that help with my tech-neck!
5. Who Am I?☺️
A Quick Intro,
Name: Mindi Gallage Dona
Home: Naarm (Melbourne), Australia
Paper Creds: BA in Psych & Philosophy + Dip in Counselling
Street Creds: 20 plus years in Psycho-Social Rehabilitation, Special Education, Student Counselling, Corporate Banking, Business Coaching & Now Mindset Coaching
I practice what I coach.
If you feel my vibe, follow me on Instagram, and LinkedIn.
6. Work With Me📈
I saved the best for last! 😉
While going through that particularly crazy time I did have mentors and access to material to recalibrate my Mindset. But I wish I worked with a coach exclusively, on top of investing in courses, workshops and tools, leaving ego, scarcity and doubts aside. It would have at least cut down the figuring-out time in half at least!
The truth is all the information is already out there on the internet. No one is hiding anything from you. And these days you can use AI to create the perfect course or an action plan. But only a few people make use of it. Some may start. But most never follow through to the end.
When you invest in expert guidance, it will compel you to pay attention. It will compel you to do the necessary work. It’s our human nature to make the most of our hard earned money. AI cannot hold you accountable like an expert can.
There’s one rarely mentioned benefit of working with a coach one on one. When you’re in difficult home or work environments, with people who can’t support you or even add to your stress, your coach becomes the one place you can think clearly.
Coaching gives you the support, clarity and stability you often can’t find in those circumstances.
Even if you cannot invest in a coaching programme right now, I suggest that you at least invest in a couple of coaching sessions. It will help you to get raw and real feedback from an expert and look at your experience through a different lens.
7. Final Note💗
The best life advice I received was from my driving instructor Joh. He said, “Mindi, always put yourself in the best possible position!”
And I find this journey of self-growth and success is about always putting yourself in the best possible position.
So make regular pit stops to make sure that you’re putting yourself in the best possible position, always.
You got this👊🏽!
Much love,
Mindi Xox