Mindset Matters — Especially This Time of Year!

With the fresh air, longer days, and everything starting to bloom again, May always feels like a little reset button, doesn’t it? Seeing the daffodils and
hyacinths in my garden opening up. I love wandering in my gardens and seeing even the rhubarb pushing its way up and out. All is new again, too, with the trees leaves just starting to emerge. And it’s got me thinking about mindset — how powerful it is, and how important it is to keep it in a good place as we head into this busy season of life. A peaceful walk around the yard…… puts you in a total different mindset. Fresh and new.

Here’s the thing:

Mindset can either lift you up… or hold you back…. and the best part? We get to choose how we show up. Me, I’ve always been optimistic. Life isn’t always how we want it, and I’ve been there, too, but there will be tomorrow right around the corner; a new day. When the calendar starts filling up (hello warm weather barbeques and endless drives down windy roads!), here’s a few little mindset shifts that have been helping me lately: 

✨ Progress over perfection. Forget about perfect — it’s over-rated anyway. Just dig in, do your best, and you’ll be glad you did. Every little step you take is a win. Keep moving forward! It’s so easy to get caught waiting until things feel just right—the perfect timing, perfect strategy, perfect circumstances. But the truth is, perfection rarely arrives. And when we wait for it, we unintentionally delay our growth.

✨ Be your own biggest cheerleader. Talk to yourself like you would to your best friend — with kindness, encouragement, and maybe even a little pep talk when you need it….(you might even need a little kick in the pants…LOL!) Sometimes I thought motivation had to come from a client’s kind feedback, a goal achieved or a comment that validated the effort. And yes, those moments are wonderful, they’re not always there when you need them most.

Sometimes, the applause is quiet. This is where being my own cheerleader comes in, the kind where I remind myself: You showed up today. You figured one more thing out. You kept moving forward. Success. This is when I get to speak to myself with encouragement, not criticism. It means choosing to believe in what I’m building—even on the quiet days.

✨ Reset often. It’s not about pushing through. It’s about pausing when you need a breather — whether that’s a walk outside around your gardens to smell the flowers, a flip through a favorite magazine , or just sitting with a cold ice tea in the sunshine for a few minutes. The “Let’s begin again—right here, right now” kind of reset.

When I stop expecting myself to get it right the first time, or to keep it all together non-stop, I can reset—guilt-free. Every time I do, I’m reaffirming to myself—not to being perfect, but to staying present and in motion. So if your day or week hasn’t been how you thought it should be, take some time for you…..and as many times as you need because showing up again and again really is the win!

✨ Keep your inspiration close. Save the quotes, the posts or play the music that makes you smile in the background. You never know when you’ll need a little pick-me-up. I like listening to Bon Jovi or ABBA … or even a little AC/DC 😉 ….amongst other great artists. You never know what I’ll listen to!

Let’s be honest—motivation isn’t constant. Some days it shows up uninvited, full of energy and clarity and for me when this happens, holy…..I get a ton done!! Other days, it’s nowhere to be found, and I have to go looking for it. That’s when having your inspiration close really matters.

I know, I can hear some of you saying, “Aren’t you always doing something??” 🙂 Inspiration isn’t something we wait for—it’s something we can gently build around ourselves, day by day. The answers might be simpler than you think— and they might take you further than you expected….so put on some 50’s & 60’s rock and roll and energize yourself!!

✨ Celebrate how far you’ve already come. Look at yourself — already making it almost halfway through the year, learning, growing, and still moving forward. Don’t forget to celebrate that! You’ve come so far. Take that in.

The mindset shifts you didn’t even realize were happening. The boundaries you’ve started to hold. The work you’re doing behind the scenes. The moments you showed up even when it was hard. I look at myself with my virtual assisting business and just think about how far I’ve come. I’ll have to say that I’m proud of myself. 🙂

It’s so easy to measure progress by what’s left to do, but what if we started measuring by what we’ve already done? What we’ve made it through? What we’ve learned? Who we’ve become? Do whatever helps you realize that: You are not where you started….and that is worth celebrating!! Be proud of yourself, too!

Bottom line:

You can reset anytime. You can start fresh any day. You don’t need to have it all figured out or move fast or even be perfect, because you know,… really, what matters most, is that you kept going. Keep shining — you’ve got this!!