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I am a lover of old sitcoms from Sandford and Son to Fresh Prince. I like could watch episodes over and over! Often times I watch these sitcoms to take away my mind from everyday stress and just chill out. A few days ago I decided to watch The Jeffersons from the first episode. Here I was thinking that I was just watching to destress. When a whole lesson unfolded before me.
Before I get into the lesson, let me give a little backstory of why this particular episode became so revelatory to me. I am stubborn by nature. It's a fault that often causes me to make the wrong decision or get into heated discussions because I will not be moved. I'd had a discussion with my honey and he called me out on some mindsets that I'd been operating in. I was adamant that he was wrong and I was right. Well, Weezy would show me that he was right and that I needed to apologize. Yea, I had to eat my words. My mindset was contributing to my stagnation. Whew, chile! Now, back to the Jeffersons.
So, in this first episode, Louise is faced with the transition of going from being poor to being rich. She has physically transitioned to "a deluxe apartment in the sky" but her mind was still in Harlem and Queens (the places they live before becoming wealthy). Every freedom she had now she questioned or felt guilty for having. She especially had a hard time if her friends were not wealthy. She didn't feel like she deserved what her husband had worked so hard to give her. When told the mindset she was operating in, she argued and said she was just making sure that they didn't forget where they came from.
I have often found myself not fully living out my best life (no, I'm not wealthy YET but still) because I struggle with letting go of my past. I often base my present on a previous mindset. How often have you tried to move forward but are held back because of an old belief or feeling guilty because you are in a different place in life than your friends or family? When God begins to elevate us we have to remember to let go of how we operated in survival mode. But we also have to remember that it won't happen overnight. We have to be intentional about changing our minds. The first step is to recognize that we are in a different place. If you made 30K last year and this year you are making 50K then you are in a different place. If you didn't have a business last year and this year your business is on track to make six figures then you are in a different place. It's all about mind over matter when we are moving mindsets. So how can we make the shift?
Be thankful for your new place in life
Do not feel guilty for this new place
Recognize how you can help others now that you are out of survival mode
Commit to celebrating your accomplishments
Daily renew your mind to walk in freedom
Louise finally began changing her mindset. It took George, her son Lionel, her best friend Helen, and a few shady friends to make her realize where she was, the power of her position, and how blessed she truly was. What is it gonna take for you? When will you change your mindset to match the elevation you are experiencing or want to experience?