When the Mind Is Clouded With “MUCK” — How Can You Achieve Success?

Clear Your Mind and Reclaim Your Life: Breaking Free from the Muck of Negativity

National CASA Advocate for Children/Author/Public Speaker/Blogger

When the Mind Is Clouded With “MUCK” — How Can You Achieve Success?

Mindset is the key to success! If you have a strong mindset and a courageous will, you can accomplish anything.

But what happens when your mindset and views are clouded? How can you move forward in a positive way?

These are very important questions to ask yourself. Every single day—online and across social media—we are told that “mindset is key.” I write about this often because I firmly believe that with a strong mindset, you can make your dreams and goals come true. What many of us fail to consider, however, is clouded judgment.

What Do I Mean by Clouded Judgment?

When someone is struggling emotionally, mentally, or physically, their senses become compromised. You may feel weak in one—or all—areas of your life. Feeling depressed, angry, or disconnected shifts the brain and redirects thoughts in unhealthy ways.

Over time, your strong sense of self becomes blurred as the negativity of your personal situation takes over. The effects can make it extremely difficult to see beyond the present moment. How can you envision a clear path toward the future if you are stuck in a puddle of muck?

Interesting term, right? MUCK. What is muck—and why must we get rid of it?

What I refer to as muck is the heavy sludge that holds us back—sometimes even debilitating us—from seeing a positive future or achieving our goals. This muck may be past or current abuse, depression, anxiety, lack of self-worth, or deep-seated anger over a situation that has taken over your life.

And let’s be honest—muck stinks. Straight up.

So many people are living in muck every single day, with lead boots weighing them down as they sink into a pit of disaster. Over time, that disaster and dysfunction become “normal” life, as struggles rage on and a cloud of perpetual rain continues to darken one’s view.

Sounds awful, doesn’t it?

How Do We Get Out of the MUCK?

Another great question—especially if you’re sitting in it right now.

You must backtrack to the beginning, to the moment when your clear perspective broke. Take a walk back in time and find what defines your personal muck. Once you locate it, it’s time to clean up the mess.

Take it one step at a time. Look honestly at your current situation and what led you into that pit of darkness. Then comes the hardest step: own it.

It’s time to claim your muck and work toward getting rid of it once and for all.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You’re mucking up the whole process”?

That’s exactly what happens when you remain stuck.

The next steps won’t be easy. You’re not only acknowledging your dysfunctions—you’re also learning how to put them in their place and reclaim your life.

You can do this one thought at a time.

As you bring your struggles to the surface and face them head-on, you move one step closer to healing. Speak your thoughts and feelings. Hear the words out loud. Then find positive ways to put them to rest. Keep pushing forward.

And yes—it’s okay to talk to yourself. I wholeheartedly encourage it.

Tell yourself it’s time for a change.

Tell yourself you are worth the effort.

Tell yourself you deserve a better life.

With strength, determination, and inner resolve, you will make it happen. No ifs, ands, or buts. The phrase you must use is:

“I will succeed.”

Now It’s Time to Change Your Mindset

This is a practiced skill—and one everyone should work on.

Start small. Take one negative thought from your day and intentionally turn it into a positive one. Practice this daily. Then add something bigger: a positive goal you set for yourself. Use your mind to redirect your thoughts into healthier directions.

It won’t be easy. In fact, at first it will be extremely difficult. When you’ve been hardwired into a certain thought pattern for years, breaking that habit requires dedication and persistence.

The good news? It can be done.

Keep working at it.

You can teach an old dog new tricks.

Once you step into your new mindset, it begins to flow into every area of your life—career, relationships, family, and friendships. As you release the muck of the past, you’ll feel lighter. You’ll smile more as you achieve your goals one by one. Strength and clarity will begin to replace doubt.

The muck dries up.

The weighted boots crumble.

Negative thoughts transform into positive ones.

Goal-setting becomes fun and fulfilling—a game the mind begins to enjoy.

You’ll find yourself winning on all levels, and your soul will crave more—urging you to keep pushing forward as you claim your personal success.