A simple sentence switch could change your life. Yes, truly. A switch that will empower you. Get you curious. Help you find ways to create the changes that will bring you closer to real wellness. And, with that, have the time, money (because illness drains your wallet as well) and energy to actively enjoy the life you want.

This is part of mindset, and mindset is so vital to good health. Like all the wellness pathways, making the effort to improve your mindset helps you more easily boost the others without doing anything extra.

The switch? Talk about how, not if. No matter what it is, change to looking at how it can happen, not if it can happen. It’s that simple, but let me give you a couple examples to get you on your way:

You want to work in more movement. Instead of discussing if you have the time and if you have the energy and if you can work it into your schedule, talk about how you’re going to accomplish it.

So this: I want to start going to yoga class so I’m going to make sure I get out of work on time Tuesday to make the evening class.

Not this: Well, if I get out of work at a decent hour Tuesday, I’m going to try to make it to yoga class.

Now, you’ve looked at how to make it happen instead of leaving it up to chance. Can you tell what a difference this would create?

Another example: I want to clean out the closet this weekend so it’s easier to find what I want each day and feel less stressed. I’m going to make sure I have a simple dinner planned for that day so I have time to spend on getting the items I don’t want any longer bagged up and ready to be donated.

This, again, is a how, not about if you have the time or if you run out of time because dinner still has to be on the table, leaving you with a mess that will completely turn you off from ever trying to simplify your life again.

See the difference? When you think about how you’ll do something, it gets your brain curious and fills in the blanks. It makes your decision a can-do proposition, not a maybe-if-I-don’t-know thought. You start noticing opportunities to fit in what you want, and you dwell much less on excuses. You’ve created possibilities.

Final tip: Do all your “how to” items so they’re filled with fun, play or joy somehow. Blast music and sing while cleaning out that closet. (Best not to do this in yoga, though!) Find a yoga class you love vs. tolerate. And so on. It makes all the difference.