Sweating, heart racing, feeling afraid for your life…have you woken up at 3am and felt this way? Our nightmares have a great way of activating our fight or flight stress response.

If this has happened to you recently, what is causing your nightmare? Maybe afraid to change careers or get out of a bad relationship? If the answer is "yes," then it’s time to adrenalize your mindset.

A change in mindset is the game changer in these situations. There are over 100 million Google search results for the keyword "mindset." Many are searching for new ways to approach life with a mindset that will lead us to the fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness we all want.

An adrenalized mindset provides the clarity needed to be decisive and act. It enables us to identify possibilities. It equips us with the tools required to overcome obstacles. It mitigates our fears so that we can use the fear as advisor and friend instead of enemy.

Adrenalize your mindset starting with these three steps:

1. Be Open and Curious

According to Psychology Today, people that are open are more attentive to their feelings, more comfortable with the unknown, and more likely to experience new things. In addition, people who are open are more curious and enjoy surprises.

To live adrenalized, we must lift the restrictions that limit us from living as our truest self. This means that we face new opportunities by being receptive to others’ ideas, viewpoints, and ways of doing things.

If you are afraid to change careers, it may be because you don’t know where to start. Take the first step by being open and curious about new possibilities. You don’t have to look hard to find these. Start with what comes naturally to you and what you love to do.

If you are afraid to leave a bad relationship, it may be because you have ignored your gut feelings. Open yourself up to experience your feelings. This will activate your ability to identify what you need and seek ways to satisfy these needs.

2. Be Vulnerable

What does it mean to be vulnerable? The definition is "a state of emotional exposure that comes with a certain degree of uncertainty." Any time we try something new, step outside of our comfort zone, or don’t know what lies ahead, we are vulnerable.

?Vulnerability is an emotional risk. It’s a risk that we must take if we are going after what we want. If we let our fear of the unknown paralyze us, we can’t grow.

If we are not vulnerable when we recognize the need for something to change, then we are limiting our ability to change. Being vulnerable involves asking for what you need and expressing your thoughts and desires.

Being vulnerable allows us to experience the present moment.

3. Be Trusting… Trusting of Yourself

Trust is the foundation of our self-confidence and self-worth. Therefore, it is also the foundation of an adrenalized mindset. Trusting yourself is imperative to being open and vulnerable.

Trusting yourself is knowing that you have the ability and skill to doing anything. You have the wisdom of what you need and want from an experience. When we trust ourselves, we are focused on progress, not perfection. We know that we will accomplish what we have set out to do.

Whether it’s a career change or relationship, trusting yourself leads to the success of these circumstances. In both, you are the only one who can know what you need. You may say that you don’t know what to do, but the truth is you often know what to do, but you are too afraid to do it. Trusting yourself will adrenalize you to embrace the unknown.

Stop waking up in a sweat, it’s time to sleep better. Adrenalize your mindset by being open and curious, vulnerable, and trusting. The experiences you will explore, the curiosities that will be resolved, and the opportunities to grow will be endless. This is how we create the adrenalized mindset to achieve the fulfillment, worth, and confidence we want for ourselves.

Tom Marino is a highly respected thought-leader, success strategist, speaker, and author. After a period of personal transformation, he founded Monarch Life Coaching, LLC to help high achievers navigate seasons of transition by recognizing the power of their choices. His book, Bridge to Change, documents the simple process of transformation that he believes catalyzes greater appreciation and enthusiasm in our lives. He is the host of The Adrenalized Life Podcast and the Tom Marino Radio Show. Tom works with people all over the U.S. to help them overcome burnout and live adrenalized. Contact him by visiting www.tommarino.com, on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.