Mindset is the beginning; it is the foundation upon which all success is built. More often than not, we admire those who succeed more for their relentlessness and never give up attitude than for their actual achievements and successes. Beyond mindset, there is the discipline to build the right habits to live the life we want. Successful people, millionaires, and athletes know how important mindset is; they know that they need to grow into the person who needs to overcome obstacles and challenges. Mindset is essential because it is what gets you to the destination, the wrong mindset will keep you stuck.
The right frame of mind helps you understand that testing builds perseverance, you will not stop because it’s hard, in that moment you know that you are having breakthroughs and it’s the hard times that develop something within you that cannot be developed during the easy times. Once you understand how life works then you will know that we are supposed to experience failure, some abilities in us are developed only through the hard times.
A few years ago, way before I started my growth journey I was reading a post on Facebook that a person wrote to ask what he should do with $5000. I read the comments to see what people advised him to do. Some people said to invest it in the stock market, others save it, and some said to start a business, the one comment that stuck with me was from someone who said to invest it in yourself, buy courses, and learn new skills, I was shocked at the time.
Why should he invest in himself when he can buy something else with it? That was a lot of money. Now years later I have invested probably twice as much just in myself, in courses and books, I buy books like many women buy shoes and purses; to me, the books and courses I’ve bought have offered a return on investment. My personal growth story changed my perspective so much, I’ve learned that all I need is inside, and I’ve grown so much. I know people who have invested half a million dollars in memberships and mentors because they’ve learned growth is essential to their success.
What change? My awareness. First, to grow you have to be aware, true growth starts when you stop lying to yourself, as long as you lie to yourself you can never be aware of what holds you back and what you need to change and improve. Change your mind, change your perspective, is it easy? no, not, changing your mindset is like trying to quit an addiction, you will regress, you will give up but don’t make it long-term, never stop trying, I promise it gets easier, growth is addictive.
Change how you talk to yourself, your brain doesn’t make the difference between real or fake information, it will believe everything you tell it, so why not tell it,’ I am not where I want to be yet but I know I can learn so I can get there’. If you fail, you owe it to yourself to try, just change your approach. Not everything is supposed to work for you, only the things that will teach you the lessons you need, you will only experience what is supposed to lead you to your destination. Your experiences are tailored and unique to you.
A growth mindset has amazing benefits; you become more resilient in the face of challenges, greater adaptability and enhanced self-confidence.
Below you will find ways to switch from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
Problem-Focused Mindset vs. Solution-Oriented Mindset
Your problems are there for a reason, it’s like solving a puzzle, and it will eventually all make sense when you see the bigger picture. Have you ever played a computer game? you probably noticed that you can’t go to the next level until you finish everything at the level you are at. Steve Jobs famously said that ‘ you can only connect the dots looking back’ it will all make sense. Many of us get stuck focusing on the problem, we feel guilty about the mistakes we’ve made, and we blame ourselves so much that we forget we should instead focus on the solution.
Everything is revealed to you at the right time, I didn’t have all the answers but I made sure to study those that had the same problems and challenges. I found many answers in reading autobiographies of successful people, I’ve learned from their stories, their failures, and their challenges, and success leaves clues. You just have to have the curiosity to follow them; you never know what you will discover. Focus on the solution, think about all the possible outcomes, and go from there. You cannot change what happens but you can make sure you learn the lesson and not repeat it. Face your fears.
Comparison Mindset vs. Self-Improvement Mindset
Comparison is a characteristic of a fixed mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe that those who succeed are lucky, they are born with skills, abilities and talents and they have been born into luck of some kind. Nothing further from the truth, they have understood early on that it is up to them to hone their skills; they know learning is a life-long journey. They work on their talents, just because you are talented doesn’t mean that miraculously you will make money out of it, you have to work on it, think of all the athletes out there, and how hard they work. Usain Bolt trained for four years to run for a few seconds during the Olympics.
Next time when you are jealous of someone’s success, think about the sacrifices and effort they have put in before all the success we see. Working on your mindset will help you understand that we are all unique so is your own journey, you require a set of skills and abilities unique for your own path and it’s your duty to develop them not someone else’s. Once you understand this, you will never compare yourself to someone else, your journey is unique to you, and therefore there is nobody else you should compare yourself with. Allow yourself to be a beginner and don’t be embarrassed to start small, just because other people are ahead it doesn’t mean you are behind, you are exactly where you are supposed to be in your journey.
Comfort Zone vs. Growth Zone
Our brain loves comfort and it will do anything to keep you there, our brain is supposed to keep us safe not to make us happy, therefore our comfort zone is the ideal place to be safe. This means staying in a familiar environment that does not offer you meaning and purpose, where everything is predictable with a familiar outcome. There is a lot of uncertainty in going after your dreams, but that is where growth starts.
Growth comes with disruption and it happens outside your comfort zone. Challenge yourself constantly to develop resilience, life is not supposed to get easier you are supposed to grow stronger and face challenges more easily. New experiences create new neural connections, so your brain engages in neuroplasticity, helping it to reorganize itself, which leads to increase ability to adapt to new experiences, creating pathways that grant you to learn and improve. With each new challenge, your brain rewires itself, increasing your mental and emotional capacities. So never, back down from a challenge because it is not familiar.
A growth mindset is essential for lasting success, it’s key to live a fulfilled life, it helps you in difficult times when you feel lost and defeated. Shifting your mindset is necessary to unlock your potential and achieve all your dreams. Only adopting a growth mindset, facing your fears and challenges, learning from failures and constantly improving will help you overcome limiting beliefs and achieve your goals. A mindset shift opens the door for new opportunities, fosters resilience and boosts your confidence but that can only happen when you step outside of your comfort zone. Remember always believe in yourself.
