Have you ever heard of the term “growth mindset”? The concept first appeared in word-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.In her book she explains why simply having a talent and ability to achieve success is not enough. You have to also have the right mindset, or, what she calls it “growth mindset.” In a growth mindset, people believe that their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Having brains and talent is not everything; it is just a starting point. Having growth mindset develops love for learning and resilience; both are essential for any great accomplishment in life. On the other hand, fixed mindset believes that talents are innate and cannot be developed with hard work. Individuals with a fixed mindset are more worried about looking smart and successful than actually working on developing their skills and abilities.
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It’s not easy to attain a growth mindset. In fact, most people are a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets. When we face challenges or receive criticism we can easily fall into insecurity or defensiveness, a response that inhibits growth. Personal growth is hard work in itself, and requires a lot of time and dedication. Results, however, can exceed all your wildest dreams.
Triggers are those things that make you angry, upset and defensive. It could be an unwanted comment or criticism of your life or your work. It could also be your inner saboteur – that little voice in your head that always doubts your ability to achieve great success in life. Whenever you find yourself in that situation, you have to realize that you have a choice and control to react differently. Listen to what the others of your inner voice have to say, and then understand that you don’t have to react to it.
Staying positive is your mental muscle that you need to train each day to achieve your desired goals. Learn to approach every challenge with an enthusiastic attitude. Have faith that every day brings you closer to your goal, and every misstep is only helping you grow stronger. Leave your doubts and negativity at the door and get to work!
Visualization is a powerful tool that your brain can use to sort ideas and prepare your body for achieving your goals, whatever they may be. Don’t underestimate it! Make it a rule to visualize yourself living the life of your dreams every night before going to bed. Form a strong visual in your “mind’s eye” of every detail. You will pre-program your brain for the achievement and will be ready to work on those goals the next day.
Do you trust yourself? Most of us don't ask that question too often as we naturally tend to think that we all do. What many of us don't realize is that your level of self-trust can be different about different things. You may trust your instincts and yourself in some things, like driving your car or caring for pets, for example. But what about when it comes to making big commitments or decisions? Do you trust your intuition and reasoning to make decisions that are actually yours and makeYOU happy and not someone else?
No matter how you handled yesterday, there is nothing you can do about it now. Whatever tomorrow has to offer has yet to be unveiled – and you have no control over it. The only time you can control is NOW – so bring your A-GAME and make the best of it. You may think you can just do it tomorrow – but tomorrow is a myth because there is always a tomorrow. If you are not going to do it now, then you may never actually get around to doing it. Make the best of the now and get right to what you planned to do. |