Create Your Mindset For Success!
Creating Your Mindset For Success (Yes, it is absolutely possible).
So, what is a mindset?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of a mindset is 'the established set of attitudes held by someone'.
Great! So what does this mean? It means that a mindset is a collection of beliefs and thoughts that your brain uses to shape your thought habits. These thoughts and habits impact how you make sense of the world and yourself.
There are many mindset experts out there, more notably Carol S. Dweck. According to psychologist Carol S. Dweck, 'your mindset is a fixed mental disposition that predetermines our responses to and interpretations of situations. Your mindset filters reality'. Dweck believes that your mindset predetermines your interpretations and responses, and shapes your relationship with the world and with yourself. It was Dweck who is famed for coined the expressions 'fixed and growth mindsets'.
In her book, 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success', Dweck suggested that our beliefs about our own intelligence determine our ability to learn. She believes that a fixed mindset is the belief that 'our qualities are fixed traits that we cannot change. People with this mindset believe that talent alone leads to success'.
What is the difference between a growth and fixed mindset?
There are different types of mindset, but the most commonly understood are the growth and fixed.
A growth mindset is when you believe that your intelligence can constantly grow. This mindset encourages people to put in the extra effort for a higher reward or achievement - it teaches us to strive for more.
A fixed mindset (or negative mindset) is when we believe that our path is already set, and we should 'be happy with our lot'. This mindset discourages achievement, and eliminates fear. It allows people to be settled, yet stagnant in their personal and professional growth.
Our mindset will have an 'either or' effect on us - it will stop or boost our potential.
It is worth noting that many people with a fixed mindset tend to think in a negative manner, whilst people with a growth mindset will think in a positive and uplifting manner. The power of mindset is vastly misunderstood.
Once we understand which mindset we live by, we can start to further understand why our lives are the way they are.
Overcoming patterns of negative thinking
Our brain creates our personal beliefs and thinking patterns by using our past experiences.
It takes a long time to form them, which sadly means that it can take a long time break them (if they are not the patterns we want).
As these thought patterns are formed by our past experiences, they become an automatic process. We do not even know they are there, and so do not realise that they can be hindering us! They are present in our daily lives and can affect our emotional intelligence and our daily habits.
The good news now is that we are becoming ever more aware of our thoughts and how they can hold us back, and so we can recognise them and break the negative self-defeating beliefs and cycles.
To do this, we must recognise areas of our life that we are not happy with, and try to establish a pattern of how we react to things, and why we react in the way we do.
Try to figure out how you face problems - do you challenge them and work through them, or do you immediately accept them and give in to the negative thoughts? The person with the growth mindset will see a problem as a challenge, whilst the person with the fixed mindset will see the problem as an obstacle.
We live in a world that is filled to the brim with possibilities. When we begin to recognise and challenge self-defeating beliefs and negative thinking patterns, we can understand that they are not real. They are our brain trying to protect us against any form of risk or unfamiliarity. We must challenge them if we are to grow.
Challenge your beliefs and thoughts, and replace them with more positive and realistic ones. It is only when you confront your negative thoughts and perceptions that you can begin to see just how fake they are.
When something doesn't happen the way we wanted, instead of the automatic 'I'm such a failure' thoughts, you will come to realise that there are setbacks in life, and you will learn and grow.
Having a success mindset
The secret to a successful life is to have the right mindset or 'the success' mindset.
If you are serious about achieving your goals and reaching a level of happiness in your life, then you must work on creating the right mindset. Once you do this, you can accomplish whatever goals you set.
Right mindset means creating the right thought patterns, attitude, temperament, belief, resolve, flexibility, and adaptability, to grow, change and improve yourself.
Most successful people have this mindset, and have the willingness grow and achieve their goals. When you learn to take direct responsibility for your life, personal growth, and actions, you can make a lot of significant changes when it comes to how you think and react.
So, do you have the growth or success mindset already?
Are you always willing to learn new things?
Are you always willing to improve?
Are you willing to adapt?
Does change and growth fill you with positive thoughts and feelings?
Do you believe a person can improve mentally and intellectually?
Do you believe that talent and intelligence are not fixed?
You answered yes to these questions, then it looks like you have the right mindset. You can use this mindset to make positive and rewarding changes in your life.
If you answered no to most of/all of these questions, then you have a fixed mindset. Now is the time to work on changing it! To achieve what you want in life, you need the right mind set. You should work on realising that we are all responsible for our life success.
How to cultivate the success mindset?
If you are wishing to alter your mindset to one that promotes positivity, growth and success, then there are a few things you need to focus on. These basic qualities could be the key to success for you:
Believe in yourself. Believe you have the capability to change and adapt.
Know that it is easy to learn new skills, knowledge, and intelligence.
Understand that you will face new opportunities and challenges everyday. Be ready for these, and react positively to each one.
Persevere with your challenges. These do actually help you to grow.
Your successes and failures are down to you. You are responsible for your own growth and progression. If something doesn't work out, then try it a different way - but do not give up!
Know that you can overcome any limitations and weaknesses.
Always be ready to learn new things, and do let other people wear you down.
Do not judge others. Just work on yourself.
You must be flexible and adapt to your growth and new needs.
Be clear on what you want. No 'maybes' - maybes do not get you anywhere. Write down your goals. Look at them regularly.
Make your goals clear, actionable, and measurable. If any change then fine - alter them. They are not set in stone.
Stay motivated, determined, and dedicated to your growth and success.
Do successful people ever make mistakes?
There are no successful people who never made a mistake or struggled. The mistakes and struggles are a part of everyone's learning journey. It is how you deal with them that sets you apart from other people.
The fixed mindset will have you thinking that you probably shouldn't be trying anything new - just stick with what you know.... Whereas the growth mindset will tell you to look at what went wrong, adjust and learn from it, and then crack on!
When we have a goal, purpose, motivation and determination, we can all create wonderful things. We can change into a growth mindset and stay there.
Some personality traits that are good for maintaining the growth mindset once you have it are a willingness to carry on growing, focus, commitment, self-discipline, faith, hope. and compassion.
You must also remember that there are very few barriers when it comes to personal growth. Do not let money, age, marital/family status etc deter you.
Many people do not fulfil their goals and dreams until much later in life, as it takes them so long to realise the growth mindset. The internet is a fantastic tool for free help and opportunities. Many people in recent years have reached great levels of success working early mornings on a computer before their family was awake! Ambition can do marvellous things for you.
Understand the opportunities available to you
Understand that with right attitude and thought patterns, you can develop the ability to adapt yourself. You can set goals and achieve them - face problems head on and work through them instead of being held back by them. With the absence of fear in your mind and a surge of positive thinking, you can create a ground breaking idea for yourself and actually make it work!
Many people feel stuck in the mundane routine of their life. We should all keep ourselves motivated, enthusiastic, learn new skills and knowledge, and expand our circle of influence. Learn to look and find the resolution to your problems. It is possible to overcome obstacles and find happiness.
Success mindset applies to both our personal and professional lives.
It does take practice to adopt a success mindset, as many of us live with a fixed one for so long. It takes time to break habits and form new ones, but this is what it is - it is just forming new habits.
If you believe you can change your thought patterns and outlook, then do it. Take a look at yourself and how you currently perceive different things. Think about what gives you a sinking feeling. Try to figure out why you think like this. Can you remember where it first came from? When you do figure out where you negative and fixed thoughts come from, you can take the steps needed adapt your mind to a more successful way of thinking.
If you are serious about understanding the mindset on a deeper level and changing yours, then take a look at our popular Mindset for Success group coaching program. We have had great feedback on this course, and we believe it can help anyone to understand a little more about what it takes to change your views and thought patterns.
