Feeling stuck in your thoughts? Let’s change up that mindset and discover the power of your most valuable asset– your brain!
It’s easy to get stuck in a routine of thoughts; most days they are so habitual that we don’t realize we’re just going through the motions, like driving somewhere without thinking of the directions. In most cases, these automatic thoughts make everyday life more convenient. But, this convenience is exactly what inhibits us from expanding our minds and creating new opportunities for ourselves.
In this “fixed mindset,” we are not developing new skills or thought processes. We attribute our success to given qualities and abilities and don’t work towards change.
Luckily, our brains are so smart that they’re able to reorganize themselves to function — and think– differently. New experiences lead us to connect new pathways in our brains, which are strengthened the more we practice. For example, the first time you hopped on a bike, your brain created a connection — balance. The more you sat on that bike, the less you wobbled, the stronger this connection became, until riding a bike was as easy as… well, riding a bike!
If we continue to teach ourselves to practice, to work at something to be successful, we’re strengthening our “growth mindset,” enforcing the belief that we grow through hard work and dedication.
“95% of what we think, feel and do comes from the subconscious mind.” The fixed, automatic, subconscious mindset is on autopilot, creating an inner dialogue that we don’t normally consider. It might be saying “I will never be successful because I wasn’t cut out to be” or “I’m comfortable here.”
Let’s change that around! The growth mindset instead says “I will be successful if I work hard towards something” and “I am capable of change.”
4 HABITS TO CULTIVATE A GROWTH MINDSET
- Learn to hear your fixed mindset inner dialogue voice
- Recognize that you have a choice. Your response to challenges, setbacks & criticism is within your control.
- Respond to self-doubt with a growth mindset. “Most successful people had failures on their way,” “if I don’t try I automatically fail.”
- Choose to act with a growth mindset approach:
- take on the challenge wholeheartedly
- learn from your setbacks and try again
- hear the criticism and choose a growth mindset response, your mindset is up to you.
Many of us want to change, but give in to our fear of failure (“If I don’t try, I can’t fail”). Although failure is a disappointment, tap into your growth mindset and view it as valuable information that will help you achieve your larger goals.
Success stems from hard work, determination, and learning from failures and experiences! Open yourself up to new opportunities and ways of thinking. Don’t be complacent in dissatisfaction; bring control to your life with the empowering acknowledgement that you are capable of growth.
“If you are facing a new challenge or being asked to do something that you have never done before don’t be afraid to step out. You have more capability than you think you do but you will never see it unless you place a demand on yourself for more.”
Joyce Meyer
