I lived in world of mediocrity….
For most of my life, I lived in a world of mediocrity. An average mindset, if you will. Being an average student. Did the minimum to get by. I had no idea that life had the ability to be altered by how I perceived it. Altered by the way I thought about it. That I had the choice to have different thoughts! And the possibilities are endless! (this is exactly what we mean when we say, if I knew then what I know now!)
Growth mindset. Fear mindset. Healthy mindset. Fixed mindset. Authentic mindset. Scarcity mindset. Entrepreneur mindset. Abundance mindset.
This is obviously not a cohesive list, but it does beg the question, couldn’t we really just put any adjective in front of the word mindset and say we have they type of mindset? Yes.
Then what is a mindset and why does it matter? It’s a way of thinking. It’s how we filter the world. If we function in a fear mindset, we’re letting fear guide us. And this isn’t fear based in what would harm us, it’s perceived fear. It’s our thoughts telling us we can’t or shouldn’t do something because the outcome is to far into the unknown.
Growth mindset is all about doing the things we can in order to grow as humans.
Fixed mindset is when we don’t believe more is possible. We have a pie divided into 8 slices and there is no more to be had from that pie.
We can learn. We can be flexible.
We can even embrace different mindsets at different times! This is the beauty of our brain. We are not assigned a mindset and then left to deal with the world this way. We can learn. We can experience. We can be flexible. We can filter thoughts through a mindset we want to have before we even have it and then adjust our thinking to it! The key is to be aware and actively make efforts.
As with any change we want to make, we must first be aware and make an effort to make it happen. Depending on how ingrained our way of thinking is, this change could be easier for some and significantly more difficult for others. The good news is this: NO matter the ease, changing your thoughts and changing your mindset is possible. Remember that the beginning of any new venture is always the most difficult. We didn’t learn to run before we crawled.
With Gratitude
Rina is a Business Resiliency Coach, Super Connector, Speaker and Small Business Advocate. She works with small business owners to overcome fear, set boundaries and stop the emotional attachments to expectations. To learn more, connect with her.