Why is it some people seem to succeed at everything they do? It doesnโt matter if itโs a personal or professional goal. They always seem to find a way around obstacles so they can create the life or career theyโve been dreaming of.
Perhaps youโve always thought that success hinged on an external circumstance like a high IQ, wealth, a good upbringing, or a supportive partner. But if you study successful people, youโll quickly discover no one has a perfect life. In fact, many who are praised for their success are quite ordinary.
If you keep examining successful people, youโll notice thereโs only one thing truly different about them: their mindset. Mindset is what makes the difference. It sets those who are successful apart from those who are not.
Is Your Mindset Defeating You?
See if you can relate to this story...
Mary wanted to be an entrepreneur. She spent years bouncing from one business idea to the next. Each started the same way: sheโd feel excited about pursuing the new business. Sheโd get the supplies or tools needed. Then sheโd begin a marketing campaign.
By the six-month mark, Mary would shut it down. She would say the market wasnโt ready for her idea or that her ideal customers werenโt willing to pay enough to make a profit.
Mary maxed out her credit cards trying to fund these ventures and was barely making enough to cover the rent. So, sheโd get a job for a few months until she found her next big idea.
Mary didnโt realize her problem was her mindset. Her business coach had to point that fact out to her. Even though Mary craved success, she feared it. So, every time she got close to a breakthrough in a new business, she would sabotage herself.
Sound familiar?
Ralph was the opposite of Mary. He was an employee at a well-known tech firm. He was reliable and always treated his clients well. Ralph knew his boss frequently received positive feedback about his work.
But despite coming up for promotion twice, Ralph couldnโt seem to advance in the company. He was frustrated and overwhelmed, wondering what to do next. He knew something must be wrong with his approach but he wasnโt sure where to start.
A mentor suggested the problem might be with Ralphโs mindset. Ralph was afraid to stand up for himself and rarely asked for what he wanted. Instead, he let his boss take the credit for all his hard work.
Do you stand up for yourself?
Sarah was a lawyer who hated her job. Sheโd always dreamed of being a writer and traveling the world. But sheโd followed her motherโs advice who insisted she have a stable career in a good profession.
She was just a few weeks away from making partner in the firm when she started having regular panic attacks about it. She was miserable but afraid to turn down the offer for fear sheโd end up in poverty if she went after her dream.
A friend Sarah trusted pointed out the flaw with her mindset. Sarah believed that being a writer would mean years of financial hardship and struggle. She feared throwing her life away all for a โsilly dream.โ
Are you letting fear hold you back?
Mary, Ralph, and Sarah are all smart and well-educated. But each one is being held hostage by a negative mindset. This mindset keeps them from living their dreams and creating the life they want.
You may relate to these struggles. Perhaps your dream is slightly differentโmaybe you want to be a six-figure blogger or start your own tech company. The good news is that you can achieve these dreams and so much more, but only if youโre willing to work on your mindset.
Why You Can Choose Your Mindset
Most people assume their mindset is set in stone. They use expressions like:
Iโve always been this way.
Success doesnโt come easy for me.
A leopard canโt change its spots.
Good things just donโt happen to me.
Itโs easy to believe that when you become an adult, you cease to grow. You might think that your abilities, skills, and habits are now permanent.
Some people call this mindset a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset can lead you to adjust your expectations for your life based on what you think is possible for you. For example, you might say, โWell, I was never good at understanding business, so I canโt pursue my lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur.โ
What most people donโt know is that thereโs a second mindset you can choose to embrace. This mindset is called a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, you recognize that though you may lack certain skills and abilities, they can be developed. You might say, โItโs true that I struggled to understand that business course I took in high school. But if I keep working at it, I can develop the skills I need to build a successful business.โ
The important thing to understand about a growth mindset is it fosters resilience or an ability to try again even after disappointing setbacks and crushing failure. For example, your goal is to start your own hosting company. You need capital to buy servers and employ a programmer.
You go to the bank and apply for a loan. The loan officer takes one look at your business plan and smirks. He tells you that your business plan is too poorly written and jumbled to even make sense of.
If you have a fixed mindset, you might leave the bank thinking that you canโt succeed now. You may say things like, โThe loan manager was right. I canโt even write a business plan. How the heck am I ever going to build a successful hosting company?โ
But if you choose a growth mindset, you look at this setback as an opportunity to grow. You say to yourself, โWell, maybe my business plan does need some work. Iโll go to the library and check out a book on how to write a business plan. I know if I study this topic, I can write a better plan.โ
With the growth mindset, you can bounce easier. You donโt think of your skills as stuck in one place, rather you view them as something youโre continually evolving and honing. This outlook can help you overcome obstacles that youโll encounter on the path toward success.
I hope you have enjoyed this post and look forward to continuing the discussion on boosting your mindset for success. Keep an eye out for the next series of posts that will continue with important mind boosting related topics (e.g.,ย how to embrace a growth mindset, how your mindset affects your career and developing a business mindset, to name a few).
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