#developingagrowthmindset

Embracing a Growth Mindset

Once you make the decision to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, it can be hard to know what to do next. You might look up articles or books online only to find vague concepts that are difficult to put into practice. Here are a few concrete actions you can take right now… Look at Something New as an Experiment Part of developing a growth mindset is trying new things. It’s easy to think we must do everything perfectly the first time we try it, but that's far from the truth. For example, you want to become a motivational speaker on topics like business and leadership. You start attending Toastmasters meetings to develop your speaking skills. When it’s your first time speaking, you put a lot of pressure on yourself to get it just right. Instead of focusing on being perfect, look at your first speech as an experiment. Say something kind to yourself like, “I’m just experimenting with speaking. I’ll use this speech to learn more about what my audience finds interesting.” Challenge Yourself to Do It When Jia Jiang realized his fear of rejection was holding him back, he changed up his mindset. He did this by challenging himself to ask for outrageous requests that would typically be met with rejection. He did this for 100 days and called it his Rejection Therapy. If you’ve been eager to try something new but fear has held you back, challenge yourself to do one thing for 100 days. For example, if your goal is to write a book, you could set a goal to write 1 page every day for 100 days. Change “Never” to “Not Yet” Carol Dweck spoke in a popular TED talk about The Power of Not Yet. At a high school in Chicago, teenagers that weren’t passing a class received a grade of “NY,” meaning “not yet.” The goal of this program was to encourage students to embrace a growth mindset. When you encounter a situation that’s beyond your skills or abilities, it’s easy to retreat to a fixed mindset. You might say, “I’ll never learn how to use Excel spreadsheets. I should give up.” But you can shift your thinking to focus on a growth mindset. You can do this by saying, “I don’t know how to use Excel spreadsheets yet.” When you approach a problem this way, you put the focus back on your growth, rather than your skills or abilities. Acknowledge Your Discomfort Sometimes, it feels scary to do something new or different. It can be tempting to downplay it or even retreat to safety. But if you have a growth mindset, you can acknowledge your discomfort and remind yourself that you can do it. For example, it’s time to have a difficult discussion about raising your rates with your best client. Instead of leading from fear, try saying, “I know this discussion will make me feel uncomfortable. But I can negotiate with my client calmly and professionally.” Your Mindset Affects Your Career Your mindset affects every area of your life - your relationships, your spirituality, your emotions, and even your career. If you’ve never considered it, here are a few key ways that your mindset can shape your career… Mindset impacts your professional reputation. Vince was a web designer at a small marketing firm. He often had a sour outlook and complained about the clients he was working with. When other employees had to work with him, they dreaded it. His co-worker, Laura was also a web designer. But unlike Vince, she had a positive attitude. She was quick to help her co-workers and always went the extra mile for her clients. When the marketing firm folded, Laura quickly found a new job thanks to the positive connections she’d made previously. Mindset makes your work harder…or easier. David worked at an office supply store. He helped every customer he could and never complained about the tasks his manager asked him to do. When Harry started working at the same store, he had a negative mindset. He didn’t want to help customers and he avoided doing any extra work. Fortunately, David took Harry under his wing. He helped the younger man see that work could be difficult or easy depending on his outlook. Mindset shapes your growth. Whether you work at a small firm, a Fortune 500 company, or just for yourself, you probably want to advance. Maybe you want a promotion or to expand the business you’ve started. Regardless of your goal, growth is almost always required to reach it. That might mean learning new skills, networking with more people, or discovering more about your personality. When you have a positive mindset, it’s easier to develop the skills you need. This could partially be because someone with a growth mindset is more willing to work through the initial discomfort of learning something new. They understand that new things can be challenging and they give themselves dispensation, rather than expecting perfection the first time around. Mindset colors how you view problems. Some people see problems and never look beyond them. But smart people recognize the problems and actively search for solutions, even if it isn't their job to find a solution. Sometimes, the solution might be simply refunding a customer’s money or listening to their complaint. Other times, the solution might be more complex like changing the way the company manufactures the product. Regardless of the problem, people with a growth mindset view themselves as part of the solution. They spot trouble and they act. They take pride in their work. They work hard to ensure the company or brand goals are met while giving the customer a positive experience.

Success Mindset - Develop Yours to Boost Your Career and Business

Why is it some people seem to succeed at everything they do? It doesn’t matter if it’s a personal or professional goal. They always seem to find a way around obstacles so they can create the life or career they’ve been dreaming of. Perhaps you’ve 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, you’ll 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, you’ll notice there’s 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: she’d feel excited about pursuing the new business. She’d get the supplies or tools needed. Then she’d begin a marketing campaign. By the six-month mark, Mary would shut it down. She would say the market wasn’t ready for her idea or that her ideal customers weren’t 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, she’d get a job for a few months until she found her next big idea. Mary didn’t 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 couldn’t 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 wasn’t sure where to start. A mentor suggested the problem might be with Ralph’s 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. She’d always dreamed of being a writer and traveling the world. But she’d followed her mother’s 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 she’d 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 “silly dream.” 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 different—maybe 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 you’re 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: I’ve always been this way. Success doesn’t come easy for me. A leopard can’t change its spots. Good things just don’t happen to me. It’s 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, “Well, I was never good at understanding business, so I can’t pursue my lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur.” What most people don’t know is that there’s 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, “It’s 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.” 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 can’t succeed now. You may say things like, “The loan manager was right. I can’t even write a business plan. How the heck am I ever going to build a successful hosting company?” But if you choose a growth mindset, you look at this setback as an opportunity to grow. You say to yourself, “Well, maybe my business plan does need some work. I’ll 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.” With the growth mindset, you can bounce easier. You don’t think of your skills as stuck in one place, rather you view them as something you’re continually evolving and honing. This outlook can help you overcome obstacles that you’ll 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., how to embrace a growth mindset, how your mindset affects your career and developing a business mindset, to name a few).