Have you ever listened to the stories of successful people from different fields, may it be business, politics, or entertainment and wonder how they get there? Behind those glamour and success, did they also experience struggles? I bet they did, in more ways than one. If you ask them what is their secret to success, hard work is probably on top of the list. However, we might forget that one thing that is also an essential factor in achieving our goals, right mindset.
The toxic mindset
Hindrances are inevitable when we choose to pursue our goals. But, there is one element that can make or break the process of achieving it, ourselves. We are our greatest enemy. Even if the universe will throw problems after problems along the way, there will always be a way out of it if. Yet, the moment you start to be cynical, doubting yourself whether you can do it and believing that negativity, is also the moment your foundation starts to crumble.
Imagine the percentage of the workforce all around the world who are working on jobs they are not passionate about. True, there are lots of reasons why they didn’t pursue their career goals, but one of that is because they are afraid. Even before pursuing it, they have it instilled in their minds that it is impossible, that they cannot do it. We are the one robbing ourselves of success.
The good thing is it’s never too late to change that toxic mindset.
The Growth Mindset
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all.” — Dale Carnegie
Would you believe if I tell you there is power in our thoughts? There is, in fact, we are the product of our thoughts. We may not realize this, but we tend to gravitate on the things we think mostly about, even if it’s in our subconscious. That is why developing a growth mindset is an essential factor in achieving our goals.
Carol Dwecker, professor and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, explained that changing how we perceive things, from staying in our comfort box to avoid failure to expanding our horizon and reach our full potential, will create a powerful impact in our lives.
“Growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? Why look for friends or partners who will just shore up your self-esteem instead of ones who will also challenge you to grow? And why seek out the tried and true, instead of experiences that will stretch you? The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”
For people who have a growth mindset, failures and setbacks are just lessons they need to learn to achieve success. They don’t flinch even if the odds are not in their favor, instead that made them strive harder and eager to develop their abilities more.
Activating Growth Mindset
In a blogpost by Scott Jeffrey, A Complete Guide to Changing Your Fixed Mindset into a Growth Mindset, he listed questions from various sections of the Mindset book that will help you activate your growth mindset:
- What can I learn from this?
- What steps can I take to help me succeed?
- Do I know the outcome or goal I’m after?
- What information can I gather? And from where?
- Where can I get constructive feedback?
- If I had a plan to be successful at [blank], what might it look like?
- When will I follow through on my plan?
- Where will I follow through on my plan?
- How will I follow through on my plan?
- What did I learn today?
- What mistake did I make that taught me something?
- Is my current learning strategy working? If not, how can I change it?
- What did I try hard at today?
- What habits must I develop to continue the gains I’ve achieved?
Having a growth mindset won’t just help you achieve your goals. It will also help you be the best version of yourself.