Three Easy Actions to Change Your Perspective for Success
To those that are familiar, developing a growth mindset in order to gain maximum fulfillment in all areas of your life is its own goal in and of itself. Shift your thoughts, routines, and actions towards developing a growth mindset, and you will be pleasantly surprised to see what you can achieve. If you’re not familiar, a “growth mindset" is simply a psychological proclivity towards perceiving challenges as opportunities to grow, and a belief that growth is not only possible, but a natural part of the human experience. Another way I heard it explained was by arguably one of the best college basketball coaches of all time, John Wooden: "You have to apply yourself each day to becoming a little better. By becoming a little better each and every day, over a period of time, you will become a lot better." To those desiring success, it seems obvious that a growth mindset is something we would want, but the question is: how does one develop this mindset? This article will explain how you can obtain this vital perspective that is responsible for happiness, success, and fulfillment. The 1st Key: Self Awareness & Acceptance
Self-awareness and acceptance may seem like confusing suggestions for developing a growth mindset. The reality is - how will you know where you need to grow and what you need to work on if you don't have an awareness of where you currently stand?
Working hard and applying yourself is important, but these efforts are pointless if they’re not specifically directed - it is much more effective to apply yourself with intention. By becoming self-aware and accepting your desires, your weaknesses, your assets, and your preferences, you will gain real power in laying the foundation for a growth mindset. With this knowledge about yourself, you will be able to see a clearer picture of where you want and need to go in various areas of your life, and you will also begin to understand the best route to get there and what necessary steps follow. Self-awareness and acceptance are the first steps in developing a growth mindset. The 2nd Key: Setting the Right Goals & Taking Daily Action Once you have an idea of where you can improve and what you’d like to see yourself moving towards, you can begin setting goals with confidence. Notice the second key mentions “right goals.” The goals you set should be realistic, but they should also elicit passion within you - if you aren’t fired up at the idea of realizing your dreams, chances are you will not achieve your goals. What I'm saying is - you want to set goals that are challenging, something that feels close enough to impossible that it makes you uncomfortable. When you set challenging, fear-provoking goals, you’ll have to push yourself to GROW if you want to achieve them. Equally important is that these goals excite you, allowing for an emotional attachment to their accomplishment and a fever to see them through. Simply put, this will help you to not only get started on the first steps, but it will also help you to persevere when you want to quit!
Once the goals are in place, it is of urgent importance to get straight to work on them. Start somewhere as soon as possible. Procrastination is the enemy of the growth mindset. We might be afraid but we must remember this quote from Joseph Campbell:
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”
Achieving a goal is like building a house- it cannot be built in one day. What can be done (like what is within your reach now) is that you can lay a single brick each day. One hour of focused work every day towards your goal will add up, and before you know it you'll have a "house." Take small steps each day. Remember the old adage - winners never quit and quitters never win.
The 3rd Key: Stay Focused & Patient
In today's society, there is an insidious urge for instant gratification - we want everything right now. Someone with a growth mindset understands that great things take time. Remain patient. You may be plagued with doubt because things aren't happening fast enough. Remind yourself that this is simply a test of your persistence. The Universe is asking how badly you want it and what you are willing to sacrifice for it. There is no such thing as an overnight success.
Focus is the difference between good and great, and between great and the best. There are going to be many distractions on a daily basis that will command your attention. Ask yourself this:
Is this going to bring me closer to what I want, or is it going to take me further away?
If you're anything like me, you're going to want to work on a hundred different things at once. Regardless of how much these distractions demand your attention, stay focused on your main goal. Alex Hormozi, the $100M entrepreneur & CEO of Acquistion.com said:
"You can be the best at anything, just not everything."
Are you ready?
This is only the beginning. Persistence and perseverance are necessary to develop and nurture a growth mindset for success. If you follow these guidelines, you cannot fail and you will begin to see the benefits of maintaining a growth mindset and you will realize your dreams, build a foundation for success, and lead a happier and more fulfilling life.
