The Mindset Around Growth

In Both Personal & Business.

I get where you’re at. You’re looking for the STEPS to start your business, 10 tips for success, or the SECRET to sorting your ish out. We are always searching for something to invest our time into like books or podcasts or courses to learn our way to success- to utilize a skillset as the yellow brick road to get there. I don’t mean to burst your bubble, and as much as skill and technicalities are important, those ALONE will not get you to that end goal you’re striving for. Let’s talk about mindset.

Your MIND is the only thing that sets you apart from the person that spends their entire life working at walmart, or freakin’ Oprah. Let me explain: There are two main mindsets (which you can read more about in “Mindset” by Carol Dweck) a GROWTH mindset and a FIXED mindset.

People with a fixed mindset: Are afraid to try anything that they aren’t positive that they will succeed at. They do not like challenge, are always trying to prove themselves. They wont lift others and may in fact try to help themselves feel superior based on another’s lack and stay in their comfort zone.

People with a growth mindset: Are always looking to be better, even if it means they may fail. They understand that that they are always growing and improving and do not feel the need to prove themselves. They want to lift other’s up and are generally humble for they aren’t striving to be superior and are secure in their sense of self.

What does this mean? This means that in the same circumstance, you could train yourself to go from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. For example, let’s say that you wanted to go full time. You did the math, you prepared, you quit your job and three months in, the bills are BARELY getting paid. I’m sure you could imagine what the fixed mindset version of yourself would do. They would think “I guess entrepreneurship is not for me, I can’t live on the edge like this and now that I think about it, my job wasn’t too bad…”. And SPRINT back to comfort. Give up on the dream. On the uncomfortable and uncharted territories, for the comfortable and complacent.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that you go into great amounts or debt or miss your rent payments just to prove that you don’t have a fixed mindset. HOWEVER, if you chose to go about it with a GROWTH mindset, this is more what the situation would look like.

You would realize the decline or need for more business, you would work your booty off- brainstorm about different marketing ideas, get CREATIVE, hold your posture and make consistent steps towards walking through the hard time. If need be, you would pick up a part time job to help supplement your income. Theres no need to be embarrassed about this; it’s a heck of a lot better that GIVING UP! You would surround yourself with people who get where you’re at. Not with the people who are all “OMG this is scary, how do you do this?”. Or “Well, you gave it a shot, don’t you think it’s time to get a REAL career now?”. You would be in control of yourself and your mind, be able to LEAD yourself in the direction that you need to go. Not the direction with the least resistance. You would be in control of your thought patterns and tell your brain to shut it every time is starts saying things like “You can’t”, “Just watch TV, relax”, “They are special, thats why they can do it, but I’m XYZ and am not capable”.

Thats a pretty BIG example. But if you want to simplify it, and get to work right now, training your mind while doing something that isn’t as scary as leaping two feet into business, start building trust with yourself. Start gaining control over your internal dialogue and see the results as you progress. Start with this:

If you say you’re going to go to the gym, do it. Just show up. Walk on the treadmill for 15 mins and then leave if you’re really not feeling it. Fitness is the number one thing that people SAY they will do… and then end up not doing for fear that they wont do it PERFECTLY. Or for fear of the uncomfortable and for fear of what others will think. And that’s fine, I’m not here to preach health or anything along those lines. BUT you have to understand that when you do this, you’re giving re assurance to the voice that says “You won’t do it, remember when you said you’d go to the gym? And the $300 you threw away on the membership fee that you used twice?”.

This voice is subconscious and you may not even actually HEAR it, but it influences you. We are so hell bent on keeping promises to other people, we put so much value on how trustworthy someone is. But we don’t think twice about how well we can trust ourselves. SO if you begin with something simple (but not easy, and for most people, FILLED with resistance) like going to the gym when you say you will, following through on that promise to yourself. Not only will you see the health benefits, BUT you will ALSO start to believe in your ability to grow.

AFTER you have trained your mind to accept failure and embrace growth, you will actually be able to apply what you have been force feeding your brain for all of these years. You’ll be able to utilize the “10 tips to starting your business“ and the “secrets to success” because you will KNOW yourself, and be able to get out of your own way.

What kind of mindset sounds more like you? Will you choose to be comfortable, or choose to face fear and grow?

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