Is your mindset is holding you back from being the best that you can be?
Your beliefs are the key to happiness & misery. All of us keep a running account of what is happening to us, what it means & what we should do. Our minds are constantly monitoring & interpreting, and its our reactions to these interpretations that is key. Mindset guides your whole interpretation process. Psychologist Carol Dweck (Carol S Dwek – Mindset the new psychology of success) believes there are two mindsets, fixed & growth.
The fixed mindset creates an internal monologue that is focused on judging. People with fixed mindsets believe that they are what they are and cannot change. They want to be praised and not challenged. They worry about being judged and they also judge everyone & everything. They are paralysed by set backs, and when under pressure they are anxious and lose focus. The growth mindset is tuned to “what can I learn from this, how can I improve”. Those with growth mindsets want to get better and are accepting of people who point our their shortcomings. Those with a growth mindset take charge of their learning and motivation. They do things to learn and grow not just to achieve a result, which will make them feel valued or superior.
Those with the growth mindset believe in change. It takes time, effort and mutual respect to create change and see things in a new way.
Mindset is something that can be changed once it is understood.
So how can we tune into a growth mindset?
Think of a goal; something you need to do, learn or a problem that you need to confront. Then think of what information you could gather to help you succeed, and what steps you could take to achieve it. Then plan when, where and how you will carry out these steps. Write down this plan & carry it out.
If you find that you plan to do difficult things but then don’t actually do them.
Make a detailed vivid concrete plan – not just say I will do it tomorrow but visualise -“tomorrow during my break at work I will, have a drink, close the door & make the phone call to…”
“Tonight after clearing up from dinner I will sit down & have that discussion”
If you failed in your plan you can still take on the growth mindset – think and plan how you are going to deal with this? What can you do to get back on track, what can you learn from it.
Tell your self that it is a huge step / challenge but you can work towards achieving it. You can get a little better every day and over a period of time you will become a lot better. Don’ t run away from the problem or hide your insecurities, ask others how they overcome these issues. Don’ t judge yourself, don’t carry forward judgments & bitterness but new understanding & new skills.
This growth mindset will help you develop mental toughness, and character for when things are going against you. When you have succeeded it will help you maintain change and continue to grow so that you become the best that you can be.
Listen to yourself today & ask yourself whether you generally have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? – Apply the growth mindset to your thinking. &Then apply it to your health and fitness goals and see yourself become the best that you can be. A happy and healthier you.
