*DISCLAIMER*- This article was inspired by Carol Dweck’s book “Mindset”
“If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it”- Ronnie Lott
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve”- Napoleon Hill
These quotes come straight from successful people and many variations of these quotes have been stated numerous times from countless wealthy people. You yourself have probably said these quotes and promised to abide by their content. Of course, the contents of these quotes promise unlimited personal potential. Who wouldn’t religiously recite these quotes? The difference between the success stories and the mediocrity in our world is the action taken. Often we try to artificially believe something or try to carry out an action unaligned with our beliefs. This is not the way to expand the mind. This is not the way to achieve Carol Dweck’s growth mindset. This is the way to underperform and consistently become more inconsistent in your productivity.
To really nail a positive belief into your head is to see it work in person. This is a modern trend. Why do you think secularism and atheism have skyrocketed in popularity? Because these famous quotes leave out one essential portion of true belief: seeing progress. Religion will never truly disintegrate because people will attribute their fortunes to God. This is their way of seeing progress. Atheists chose their path because they saw no progress in religion.
The reason I chose religion to nail my point is that religion is the ultimate belief. People compromise their lifestyles in return for an afterlife. They conform to the guidelines which would limit many favorable actions if no afterlife was promised.
Now, this same belief you may/may not have in religion is the same belief that can be directed towards your success. What if Spud Webb figured that he was naturally selected against? That he was not meant to be an athlete. What if he conformed to those beliefs and didn’t see his own progress on the court? I’ll let you answer those questions. However, I will tell you that his belief that he could rise to stardom grew bigger the harder he trained. Truly, deep down, confidence does not directly come from hard work. Instead, confidence comes from the progress made in your ventures. Hard work does contribute to your progress, however, the common advice excludes the essential step of progress.
What mindset to obtain
Now that you know the key steps in adopting a mindset, you must have a growth mindset. Currently, you likely have a fixed mindset in multiple facets of your life: “I’m not intelligent enough to join this class?”, “I don’t have the funds to start a business”, or “I cannot fail because I’m too talented in other’s eyes”. If these apply to you, identify where it applies in your life and rid yourself of that mindset immediately.
While I cannot provide your own personal results, take it from many successes in sports and business that failure is indeed the key to success. Michael Jordan missed dozens of game-winning shots, yet he is still regarded as one of the most clutch basketball players ever. Elon Musk was ousted as CEO of PayPal even though he founded the company. These failures have not put even a blemish on their resume.
What is a growth mindset?
A growth mindset is when you are only worried about self-improvement and not proving yourself nor failure. For example, if you are being interviewed, do not worry about how well you perform. Rather, you would go in determined to do your best and learn from every mistake you will inevitably make.
In the beginning stages of implementing this mindset, you must consciously practice it. This was the case for me as I’d constantly find myself avoiding risk-taking and I would consciously fix my mindset. The goal is obviously to make this mindset second nature, however developing consistency in your practice is key in the early stages.
Once you notice yourself subconsciously recognizing the fixed mindset, you just need to make sure that it is consistent. Consciously check in on your thought process and evaluate your motives.
Do note that this transition is not easy and your instant gratitude will not become obvious instantly. What I can guarantee is that your life will become more stress-free and you will increase your rate of self-improvement SIGNIFICANTLY.
Everyone knows deep down that our motives are all centered around approval from others. However, if you don’t seek instant approval and you play the long game that encourages self-improvement, then appreciation will come in by the dump truck in the future. To receive fulfillment, you must strategize how to play the game of life and how to maximize your legacy and enjoyment. The growth mindset is a public shortcut that Carol Dweck blessed us with. Take advantage or get left behind.
