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Mental Strength

28/02/2018

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The Importance of Mindset For Personal Success

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to excel in any venue they pursue, while other people mindsetstruggle constantly to take even a step up in spite of intelligence or talents?

Studies say it is more about what they think of their ability than anything else that makes the difference.

Look at those who have achieved fantastic things, you will find they worked hard to get ahead. Most struggled extremely and many were even told not to bother because they would never make it. The difference was they believed they could achieve, and they did.

Mindset: Fixed or Growth?

You can view ability and intelligence in two ways:

Ingrained or fixed ability, basically inherent traits you were born with that you cannot change, this is a fixed mindset.

You can develop talent or abilities through effort and hard work, this is referred to as a growth mindset.

Each of these mindsets will lead a person to different behaviors and in the end a different result. If you want the key to success you want to have a growth mindset that says you are in control of your skills and you can always learn more.

Persistence, effort and hard work are great and important, but they will not take you far without belief. You must believe you are in control of your future. Think about this when it is time to praise your children, avoid praising the ability. Instead discuss with them their effort and how they have developed a talent or ability.

No- “You are really great in math, well done!”

Yes- “That is fantastic, I can see how hard you have worked and look how it turned out!”

Praise their process, this is important, do not focus on ability or talent.

mindset

Practice Mindset

Individuals think and react differently based on the type of mindset they operate with.

To be precise they respond to information about performance differently. When someone has a fixed mindset, their brain is on high when they are receiving information about how well they are performing, for instance grades or test results.

Growth mindset individuals, on the other hand, have a brain that is most excited when they are told how to improve, or the process is the focus.

As you can see, there is a big difference between, “What could I do better on and How did I do?”

One mindset is focused on how others see them rather than what they can learn. Which one do you think would be best for future results?

The Tortoise and the Hare: Mindsets in Action

Everyone knows about the tortoise and the hare.

If you remember the story you know the hare was so confident he could win the race that he put in very little effort to do so, in fact he took a nap.

The tortoise was not very fast, but he knew if he kept moving forward there was a chance he could win. A while later the hare awoke and put everything he had into catching up and passing the tortoise, but as you know he was too late to the game.

The hare is the perfect example of a fixed mindset. His innate abilities were what he focused and depended on figuring they would allow him to win no matter what.

Now the tortoise, he had a mindset for growth, in other words he knew he would have to stay in the trenches if he wanted to win. Another overlooked fact is that Mr. Tortoise was not afraid to fail, if he were there is no way he would have raced a hare.

Handling Setbacks

Each mindset has their own way of dealing with delays or setbacks. A person with a fixed mindset is going to struggle with setbacks, because it hurts their belief in ability. It is not uncommon for them to give up and become totally disinterested.

Growth mindset individuals will have a much different approach to setbacks as they deem them an opportunity to learn and grow. They will throw a lot of effort into overcoming the issues.

“The moment that we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability, we will be brittle in the face of adversity” Josh Waitzkin – Chess

Grandmaster and Martial Artist

Neuro-plasticity:

Would you be surprised to learn you can change your brain?

The very good news today is you can alter your mindset for the better.

Thankfully the old adage, old dogs cannot learn new tricks, is blatantly false! Neuroscience has proven the human brain can develop and change even in adults.

Surprisingly enough your brain is a bit like plastic, it can be molded and reshaped over time to create new neural paths. This tendency is referred to as neuro-plasticity by neuroscientists.

How are neural pathways developed? By thinking or doing particular things repeatedly. What you say and do most often will become hard wired, better known as a habit. Overtime this creates routes in your brain, which become second nature to navigate. Nevertheless, you can change your routes, no matter how long you have had them. The first thing you need to do is admit change is required. Now you are ready to begin training your brain with new skills, in this case thought processes. You may want to view this as a cycle, something we delve further into on our page. What about Coaching?

Here are a few things you can do to begin developing a growth mindset: First realize this is a good thing and backed by strong science. Short story? You must be committed to a growth mindset.

Next you could consider learning and teaching others, we learn the best through teaching! Lead others in adopting and growing (pun intended) a growth mindset. Doing so is enriching and so empowering! Studies show individuals perform better when they feel firmly in control.

Finally, listen for your internal voice, the one that determines mindset. Are you getting negative internal feedback? A little voice that says you cannot achieve a goal? Fire back with a growth mindset, tell it you plan to learn more!

Your Mindset Your Life

Learning new skills is not the only reason to focus on developing a better mindset. It will affect everything you think about, which can have a big impact on life.

It may sound fantastic, but you could recover more quickly from an illness simply because you believe your actions will affect the illness. Sports, work and relationships can all be affected by a good mindset. Changing yours could be the single best thing you have ever done, not just for success but life in general!

Reference: “Mindset” by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D

You are your biggest supporter.

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