What’s the deal, why is mindset so important?
What is it about having a positive mindset that is so important, impactful, and so life changing?
Awareness and integrity leads to a better quality of life, and gratitude can take you from the “okay life” to the “good life”.
First, let me start by saying: Read this blog. Don’t read this blog. You may save it for later. Or make it disappear forever. Your choice. We all have decisions and choices to make right now. Small, big, life changing. Decision fatigue is real. Rapid change is here.
All our bodies, minds, and brains are working overtime. Like all of us, I’ve been in and out of my norm just trying to keep up. The 4 F’s come to mind. Fight. Flight. Freeze. Fail. In other words, fighting to get some sleep, disappearing into my work, zoning out at my computer, and failing to eat my best. Yes, we’re all human! BUT, if it wasn’t for having a positive mindset to snap me back into the reality I strive for on a daily basis, these random happenings would suck me into a place I’ve been before, and I have no intention of going there again!!!!
In case you might not know me very well yet, I truly wholeheartedly 100% believe that….
Mindset is what makes ALL the difference!
Today, I’d like to kick off a short series on MINDSET, the #1 Essential in our (5) Essentials of Well-being.
We will cover the basics, identify some of the benefits of approaching life from a positive point of view, and explore some tips and techniques for cultivating a positive mindset in a way that is meaningful for you individually, and for your family.
So, settle in and get comfortable. You may find yourself practicing some new skills with your spouse, children, coworkers and friends. I won’t try to cover everything in one blog and take up too much of your time today. Over the next few weeks, we’ll take MINDSET in bite-sized, easy to read pieces, so that you can think about and practice over the following days.
Let’s get started…..
WHAT is a POSITIVE MINDSET?
Your mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself. It influences how you think, feel, and behave in any given situation. A positive mindset is the tendency to focus on the bright side, expect positive results, and approach challenges with a positive outlook.
Having a positive mindset means making positive thinking a habit, continually searching for the silver lining, and making the best out of any situation you find yourself in.
There are two basic types of Mindset: FIXED and GROWTH
Simplistically, a mindset is just a collection of beliefs. Beliefs are just thoughts arranged in a pattern!
Essentially, there are two core mindset patterns – fixed or growth. Your mindset is never fixed forever – it’s merely a collection of beliefs and thoughts that have somehow been joined by your childhood environment, your experiences and the people with whom you hang around! You can change it if you want to!
If you have a fixed mindset, you believe your abilities are fixed traits and therefore can't be changed. You may also believe that your talent and intelligence alone leads to success, and effort is not required.
People with fixed mindsets often stay stuck in the past; they blame others and don’t take responsibility for themselves; they like being ‘victims’; they are inflexible and find change an extraordinary challenge; they have fixed concepts about all sorts of things like marriage or who does what in personal relationships; ‘it’s not my job’ kind of people!
On the flipside, if you have a growth mindset, you believe that your talents and abilities can be developed over time through effort and persistence. People with this mindset don't necessarily believe that everyone can become Einstein or Mozart just because they try. They do, however, believe that everyone can get smarter, or more talented, if they work at it.
A growth mindset is one where you are open to learning; willing to change – in fact you are an early adopter of change; you take responsibility for yourself, your feelings and your actions; you seek new opportunities; you are enthusiastic; you are always looking to be the best version of yourself. Here are some mindset examples:
Fixed mindset / Growth mindset
Either I’m good at it or I’m not / I can learn to do anything I want
That's just who I am. I can't change / I'm a constant evolving work in progress
If you have to work hard, you don't have the ability / The more you challenge yourself, the smarter you become
If I don’t try, then I won’t fail / I only fail when I stop trying
That job position is totally out of my league / That job position looks challenging. Let me apply for it.
You get the idea….
MINDSET FORMATION
So how is our mindset created in the first place? Research reveals two primary sources: praising and labeling, both of which occur in early childhood.
Researchers found that kids behaved very differently depending on the type of praise they received. They found that personal praise, or praising a child’s talents or labeling them as “smart," promotes a fixed mindset. It sends a message to a child that they either have an ability or they don't, and that there is nothing they can do to change that fact.
Process praise, on the other hand, emphasizes the effort a person puts in to accomplish a task. It implies their success is due to the effort and the strategy they used, both of which they can control and improve over time.
Here’s an example of how they’re different. If your child gets a good grade on a math test, personal praise might be, “See, you are good at math. You got an A on your test.”
Process praise, on the other hand, might sound like this: “I’m impressed by how hard you studied for your math test. You read the material over several times, asked your teacher to help you figure out the tricky problems, and tested yourself on it. That really worked!”
Adults can take steps to ensure that their children develop growth mindsets by praising efforts not results. By focusing on the process rather than the outcome, adults can help kids understand that their efforts, hard work, and dedication can lead to change, learning, and growth both now and in the future.
THE IMACT OF MINDSET
Your mindset plays a critical role in how you cope with life’s challenges. When a child has a growth mindset, they tend to have a hunger for learning and a desire to work hard and discover new things. This often translates into academic achievement.
As adults, these same people are more likely to persevere in the face of setbacks. Instead of throwing in the towel, adults with a growth mindset view it as an opportunity to learn and grow. On the other hand, those with fixed mindsets are more likely to give up in the face of challenging circumstances.
Those with fixed mindsets are constantly seeking the validation to prove their worth not just to others, but also to themselves.
I've seen so many people with a consuming goal of proving themselves in public, in their careers, and in their relationships. Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character. Every situation is evaluated: Will I succeed or fail? Will I look smart or dumb? Will I be accepted or rejected? Will I feel like a winner or a loser?
You may recognize some of these behaviors or beliefs in yourself or people around you. The next section will fine tune which mindset you personally gravitate to.
WHAT IS MY MINDSET?
Do you have a fixed or growth mindset? To find out, you can take the mindset assessment self-quiz by following this link, or by reading the following statements and decide which ones you agree with most:
You're born with a certain amount of intelligence and it isn't something that can be changed.
No matter who you are, there isn't much you can do to improve your basic abilities and personality.
People are capable of changing who they are.
You can learn new things and improve your intelligence.
People either have particular talents, or they don't. You can't just acquire talent for things like music, writing, art, or athletics.
Studying, working hard, and practicing new skills are all ways to develop new talents and abilities.
If you tend to agree most with statements 1, 2, and 5, then you probably have a more fixed mindset. If you agree most with statements 3, and 4, 6, however, then you probably tend to have a growth mindset.
CHARACTERISTICS and TRAITS of a POSITIVE MINDSET
So, now we know what a fixed or growth mindset is, we can dive into the next important question: What does a positive “growth” mindset look like?
There are many traits and characteristics associated with a positive mindset, including:
Optimism: a willingness to make an effort and take a chance instead of assuming your efforts won’t pay off.
Acceptance: acknowledging that things don’t always turn out how you want them to, but learning from your mistakes.
Resilience: bouncing back from adversity, disappointment, and failure instead of giving up.
Gratitude: actively and continuously appreciating the good things in your life.
Mindfullness: dedicating your thoughts to conscious awareness and enhancing the ability to focus.
Integrity: the trait of being honorable, righteous, and straightforwardness.
EXAMPLES of a POSITIVE GROWTH MINDSET in ACTION
If you found the list above still too vague, there are many more specific examples of a positive attitude or growth mindset in action.
For example, a positive mindset can include:
Looking adversity in the eye… and laughing.
Getting what you get, and not pitching a fit.
Enjoying the unexpected, even when it’s not what you wanted originally.
Motivating those around you with a positive word.
Using the power of a smile to reverse the tone of a situation.
Being friendly to those you don’t know.
It’s getting back up when you fall down. (No matter how many times you fall down.)
Being a source of energy that lifts those around you.
Understanding that relationships are more important than material things.
Being happy even when you have little.
Having a good time even when you are losing.
Being happy for someone else’s success.
Having a positive future vision, no matter how bad your current circumstances.
Smiling.
Paying a compliment, even to a total stranger.
Tell someone you know that they did a great job. (And mean it.)
Making someone’s day. (Not just a child’s… adult’s like to have their day be special, too!)
It’s not complaining no matter how unfair things appear to be. (It is a waste of time… instead, do something!)
Not letting other people’s negativity bring you down.
Giving more than you expect to get in return.
Being true to yourself… alway
WHY is a POSITIVE MINDSET CONSIDERED the KEY to SUCCESS?
Now we know a little bit more about what a positive mindset looks like, we can turn to one of the biggest questions of all: What’s the deal with having a positive attitude?
What is it about having a positive mindset that is so important, so impactful, so life-changing?
Well, the traits and characteristics listed above give us a hint, there are a plethora of benefits linked to optimism, resilience, and mindfulness.
You’ll see that awareness and integrity are linked to a better quality of life, and acceptance with gratitude can take you from the “okay life” to the “good life.”
THE BOTTOM LINE
Developing a truly positive mindset and gaining these benefits is a function of the thoughts you cultivate.
Don’t worry—this MINDSET series isn’t about the kind of positive thinking that is all positive, all the time. I don’t claim that just “thinking happy thoughts” will bring you all the success you desire in life, and we certainly don’t believe that optimism is warranted in every situation, every minute of the day.
Developing the right thoughts is not about being constantly happy or cheerful, and it’s not about ignoring anything negative or unpleasant in your life. It’s about incorporating both the positive and negative into your perspective and choosing to still be generally optimistic.
It’s about acknowledging that you will not always be happy and learning to accept bad moods and difficult emotions when they come.
Above all, it’s about increasing your control over your own attitude in the face of whatever comes your way. You cannot always control the thoughts that pop into your head, but you can choose how you handle them.
When you choose to give in to the negativity, pessimism, and doom-and-gloom view of the world, you are not only submitting to a loss of control and potentially wallowing in unhappiness—you are missing out on an important opportunity for growth and development.
Keep in mind, that your mindset is never fixed forever – it’s merely a collection of beliefs and thoughts that have somehow been joined by your childhood environment, your experiences, and the people with whom you hang around! You can change it if you want to!
Our mindsets exist on a continuous cycle from fixed to growth, and although we’d like to always have a growth mindset, the reality is that we can only be on a journey to a growth mindset. The goal is to recognize fixed mindset elements in ourselves and then reflect on feedback and strategies for how to improve.
In the next few blogs, we’ll identify some of the benefits of approaching life from a positive point of view, and explore some tips and techniques for cultivating a positive mindset in a way that is meaningful for you individually, and for your family.
Helping you find your personal, natural health and wellness plan for a Long Healthy Life is my priority. IT IS possible to live in harmony with your in-born wealth of health. Your built-in power is not only reassuring, but also worth preserving for years to come.
Whether you are healthy with an amazingly healthy immune system, recovering from illness, or striving to make better decisions and taking back control of your life, we are here to help you along the way.
If you want to know more about the keys to true health and happiness….. keep reading our newsletters, keep your appointments, and never stop asking questions and educating yourself!