What is mindset? And why is mindset so important in life? It’s vital that we able to harness it, but yet so many are not really aware of what it is, the fact that we can change it if we choose to, and the huge impact it has on everything in our life.
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
Henry Ford
Two types of mindset
When we talk about mindset, there are two types that we need to be aware of:
- success (or growth) and
- fixed.
A success mindset is one that truly believes we can grow and learn and achieve things if we put our minds to it. The fixed variety sees that we have a finite amount of ability and that’s it! As you can probably guess, the fixed mindset doesn’t do us any favours or get us very far, which is why we want to choose success.
So why is mindset important?
Without harnessing the power of a success mindset, your fixed mindset can make you struggle in all areas of life – including your business. When you know that mindset has a huge influence on your success, perhaps you’ll be inclined to learn more and to be more intentional about how you think and the actions you take.
Let’s talk more about the ways your mindset can keep you stuck, and how you can get unstuck:
1) Not having vision, or refusing to acknowledge it because you think you can’t do it.
This is huge. If you’re functioning with a fixed mindset you may be terrified to set things in motion that you think you can’t do, can’t achieve or are not worthy of. Those with a success mindset are very good at picturing what they want their life and business to look like. This has many huge impacts if you can cultivate a success mindset. Knowing where you are going with your business enables you to make the right decisions, to try things and see what happens, to stay focused and well planned and be consistent and decisive! Sounds good? It is, and it’s how those who succeed think.
2) Not knowing what action to take.
If you don’t have that clarity around where you are going you are likely to feel very overwhelmed and unsure about what to do next. And of course this makes sense, if you don’t know where you are going how are you going to get there? Mindset is important here because, if you are focused on making progress, you will be more inclined to plan, which leads to action, consistency and making things happen.
3) Not taking action because you think you might fail.
You might be a step further. You might know what you want, have that vision imagined, and yet still, you falter and get scared to take action. Why? Because you might fail.
“Fears kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
Suzy Kassem
A success mindset doesn’t see the word failure when it’s encouraging you to take the leap and do the scary thing! It sees opportunity – an opportunity to learn and grow. If it doesn’t work out, never mind, what’s the worst that can happen? A success mindset allows you to keep taking the next step, to get out of your comfort zone and to grow.
4) You don’t feel encouraged by those around you – mindset, enthusiasm and positivity are infectious.
One enormous influence on your mindset is who you surround yourself with. The energy you and others have is infectious. So it stands to reason that if you want to succeed and progress, you want to be hanging out with people who inspire that change in you, who champion you and encourage you to achieve all you want to! Be careful you don’t catch a fixed mindset and negative vibes that keep you stuck!! Share your dreams and ambitions with those who will get excited for you, not those who will warn you of the risks.
5) You’re not growing as a person or a business.
If you’re recognising some of these fixed mindset things happening to you, it’s unlikely your business is growing, or any growth it has is more of a happy accident. One of the best things we can do to nurture a success mindset is to learn and grow. When we are curious and pushing ourselves to increase our knowledge and what we can offer, we grow in so many ways, and that inevitably has a knock on to our business as we feel more confident and well rounded. How do you invest in your growth? It might be through taking extra courses, reading widely or investing in a coach who can help you challenge where you’re at and focus on where you want to get to, one step at a time.
6) You lack resilience.
Most of us face plenty of adversity and difficult times. Sometimes things are good and go right. Other times life is hugely challenging. The past 18 months is a great example of having to overcome big obstacles and adapt. A fixed mindset will make it extremely hard to find the resilience needed to cope with these curve balls and hurdles. But a success mindset has you drawing on the resources and community you have around you, and focusing on what the positives can be and how you can keep going. Of course we still all have times when we struggle more than others, but a success mindset allows you to take the knocks and use them ultimately to make you stronger.
So, does any of this sound familiar? Whether you feel you have more of a fixed or success mindset, we’d love to hear how this has impacted on you and your business.
And of course, as I mentioned at the beginning, our mindset is a choice. Sure, it’s been ingrained for a long time, and our thoughts and beliefs pop up subconsciously throughout every day. But, with some real effort and focus, you can reframe your thoughts, overcome your blocks and nurture that coveted success mindset.
Hopefully you can see from this blog (and from your own experiences) why mindset is so important. If this is something you’re struggling with, we’d love to help you work it. So much so that we have a brand new coaching programme launching next month to support you with exactly this! Sign up here to receive our newsletter and be the first to hear all about it.