The world has changed as we know it! COVID-19 has meant that we are in unchartered waters in both our business and personal lives and the need for positive action has never been more pressing. If I had a pound for every time, we’ve heard the phrase ‘unprecedented times’ we’d all be millionaires many times over.
Never has there been a better time to take action – to learn a new skill, work on your business, not just in it, read all those books you’ve been promising or take up a new side hustle. But whilst some people are thriving in these turbulent times, others are filled with fear and hiding behind Netflix and negativity.
What’s the difference between those that are and those that aren’t? Simply mindset and attitude. Having a positive mindset will affect your ability to take on the challenges life throws at you, take decisive action and come out of these times with confidence and a plan for the future. We are all in the same boat, but success and failure will determine how we see out this period and how we utilise the opportunities that we are facing.
To begin, we need to understand the difference between a ‘fixed’ and ‘growth’ mindset.
Psychologist Carol Dweck in her research on achievement and success identified 2 types of mindset:
- Fixed – people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are fixed traits. They believe that talent = success—without effort.
- Growth – people believe that their basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work = a love of learning + resilience. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.
You only have to spend 10 minutes on social media to see who is working at what level – there is a massive difference between those that are looking at the positives and negatives of what’s going on in the world around them.
Develop your ability to improve
We often wrongly believe that successful people are born with talents and gifts and almost superhuman powers. This concept is wrong because talent can only take us so far and is no substitute for hard work.
With a growth mindset, you know that you have the power to improve your skills and learn to perfect them if you put the time and effort in.
Whether you’re a student looking to improve your grades or a businessperson looking to pivot your business into a new direction or create a new side hustle, you have the innate power to improve your skills and learn to perfect them. This, however, takes time and effort but can bring about an inordinate amount of value. Access to learning has never been easier due to the existence of online tutorials and platforms on the Internet. Whatever your interest – entrepreneurship to learning to play an instrument – there is something for everyone’s interest.
How can a growth mindset help you in these times?
It can help you to:
Thrive during challenges – Some people will buckle under pressure and challenging times and use these to evaluate and confirm their intelligence or make up – they give the situation power over their personal reality. They start blaming their circumstances – using terms like ‘things would be different, if…’, they use negative affirmations to reference themselves. They use terms like ‘it always happens to me…’, ‘I’m just unlucky’ and never see the positives their challenge can afford them.
Those that develop a growth mindset focus their minds differently on challenges by considering the right questions such as, ‘what can I improve…’, ‘what skills can I learn…’, ‘how can I approach this situation differently…’. This way of thinking shifts their focus from what is going on in the outside world and gives them back the power to make the necessary change. They learn to appreciate the situation they are in (positive or negative) and look at ways to take control.
Boost your creativity – You have two choices in life – give up after a few attempts and become discouraged or keep looking for new ways to succeed. Had we not been put in the position of these ‘unprecedented times’ (that phrase again!), would I have had the time or impetus to get an online marketing course launched – despite talking about it for 6-months? Who knows?
Sometimes it isn’t about trying the same thing over and over again but looking at new opportunities, workarounds and thinking differently to get to the right solution. With a growth mindset, you will have the will to explore new avenues and try different learning techniques to create a new, positive outcome.
Enjoying the process – People with fixed mindsets are driven by their emotions – if the situation isn’t working for them, they become frustrated and overwhelmed. They don’t try to see how they can improve their situation but stop what they are doing – looking for someone or something else to do or blame. Let me tell you, no one can save you from yourself!
With a growth mindset, you are looking to be better than you were before and see improvement and development as an exciting journey and worthy of your time and effort.
It’s time to make a choice – do you want to stay in a fixed mindset or start the process of being an overcomer with a growth mindset and positive attitude? This is your opportunity to reframe your situation and acquire the tools and techniques to be an overcomer – are you with me?
But, how do you get a growth mindset?
To understand how you get a growth mindset, you need to understand the traits of people that have it and practice following them. If you imagine growth mindset is a muscle and the more, we use this way of thinking, the easier and stronger it will become.
The key traits of people with a growth mindset are as follows:
- They say ‘not yet’ instead of ‘no’ – they recognise that success isn’t impossible, it just hasn’t come yet.
- They get excited about challenges and don’t run away from them.
- They enjoy unfamiliar situations – they are happy with the process as much as the results and are happy to move outside their comfort zones.
How you can develop a growth mindset
- Acknowledge and embrace your imperfections – don’t hide from your weaknesses – learn to overcome them.
- View challenges as opportunities.
- Embrace different learning tactics – no one size fits all.
Are you ready to embrace a growth mindset? I’m hoping the answer to this is ‘yes’?
To find out more and to download my free e-book on growth mindset visit https://www.hayleymeakes.co.uk/growth-mindset/free-growth-mindset-e-book/
