If someone was to tell you that your success is mainly down to your mindset would you believe them?
The power of our minds is fascinating and plays an important part in our happiness, fulfilment and success. It definitely has with mine over the past few years. I am a firm believer that by adopting a growth mindset it will help to empower individuals to support them with making progress towards their ultimate goals, both in life and business / career success.
Anyone can achieve their goals and succeed, provided they apply the right mindset, have resilience and develop the knowledge and skills in order to do so.
What is a ‘growth mindset’?
We can all develop a growth mindset. It’s a mental and emotional attitude that doesn’t always come naturally to everyone, but it’s a habit that we can pick up and develop over time.
Individuals who believe that they can develop and improve through hard work have a growth mindset. These people generally enjoy learning new things and taking on challenges (even if they involve risk), and they value the growth created by these challenges. Having this kind of mindset can help you live a fuller and more meaningful life because you are more willing to try new things, learn from your experiences, and believe that you can continue to grow as a person.
Individuals with a fixed mindset do not believe they can learn new skills or improve. They may shy away from challenges because they fear they could fail. This can have a massive impact on their progress and experiences: within their career, relationships and other aspects of life.
Developing a growth mindset empowers you to cultivate self-confidence and self-esteem, and encourages you to be more motivated and determined to reach your goals.
Our mindset plays a huge part of our success in life, therefore developing a positive growth mindset is critical if you want to succeed. With high energy, resilience and confidence, you are able to work harder towards your goals. The more you believe you can achieve the goals you set for yourself, the more your confidence will grow. This resilience really supports individuals to face challenges, try new things and grow as an individual.
Personally, I am always trying to apply a growth mindset into my daily routine. Life is hard when I’m juggling so many things at once, and sometimes it is extremely hard to stay positive. However, I have found that applying a range of positive mindset strategies, such as affirmations and journaling, has really helped me to grow as an individual.
How growth mindset and resilience can squash limiting beliefs
Limiting beliefs hold people back from achieving their goals. They believe their fears are true, which holds them back from moving forward and growing. This keeps them stuck in a negative state of mind and stops them from reaching their full potential.
As individuals, we need to be able to let go of these limiting beliefs and to use resilience to push us forward. We may fear failure, or that we may never succeed with a new venture or goal. It is down to our mindset, drive and resilience to support us through the journey. Even if we make mistakes or come across setbacks, we need to keep going and never give up.
When I explored starting my own business, I had fears about failing, people’s judgements, and getting into debt. The imposter syndrome kicked in regularly and stopped me from actually launching.
However, after applying some positive strategies to develop my growth mindset, I immersed myself in the idea that anything I want to achieve is possible. I developed the knowledge needed to set up a business, and became more confident over time. I grew to know and love my brand. I became more resilient and prepared for whatever came my way.
Over time I saw the progress I was making. If it wasn’t for the resilience and growth mindset, my business, ‘Actually, I Can!’, may not have existed today. I am now able to help and support other women with their mindset and goals in order for them to create the best version of themselves.
How do you develop a growth mindset?
There are a number of ways in which you can develop your growth mindset to support your progress and success. Here are my top tips which have supported me through my own mindset development:
Be brave and confident. Confidence is an extremely important and valued asset. Have the confidence to set your goals and go for them, no matter how unreachable they seem. Be brave every step of the way and believe in yourself.
Be curious. Curiosity is linked to learning. The desire to learn will help you move forward, and you will enjoy absorbing that information. This in turn will help you to develop skills, as you learn more about how things work and what you can do to progress.
Be inspired by others. Think about who inspires you, and why. Look at their story, life, methods, philosophies, successes and mindset. How have they become so successful? What can you learn from them? Use the experience of others to help you reach your goals.
Take risks and accept failure. Take on new, exciting challenges that will help you to progress towards your end goal. Be a risk-taker. Tackle challenges head-on with confidence and determination and accept that failure is possible. Every failure should be seen as a lesson: learn from your mistake, and use that experience to become stronger and more knowledgeable.
Acknowledge that growth happens over time. Growth is not necessarily rapid. Look at the growth you have achieved up to now – how have you grown and what have you done to achieve this? Progress often takes time, so enjoy the journey understanding that every step you take you are one step closer to achieving your goal.
Love what you do. Be passionate about what you do and what you are working towards. Love the goals you have set yourself and the process you are following to achieve those goals. Passion really does shine through, and if you truly love and believe in what you are doing, you are more likely to succeed.
Written by guest contributor Kayleigh Greenacre
About the author
Having worked with individuals for over 12 years within the education sector and through recent years of coaching entrepreneurs and career professionals, I can see the impact that mindset has on individuals. There are so many opportunities out there for people, but it is often the self-belief and mindset that holds people back. If you have a growth mindset, the drive and the resilience, there is no stopping you from achieving your goal or dream, for you have the power to create your own success story.
Find out more about Kayleigh:
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