Your mindset affects your behavior in all areas of your life, including your fitness, health, and overall wellness. Success in all areas of your life starts within you, more specifically, within your mind. Your perspective and your approach (the way you look at situations and handle them) largely determines the way you lead your life. Believing in and trusting yourself and your abilities, noticing opportunities when opportunities arise, and being brave enough to take advantage of those opportunities is precisely where the term “growth mindset” comes into play. The term was coined by Dr. Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
“You’re in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way.” – Carol Dweck
The proper perspective and mentality is absolutely critical for success and living your best life. Your (positive) mindset 100% matters and YOU have the power to control it.
If you believe your skills and talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) then you are well on your way to adopting a growth mindset or mindset of abundance.
In relation to fitness (and a pretty prime example) growth mindset could look like building your lean muscle mass, increasing your endurance, burning fat effectively and efficiently – these are all physical actions that wouldn’t happen without the aforementioned hard work, some kind of strategy or plan, and quite possibly, without some input from others. These physical changes would be much more difficult to achieve if executed without developing the right mindset first.
Everybody can grow their current abilities and the beliefs we hold about our abilities are tremendously powerful. There are different strategies and tactics you can use to cultivate and build your growth mindset if you feel like you may be stuck in a fixed state. This is definitely easier said than done, but it is entirely possible, and it will totally change your life!
Five key tactics that I’ve embodied to adopt and maintain a GROWTH MINDSET are:
1.) Have an open mind. Always be open to the next opportunity and new ideas. Things are ever-evolving, so keep expanding. No matter what, always stay true to your goals and never lose your authenticity.
2.) Don’t get complacent. Comfort and complacency are the enemies of growth. Spice things up! Try new things. You might learn a little something. And you might also find your weaknesses and imperfections. Weaknesses and imperfections bring about opportunities for growth. Acknowledge them and embrace them!
3.) Trust and enjoy the process. Remind yourself, obstacles are often great opportunities. When you hit an obstacle, my challenge to you is to look at it differently. Look at this obstacle as an opportunity to change and an opportunity to grow! You can always find a way over (or under or through) any obstacle thrown at you.
4.) Stay energized and inspired. Keep yourself stimulated and your energy level high. Challenge yourself. Stretch your existing abilities. Never lose your passion for learning. Surround yourself with those who light you up.
5.) Own your attitude. Let it guide you and your sense of purpose. Keep putting time and effort into what matters to you. Be proud of yourself and your “work”. Never lose sight of the big picture.
One of my favorite quotes and takeaways from Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, that I continue to ask myself at the end of each day is:
“What did you learn today? What mistake did you make that taught you something? What did you try hard at today?”
All the growth mindset asks is for you to embrace your challenges. Everyone can change and grow through application and experience. Let me know if I can help you apply these tactics more specifically in your life.