I invite you to read statements in the above pictures. Which ones do you relate to more?
If you said, the ones on the left, then the chances are you look at life with a positive view and deal with challenges and hurdles as avenues to grow and develop.

What is Mindset and why is it important?
In my work with clients, I have found that most people suffer with negative thoughts that stop them from achieving their goals, going after their passion or giving up a dull job and finding a more fulfilling one. Some even find it hard to appreciate the good effort they have put into creating something beautiful because it wasn’t perfect. This may be all due to their mindset. Therefore becoming acquainted with your mindset and how it affects you is important, if not vital to living a fulfilling life.

Mindset is a set of beliefs that affects how you think, feel and behave. The research and evidence produced by Professor Carol Dweck of Stanford University provides undeniable proof that the key is not about ability, but people’s beliefs about their ability. She has shown that these beliefs affect people’s behaviours, performance and whether they achieve their best. Professor Dweck identifies two mindsets:

Fixed Mindset – you believe that your ability is set in stone and where you are now will likely predict where you are in the future.

Growth Mindset – you believe your ability can change and grow and it would be impossible to predict what you or someone else could achieve.

You may notice your mindset is fixed in some areas of your life but more growth-ful in others.

What Is Your Predominant Mindset?
Start reading the following statements and decide which ones you agree with most.

1. People have a certain amount of intelligence, and there isn’t any way to change it.
2. No matter who you are, there isn’t much you can do to improve your basic abilities and personality.
3. People are capable of changing who they are.
4. You can learn new things and improve your intelligence.
5. People either have particular talents, or they don’t. You can’t just acquire talent for things like music, writing, art, or athletics.
6. Studying, working hard, and practicing new skills are all ways to develop new talents and abilities.

If you tend to agree with statements 1, 2, and 5, then you probably have a more fixed mindset. If you agree with statements 3, and 4, 6, however, then you probably tend to have a growth mindset.

Can You Change Your Mindset?
I have helped many people develop a growth mindset, with time and commitment. This supports Dweck’s suggestion that people are capable of changing their mindsets.

Part of the coaching/counselling work I do is to help people learn about their mindset and how to focus on the process of effort, hard work and dedication rather than simply on the outcome.

If you are a parents, you can also take steps to ensure that your children develop growth mindsets, often through praising efforts rather than focusing solely on results.

For example, instead of telling a child that he/she is “so smart,” a parent might commend the child for their hard work on a project and describe what they like the most about the child’s efforts (“I really like how you chose the colours for that picture!”) This encourages the child to keep developing the skills necessary to creating new projects, leaving room for improvement and development.

If you think you could improve having a more helpful mindset, why not contact me? You have nothing to lose with a FREE Compatibility call to see how you can start making changes to help you.