Another way to ensure success in life is to cultivate the growth mindset. A growth mindset is a belief in learning and in self development. It is imbibing the philosophy that anything is achievable through conscious and consistent practice and effort in whatever you want to achieve.
When we have a growth mindset, we accept problems as interesting challenges and opportunities to learn. We do not avoid problems for fear of failure. Any new challenge is exciting and fun. Failure is part of learning. The feeling of anything that going wrong is only for that day. Tomorrow is another day – full of endless possibilities and opportunities. With a growth mindset, we persist with grit and determination. And then we also know when we are sapped of all our energy and need to stop, People with a growth mindset are open to constructive criticism. Because that is the only way to grow. Effort is part of the journey to living a joyful and fulfilling fun life. With a growth mindset we revel in others success because it is a motivation for our own growth.
The opposite of a growth mindset is the fixed mindset. With this mindset we believe that nothing is changeable. Whatever skills and capabilities we have, that’s it! We have no choice in changing the situation, whatever it might be. We avoid feedback and take it personally. We hesitate to do things because we are scared of failing, we are scared of being ridiculed. We stop at the slightest sign of getting stuck. We put more pressure on ourselves to do more with life. We are threatened by others success.
Our mind can be our greatest enemy and our dearest friend. Our mindset plays a major role in our motivation, resilience, and consequently, our achievement. Developing a growth mindset is a game-changer. How can we develop a growth mindset? Here are some vishesh tippani (special tips) from me.
See your challenges and failures as gifts and opportunities for learning
This is, of course, easier said than done. If the memories of the challenge are too fresh in your mind, we will not be able to see the learning in it. So wait for the emotional charge to disappear (and it definitely will) before you stop seeing these challenges as obstacles and setbacks that you dread reflect on the learnings. As I reflect on my journey with cancer, I realise that it was an opportunity for me firstly, to get rid of the toxicity in my body. And secondly to take some pertinent actions to nourish, nurture and honour my body.
Refrain from seeking approval from the people around you – bosses, colleagues, subordinates, friends, family,….
While we all look for praise and appreciation from others and this motivates us to do better, do not allow this to be the sole source of inspiration. Make it a daily habit to write 3 things that you appreciate yourself. Start a self-appreciation journal. E.g. I am awesome because I resolved the conflict with my colleague. I am awesome because I could identify the root cause of the problem. I am awesome because I ate my lunch on time. I am awesome because I did my eye exercises. I am awesome because I stretched by body at regular intervals.
Celebrate the success of the people around you – bosses, colleagues, subordinates, friends, family,…....
Revel in the success of others. Find out how they got their success. Find out what impediments did they encounter, and how did they overcome them. Learn about what alternatives did they consider, what risks did they take, what bold moves paid off, what backfired. There are precious lessons to be learnt from the experiences of others. Again, I am reminded of my journey with cancer. When I changed my lifestyle and my mental attitude, many of my friends and family members were curious about what I did. I continue to share my learnings with all.
To develop a growth mindset, from an article on LinkeIn, I learnt to say “Not yet” often.
If I have not been successful in something, it’s “Not yet” time for success. The famous quote attributed to Albert Einstein comes to mind - I have tried 99 times and have failed, but on the 100th time came success. All the 99 times he said “Not yet” and that’s how he got success the 100th time. Also, I derive tremendous strength from Louise Hay’s affirmation – In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect whole and complete.
Reflect each day on your failures and emotional imbalances.
One of my teachers taught me the practice of a Thought Parade. Impartially review your day’s events as a silent witness. Don’t stop at any event to think about it. Just witness the event and move on. Do not use adjectives to describe or analyze them in any way. It will be difficult in the initial stages to remember all the events. Sometimes you may forget something and then remember later. Do not try to go back in the thought parade, just move on. With consistent effort and sincere application, this will become easier. It is very important to remember that during introspection you have to merely observe the activities not criticize, analyze or correct yourself. The daily negative talk may lead to cynicism or frustration in life.
Observation will lead to awareness of one’s strengths, goodness, achievements as well as one’s faults, weakness and negative tendencies in daily transactions. This stage is called detection. It will automatically happen when you do introspection daily and sincerely. Feel good for the goodness in you and strengthen your strengths. Invoke gratitude in your heart and appreciate yourself. Accept the negativities without self-judgement or self-condemnation. The moment you realise and accept your failure without justifying., at that moment they lose their charge. This stage is known as negation.
Now half the battle has been won. As soon as you detect what contributed to your failure, you need to substitute it with its opposite virtue and observe your daily transactions imbibing this virtue. This stage is called substitution. Soon it will become a personality trait.
This is the IDNS formula for evolution
· Introspect Daily
· Detect Diligently
· Negate Ruthlessly (in the context mentioned above)
· Substitute Wisely
A simple switch in how you view a situation can mean a world of difference in the outcome in the situation and subsequently in the quality of life. The brain grows like any other muscle in the body, with training. As Samuel Becket said
Ever tried. Ever failed.
No matter
Try again. Fail again, fail better
With a growth mindset, life is a beautiful journey to discover and figure out new things.
Comments