By Celine Hert
Hey there boss babes, it’s your bestie back with another raw and unfiltered conversation about the importance of our mindset. Come on, mindset… again? I bet you sighed reading this word. It’s everywhere slapped on magazines and Insta posts: MINDSET. But trust me, this time it’s different. So grab your morning coffee or snack, make yourself comfortable, and buckle up for our insightful conversation on the secrets behind a growth and empowering mindset.
First things first, what’s a mindset?
Your mindset is a set of beliefs that influences the way you view yourself and the world around you; it impacts your emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. It shapes your reality.
Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset
There are two types of mindsets that we can possess in life. A fixed mindset is when we believe that our strengths and abilities are set in stone, they can’t be changed. With a fixed mindset, we tend to have thoughts like: “Either I’m good at something or I’m not”, “I am the way I am, nothing can change it”,“If I don’t try, then I won’t fail”. This is the mindset that I want us girl bosses to AVOID!
The mindset we are working towards is a growth mindset! A growth mindset is when we believe that we can develop our talents and abilities through continuous effort and determination. With this mindset, we would occupy our mind and see reality with thoughts like: “I can learn whatever it is I want to do”, “I am constantly evolving and changing to become a better version of myself”, “I only fail when I stop trying”.
What’s the girl boss secret to achieving a growth mindset?
Shhhh, I’m about to spill the tea!
1. SHE uses every opportunity to learn something new
Push yourself out your comfort zone, indulge in a new field that you are interested in. The renowned Psychiatrist Dr. Abigail Brenner, author of Transitions: How Women Embrace Change and Celebrate Life describes that “when you embrace stretching outside the bounds of your comfort, growth happens. This is when we develop new skills, enrich our life by forming a new hobby, meet and connect with new people, as well as becoming open to saying yes to new experiences”. Learning is not limited to school. Take an online class, watch YouTube tutorials on how to develop a new skill that you’ve always wanted to learn while meal prepping, if you’re on the go and do not have time to read, listen to podcasts instead! There is always a way. Learning keeps your mind engaged, your body active, and enhances your knowledge-based perspective on the upcoming world views and events. By keeping your neural pathways active, you will be training your brain to handle new challenges and experiences. Trust me honey, there is always time to learn something new.
2. SHE surrounds herself with supportive and growth mindset people
Wave bye byeeee to those who do not have your best interests at heart! In other words, try to recognize others with a fixed mindset and filter those out of your life. The people you select to be in your inner circle hold a large impact and influence on your mindset and self-growth. Whether they may be family, friends, partners, influencers on social media or co-workers, they all have an impact on your mood, attitude, and beliefs regarding your personal strengths and weaknesses. Stay connected to those who encourage you to become a better version of yourself. The last two years of the pandemic have made it easy to isolate ourselves from social interactions and connecting with others. Instead of keeping the door shut, step out and occupy yourself with social gatherings that fuel your mindset. Growing and maintaining a positive inner circle greatly increases your mental health, success, mood, attitudes, growth, and strengths!
3. SHE embraces the process and celebrates all successes
An essential factor of creating a growth mindset is embracing the journey of achieving your goal, rather than just fixating on the end result. Success is a journey, not the destination. Set small goals for your big ambitions. We all know how big goals can get overwhelming and daunting, they make us procrastinate and feel intimidated. Creating smaller goals will act as a ladder that will eventually lead you to the top. Do you want to run a marathon? Set the goal of running one mile. Do you feel like it has become easier over time? Add another mile gradually! Simply just start, and you’ll automatically feel a boost in your self-esteem! In society, we are conditioned to focus on celebrating the big wins. However, it is so important to celebrate the smaller victories and achievements to avoid exhaustion and promote long lasting self-motivation. So treat yourself on these occasions girly 😉
4. SHE doesn’t contemplate worst case scenarios
Rather than digging for the worst-case scenario that can potentially happen when it comes to a given decision you are about to take, focus on how far you have made it! In order to do this, try using the simple yet powerful diagnostic assessment, the “Wheel of Life” as a tool to evaluate your personal development. It allows us to “check-in” on our life and all while empowering us to achieve our dreams and current goals. Whenever you find yourself contemplating all the bad things that can happen to you, change that narrative and tell yourself, “I am fully capable of handling all situations that I come across, difficult encounters included”. The thoughts that you internalize in your mind hold the power to either propel you towards confidence or paralyze your ability to grow. You have already made it through so many challenges in life already, tell yourself that you can handle anything that comes your way with grace!
5. SHE doesn’t get discouraged by failures or challenges
Let’s redefine our universal perception of failure. Failure does not mean you are not successful. Failure does not mean it is time to give up on your dreams. When you fail, you are a step closer to achieving your goal. You’re probably thinking, how does this even make sense? Well, girly I’m going to let you in on a secret. Without failure, there is no growth. Without growth, there is no development. Without development, we remain in the same place we are. These obstacles are learning opportunities to become better, more efficient, strategic, and intellectual. Thus, we are bound to learn from our mistakes and give it a better and more developed shot! Use the failure as fuel towards the next the next step in your journey.
Now that you have the insider scoop on the most effective ways to build your growth mindset, try to progressively incorporate some of these secret ingredients into your daily routine, until they become a habit. Babes, I promise you, we are in this together! Like we mentioned, it all starts by taking a step and making smaller gradual goals. If you need someone to be your accountable bestie to keep you on track, I’m right here with you.
I’m waiting to hear about your progress and experiences next time 🙂
Xoxo, Boss Babe signing out
