Have you ever wondered why some people succeed when they face challenges, but others tend to fall short? The answer is mindset. Mindset determines how you see challenges, deal with failure and approach self-improvement. By learning about the right mindset and taking action to develop it, you can change your life for the better.
A mindset is a set of beliefs that determine how you will approach everything in life. Your mindset can impact your ability to face challenges, how you will learn new things and whether or not you will grow as a person. There are two types of mindset: fixed mindset and growth mindset.
A fixed mindset believes that your intelligence, skills, personality traits and more cannot be changed. If you have a fixed mindset, you may avoid challenges, give up easily and believe that talent is enough to do something well. However, as you repeat this behavior, you become stagnant and won’t grow.
With a growth mindset, you believe that you can develop your abilities and intelligence by putting in effort, learning and being dedicated. When you have a growth mindset, you seek out challenges, don’t give up easily and understand that putting in effort will make you better at what you do. Failure is seen as something to learn from, not something that defines you as a person. By having a growth mindset, you can positively affect all areas of your life, whether it be getting a promotion at work or building better relationships.
Mindset Shift for Personal Growth
1. Understand why Self Awareness is Important
The first thing you should do when learning how to shift your mindset and grow as person is understand why self awareness is important. Self awareness is the ability to identify and recognize your thoughts, emotions and feelings. When you are self-aware and working on yourself, you can identify the limiting beliefs that are holding you back from shifting your mindset. By knowing your emotions, you can work through what is blocking you from having a growth mindset.
Let’s say you believe you cannot accomplish a goal. If you are aware of yourself and your emotions, you will be able to identify when you feel this way and where the belief came from. You can then take a step back and reframe this negative belief into something that will help you grow as a person.
Two quick ways you can practice self awareness is through meditation or by writing in a journal. Meditation will clear your mind and allow you to focus on your breathe. Writing in a journal can allow you to record your thoughts throughout the day and identify any patterns.
2. See Challenges and Failure As Bouncing Opportunities
Life is not always going to be easy for you, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take on challenges. When trying to shift your mindset and grow as person, you need to embrace challenges and see failure as a way to learn. We are taught from a young age to not fail and stay in our comfort zone. However, the best way to grow is by facing challenges head on.
Think of failure as a stepping stone towards success. Every time you fail at something, you learn what doesn’t work and can use that for when you reach your goal. For example, if you owned a business that went bankrupt, you can learn from your mistakes so the same thing doesn’t happen in your next venture.
If you want to start seeing challenges and failure as opportunities to learn and bounce back, you can try journaling, talking to a mentor or learning from someone who has failed at what you’re trying to do. Research by psychologist Carol Dweck showed that when people view their skills as able to be developed, they are more likely to accept difficult situations. You can also grow your network by surrounding yourself with resilient and positive people. They will show you that obstacles are a natural part of life and you can get through them.
Related: 8 Ways To Upgrade Your Life
3. Set Growth-Oriented Goals
If you want to shift your mindset and grow as a person, you need to set goals. Goals allow you to have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish. Not only that, but they also hold you accountable and give you something to work towards. When you are setting goals, you want them to be specific and attainable.
For example, instead of saying I want to do well at my job, you could say I will complete an online course on how to be a better leader by this time next quarter. With this goal, you have something specific you are working towards and you can easily measure if you reached your goal. When you reach your goal, make sure to celebrate. This will allow you to recognize your progress and keep pushing to grow as a person.
Another thing to consider when setting goals is to make sure they align with your values and long term vision. You also want to make sure you set a time frame so you don’t procrastinate. Try making your goals flexible in case something happens that you need to adjust your goal to.
4. Use Positive Affirmations
One of the best ways to change your mindset is by using affirmations. Affirmations are small sentences that you can say to yourself that will help rewire your thoughts. By using affirmations, you tell yourself that you can develop a growth mindset and overcome any obstacles that are holding you back.
Affirmations work because the more you tell yourself something, the more you will believe it. When you believe that you can improve and grow as a person, you will start to feel more confident and comfortable with yourself. Once you build your self esteem, you will take action on your goals instead of feeling scared of failure.
If you want your affirmations to be effective, make sure they are in present tense, specific and repeat them everyday. For example, you could say, “I am worthy of reaching my goals” instead of “I want to be successful.” By adding the word am, you are programming your mind to take action towards your goals. You should also visualize what you want to achieve while saying your affirmations.
5. Surround Yourself with Like-Minded Individuals
One of the best ways to shift your mindset and grow as a person is by surrounding yourself with other people that want to grow. When you are around other people that want to improve themselves, you will feel more motivated to keep going. You will also feel more accountable for your actions and will have people to lean on when you are faced with a challenge.
By growing your network with other people that want to better themselves, you will learn from their mistakes and they can learn from yours. You can easily find like-minded individuals by attending networking events or joining a workshop. Once you meet new people, try to become an active member of their community. You can do this by helping others, sharing useful resources and more. Remember, what you put out into the universe is what you will receive back.
Related: 8 Ways To Start Journaling For Personal Growth
6. Practice lifelong Learning
Another way to shift your mindset and grow as person is to never stop learning. Today, we live in a world where everything is constantly changing. If you want to grow your skills and become more confident in your career, you should aim to learn something new every day.
You could learn something by reading a book, reading research papers or taking an online class. Learning doesn’t always have to be about improving your skills at your job. You could learn something new about your hobbies or passion.
If you want to start lifelong learning, you should make sure to set goals and reflect on your progress. You can use a notebook, app or spreadsheet to track your progress. By constantly learning, you will sharpen your growth mindset and allow yourself to continuously grow as a person.
7. Practice Gratitude and Mindfulness
The last thing you can do to improve your mindset is by practicing gratitude and mindfulness. When you practice gratitude, you will program your mind to look for the good in every situation. You will also improve your relationships with others and be happier.
By practicing mindfulness, you will learn how to control your thoughts and stay present in the moment. If you combine both mindfulness and gratitude, you will improve your overall mental health and allow yourself to grow as a person.
You can practice gratitude by writing down things you are grateful for or simply telling others why you are grateful for them. To practice mindfulness, you can try meditation, taking deep breaths or mindfully observing your surroundings.
8. Take Action & Continue Growing
Shifting your mindset will only take you so far if you don’t take action. If you truly want to grow as a person, you need to make sure you always taking some sort of action towards your goals. You should also make sure that you are tracking your progress and celebrating every time you reach a goal.
Since life is constantly changing, you want to make sure you learn how to adapt to any situation that gets thrown at you. If you allow these 8 steps to shift your mindset to become habits, you will continue to grow as person and reach your goals.
Conclusion
Shifting your mindset is a process, not a one-time thing. If you want to grow as a person, make sure you are practicing self awareness, accepting challenges, setting goals, and using positive affirmations. Also, make sure to surround yourself with like-minded individuals that want to grow, practice lifelong learning, and practice gratitude and mindfulness.
Remember to take action towards your goals and always stay open to adapting. You have the power to change your life, you just have to take the first step.
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