Unbeatable Mindset
Mindset is a term that gets thrown around a lot in the fitness and personal development industry.
I think having the right mindset is about as important as anything to being healthy and successful, at the same time too many people abuse the word for clicks.
One of the best books written on Mindset was by Carol Dweck. She made the case the we either have a growth mindset; the belief that abilities can be developed and the desire to embrace learning, challenges, and setbacks as sources of growth—creates the drive and resilience that influence success in virtually every area of life. Or we have a fixed mindset believe talent is everything. If they’re not gifted with the ability to do something, they think they’re doomed to be a failure. Their skills seem to be written down in their genes, just like their looks, which is why they never try to improve in something they suck at.
This concept is not hard to grasp, in fact it’s quite simple but there is the rub, fat loss is simple but it’s not easy.
Having a growth mindset takes practice just like everything else.
The first thing you need to do is recognize what it means to have a growth mindset and decide where you fall. If you have a fixed mindset you need to work on changing it but again, this is easier said than done.
If you are someone who constantly says “I am no good at X” you most likely have a fixed mindset. The opposite of that is “I need to learn how to do X so I can do this myself”.
It may be subtle difference but it has big implications as to how your life will play out.
The growth mindset is one of optimism in my opinion and the fixed mindset is pessimistic.
We all have moments of pessimism but we need to watch to make sure it isn’t our default that we turn too in tough situations.
If you practice having a growth mindset you will see that you can deal with issues better. When you are having to deal with problems but come at them with a mindset that you can fix it or get the help you need to fix it, things are just better.
One of the main benefits of a growth mindset is that it creates a hunger for learning as opposed to seeking approval from others Dweck writes:
“Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better? Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? Why look for friends or partners who will just shore up your self-esteem instead of ones who will also challenge you to grow? And why seek out the tried and true, instead of experiences that will stretch you? The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”
I think if we believe we have the ability to learn new things and become better, we will ultimately be happier and more successful.
