Do you want the empowering feeling of knowing that anything is possible?
That if you apply your mind to your desired goal, you can accomplish it.
Well, it takes having the right mindset—a growth mindset.
A growth mindset is as vital to entrepreneurs as wings are to owls.
Today, we’re going to define a growth mindset and show you how to develop this superpower.
Some of you may have bruised wings. You may feel trapped in a cage of self-doubt.
But now is the time to change that. Remove all self-restraints so you and your finances can take flight.
When you know in your heart there are no ceilings, you can soar to unimaginable heights.
So let’s get started.
What is a Growth Mindset
Carol Dweck wrote a fantastic book titled Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. In the book, Dweck breaks down the differences between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. She explains that someone with a growth mindset always finds ways to improve.
Instead of seeing challenges as scary obstacles, growth-minded individuals view challenges as stepping stones for progress.
However, individuals with a fixed mindset hate challenges. They believe that skills can’t be acquired. (Actually, “acquired” is the wrong word. Skills can only be earned, not acquired. The term “acquire” sounds too passive. To become more skillful, you must take on an active approach. But I digress.)
The motto of a fixed mindset person: you either have it or you don’t. They believe that you are born with a limit to what you can achieve. That people who are great at their craft are great simply because they’re gifted.
A growth mindset individual believes that you can improve with practice; the type of practice that measures growth, and fortifies weaknesses.
A fixed mindset sees limits to human potential. A growth mindset doesn’t perceive borders.
Check out this clip from Carol Dweck:
https://youtu.be/yYknuaoIdME
As an entrepreneur, you will face challenges. But you must persist. To help you push forward, you need to develop and sharpen a growth mindset.
Why You Need a Growth Mindset
Your mind creates your environment. It creates the world you live in, and forms the perspective that dominates your life.
And your perspective shapes how you make decisions; it forms the expectations you place on yourself.
When you don’t believe you can improve, you block self-growth. Without belief, you can’t go forward.
With a growth mindset, you can persist when you encounter setbacks.
Let me give you a growth mindset example.
Imagine you suddenly felt the urge to learn how to play the piano.
As a developing pianist, you realize that improvements only happen when you undergo that awkward period of playing tone-deaf tunes.
You suppress the expectation of sounding like Beethoven your first day with the piano. You keep in mind that it takes years of practice to master your craft.
Your Heart is Like a Compass
Our hearts, like a compass, point us in the direction of our passion. Your heart guides you to that interest for a reason. If you have a growth mindset, your brain will help fulfill your heart’s requests.
There is a reason why you have a passion for your interest. Passion gives you the energy to pursue what you want in life. That passion is a sign that you have the potential to be spectacular in your preferred craft; it’s that first step.
A fixed mindset impedes your ambitions; it gets in the way of your heart.
While a growth mindset will encourage you to keep taking those additional steps.
Enhance Your Capabilities; Grow Your Power
Capabilities aren’t fixed. They can evolve. With experience, you learn. With effort, you reach higher levels.
Believe that you are capable of accomplishing anything you target.
With a growth mindset, you understand that you are capable of more today than you were yesterday. You realize that you will be capable of more tomorrow than you are today.
Potential is infinite. Only you can place endpoints on your capabilities. But why would you want to do that? A fixed mindset individual unknowingly shrinks their potential, while someone with a growth mindset stimulates potential.
Look at the word “potential.”
In it, you see the word “potent,” which means “powerful.” So, when you tap into your potential, you’re tapping into your power source. The more you do this, the more powerful you become.
So, when you enhance your capabilities, you are tapping into your potential. While at the same time, becoming more powerful. And remember what I said earlier? Potential is infinite. And so are your capabilities.
How to Develop a Growth Mindset: 6 Actionable Tips
1. Dedicate your life to continuous learning
Each day, you should be smarter after sunset than you were before sunrise.
Treat your mind as if it has an insatiable appetite: continue feeding it resourceful information that will help you and your finances grow.
Jim Rohn once said:
Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.
Your finances will only grow if you grow. And the only way you will continue to grow is by stimulating growth with new impactful information.
2. Welcome Challenges with Open Arms
A challenge is to be conquered, not feared.
You improve by expanding your comfort zone. But to expand your comfort zone, you must be willing to do what you have never done before.
You must be open to making a mistake.
You must embrace the liberating notion that failure is temporary.
Check out this quote from Jessica Herrin, Founder and CEO of Stella & Dot:
“You have to see failure as the beginning and the middle, but never entertain it as an end.”
View failure as a stepping stone to success.
3. Gain Strength from Mistakes
Allow mistakes to fuel you, not hamper you. Realize that within every mistake, there’s a lesson. A mistake is not a reflection of your character. Your character forms from how you handle that mistake.
And what does Albert Einstein have to say about making mistakes?
A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
4. Enjoy your growth journey
Cherish the process of development. Avoid seeking instant gratification. Instant gratification conditions you to devalue the journey. Without the journey, the destination isn’t as rewarding.
5. Cleanse your mind
Eliminate limiting thoughts. Surround yourself with positivity. Purge negativity so you can inhale fresh air. Enjoy the magnificence of optimism.
6. Develop strong self-belief
Believe that you can reach your destination. Make the efforts to get there. Maintain your strong will and desire.
To develop a growth mindset, you must realize that you control your actions. You control how you handle obstacles.
When you take control of your mind, you’re able to develop strong self-belief.
You Owe it to Yourself
Remember this:
It is in your nature to grow. Follow your nature. Honor your nature.
You came into this world as an infant, and then you grew into the person you are now. And even though, stature-wise, you stop growing at a certain age, you should never stop growing mentally and as a person.
A growth mindset is powerful, and for your finances, it can be revolutionary.
Are you ready to grow?