How often do you actively think about your mindset?
Or, taking a step back, what is it, exactly, and why should you care about it?
Mindset, simply put, refers to the mental attitude, beliefs, and perspective you have about yourself and the world around you. It shapes how you interpret events, situations, and challenges. It’s the stories you tell yourself about what happened and, more importantly, what this means.
So whether you realise it or not, your mindset has a huge impact on not just your performance, but your overall experience of work…and relationships…and life..!
And the cool thing is, you have agency in this. You are capable of adjusting the meaning making process that happens inside your head. So it supports you rather than holds you back.
I’m not gonna lie – it can be hard work to improve your mindset. If you have some long held beliefs about your own capability (or perceived lack of), it’s easier to keep telling yourself that you’re not good. Note that I didn’t say it’s more pleasant! We’ve all hosted our own pity parties – and it’s important to feel all the feelings – but the key is how we can shift out of that, and into a better situation.
So here’s some ways to make your mindset work for you.
Tell your self a better story
If you’ve got a fixed mindset (if you think that your talent, ability and intelligence can’t be changed) then next time you’re faced with a challenge, a task you’re not sure about, a tricky situation try shifting from “I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s only a matter of time until everyone finds out” to “I don’t know what I’m doing yet. It’s only a matter of time until I figure it out.”
I have used this a lot recently – I had a belief that I didn’t know anything about sales or marketing. Kinda important things when you’re starting your own business. Instead of letting this stop me, I’ve reframed it as ‘this is a skill I’m learning’. I know that I’m not going to get it perfect first time (if you follow me on social media you’ll see evidence of this!) but I’m practicing, and observing, and seeing what works and what doesn’t and learning from it.
Remember that no one knows everything – but your problem solving skills are a way through.
Problem solving can be as simple as thinking about the next step. What do you need to do next? You don’t need to know every single step between where you are and success. I promise, that as you take action and progress, new steps and pathways will emerge. New ideas and possibilities will come to you, and as long as you explore them through the lens of the end goal, you’re getting there.
Don’t forget that doing the thing also builds momentum and confidence – a positive reinforcing spiral, if you will. This is an important part of growing – acknowledging when you do make progress, and in particular when you’ve learnt a new skill. Again, this builds your confidence for next time.
Practice, practice, practice
A second thing I want to reinforce is that when you’re practicing shifting your mindset, always remember it’s not an automatic thing and it’s something you need to practice (side note – like most things, I don’t think there’s a fixed/ solved/ end point – we’re all a work in progress). And if you’re like me, you’ll have days and times when you feel like you’re nailing it, and others where you’re not so sure. This is when the work starts – you have to force yourself to remember that the reason you’ve been given this task/ job/ position is because others have confidence in you. You are here because you are smart and capable!
Coach yourself
My third hot tip is to start to coach yourself a bit. Take five minutes, and answer these questions:
- What would some who is ‘good’ at this say now?
- What would I say to someone else in this situation?
- If I was who I want to be, what would I say to myself instead?
If you’ve done strengths or other diagnostics, reflect back on these strengths and how you can use them. But also think about what other thinking styles might be useful here – maybe you need to think creatively rather than analytically about a problem.
Create space for your subconscious
Lastly, sometimes taking a break and stepping away can create real shifts in mindset. Maybe you’re over tired, too deep in your problem, and a bit of time and space can make the world of difference, allowing your subconscious to help you solve problems. Sometimes called ‘shower moments’ these can happen anywhere where you’re not in front of a screen, aren’t concentrating too much, but are just aware enough that you’re not actively thinking about the problem. Walking outside is a great option here – it’s starting to get cooler now, so put on a jacket and do it!
Improving your mindset is an incredibly rewarding experience. Having a mindset that works for you helps you realise your potential, and contemplate goals and opportunities you never thought possible.
If you’re ready to take your mindset to the next level, I invite you to join my program Find Your Pathway. In this program, you’ll learn practical strategies to cultivate a mindset that works for you, create personalised, concrete actions with supportive accountability.
Let’s chat about how this could work for you
Note that I am assuming that you’re not operating in a toxic or unsupportive environment. In these situations, it’s important to to acknowledge that your mindset isn’t the challenge, and perhaps it’s context or environment. If this is the case, different action is be required.
