Mindset Matters – Belief and Self-Confidence

In order to have a success mindset, you need to find your passion and know yourself. When you can do that, then suddenly everything is going to fall seamlessly into place. You’ll find you have plenty of energy when you truly love whatever it is you do!

Many people find it challenging to formulate a clear picture of how they can ‘find their passion and know themselves’ and even to simply understand themselves better.  I know this based on feedback from clients and non-clients with whom I speak.

It’s understandable that this is a challenge for many. For the most part, while growing up, few of us were encouraged to look inward and discover who we really are.  We tend to go with the flow and take life on a surface level. If you are a Life Coach, Business Coach, or Therapist, you know this to be true.

There are many ways and answers to a question that deals with mindset or success, as there are several variables.  As a student of mindset, the following reflect some of my thoughts on the topic.

Mindset Defined

Mindset is a set of beliefs that you’ve acquired or cultivated consciously or unconsciously over a period of time.  These are based on your values, your culture, things you were taught or told repeatedly, whether from childhood or from a later time in life so that they become a part of who you are and other factors.

The interesting thing about mindset is that your beliefs can be adjusted or re-programmed. 

In her research, a world-renowned psychologist at Stanford University, Carol Dweck, shows the distinction between a Fixed Mindset and a Growth Mindset.  Having a growth mindset is at the core of believing in yourself.  Despite the influences of your cultural background, taking the time to understand and develop a growth mindset will allow you to recognize that you have the capacity to add to your basic abilities so that you become self-motivated and creative, bringing joy and accomplishment to yourself and those around you.

This is a good place to take out a sheet of paper and start doing some introspection and evaluation.

• How would you rate your confidence level on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the lowest)?
• How often do you find yourself criticizing yourself for something you did not do?
• Do you believe you’re capable of doing great things and excelling, or do you believe that others are better than you and you could “never be as good as So and So?
• Do you ever catch yourself saying to yourself, “Who am I to think I could …”?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, know you’re not alone.  It would be easy to say that successful people never think these negative thoughts.  I’d venture to say that no matter how successful people are, they at times fall victim to negativity.  The difference is that they do not allow these thoughts to paralyze them into inactivity.  They keep going, and find help to work through these ‘downtimes.’

Mindset Matters: Think Big Then Believe

Thinking big involves truly believing in yourself and that your dreams and goals are possible; they can come true. It means building your confidence so that you no longer feel that others can do it but you can’t.  This is why thinking big requires a solid foundation of belief – in you, in your dreams, and in the life that you truly want. But how can you do this successfully?

First, take a look around you. Are there people in your life who have demonstrated big thinking?  Despite the odds, they have achieved big things in their life, or they have been able to rise above circumstances that dictated otherwise and been able to succeed in one or more activities?

They are proof that thinking big and achieving big are can be accomplished. Those people got to where they wanted to go. If they did it, so can you.  Why not identify some of these persons and study them to see what they did? Where possible, speak with them directly. These people can provide you with a roadmap that can get you from Point A to Point B.