Bi-Monthly Self-Assessment - How Is Your Mind "Set"?

Jan/Feb 2021

Self-Assessment

Happy New Year!

This is #5 of my short bi-monthly self-assessments with different topics for my friends and clients. My hope is to shine a light on various aspects of your life - to allow you to pause and reflect on how you relate.

Is there anything around this topic you really like / dislike? Why?
Looking at your life, how satisfied are you in this area?
What might you need to stop doing in order for your life to be more fun?
What do you need to start doing to have more fun?

MINDSET

Growth or Fixed? Can or Cannot Do?

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GROWTH MINDSET

“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Michael Jordan (click to watch the video)

What do you do when you are faced with a challenge? Do you look at it as an opportunity to learn something new, to go beyond your comfort zone or do you retreat to your safe space? How is your mind “set”?

• Our mindset shapes whether we believe we can learn and change and grow – or not.

• Fixed mindset - my abilities are set in stone.

• Growth mindset - my growth and development are possible.

• Fixed mindset - approval; growth mindset - development.

• Fixed mindset - failures are disasters; growth mindset - failures are opportunities.

• Fixed mindset - avoids difficulties; growth mindset - relishes them.

There has been a lot of research done about this topic. One of the most comprehensive studies has been done by Carol S. Dweck which she presented in her book “Mindset”. Carol S. Dweck TED Talk

Our default is a growth mindset. As babies, we learn and grow. Failure is not a part of our world. Watch a baby trying to get a toy or a small child learning how to walk. They don't ponder if they can do it and what it will mean if they fail. They just go for it until they succeed. Somewhere at that stage, our parents become our role models. They either encourage us to learn and experiment or they warn us of failures and judge what is right and wrong. Then we enter school and our teachers act as a reinforcement.

Does YOUR mindset serve you?

Noticing your tendency is the first step. Do you like your "setting" or would you prefer something else? In general, a fixed mindset is hard when you want to learn something new because your beliefs and attitudes stand in the way. The good news is that your brain can be trained like any other muscle: if we want a growth mindset, we can teach ourselves to think that way one step at a time.

FIXED MINDSET

Failure has dramatic repercussions for people with a fixed mindset. For example, when the golfer Sergio García (click to watch the video) was having a bad streak, he fired one caddy after another in fits of rage. Once, he even blamed his shoes, took them off and threw them at a bystander.

What is your mind “setting”? Have fun and let me know if you have any questions or observations.

Take the Survey

Take the Past Surveys

December Survey - Options or Possibilities

Do you like to do things “as they come” or do you have your “to-do” lists? Do you hate routines or are does it make you crazy when the day does not go as planned? Do you have several color coded calendars telling you what will happen next month on a Tuesday or do you keep you options open? Or are you somewhere in-between?

November Survey - Motivation

Do you feel a pull TOWARDS a goal (pleasure) or is it more a move AWAY from undesirable consequences (pain)?. Your tendency profoundly affects many aspects of our life. If pain or reward are big enough - all of us will eventually move away or towards. But how does it work in your day-to-day life?

October Survey - World View

Have you ever had a conversation when you just can't agree on anything? You just do not seem to connect. It is sunny outside, but your friend is pointing out that it will rain tomorrow. Or - your friends keep talking about how good your golf shot was, but you know it is "just one" and there are many more to come. Is it possible that some people see white dots on a black background and some see black field with missing white dots? Yes!

September Survey - Time Perception

How do you perceive time? You have a relationship with your family, friends, co-workers … but did you know that you have also a relationship with “time”? Do you know that how you relate to “time” directly effects how you view the word - how much fun or struggle you have, how you create your business or how satisfied are your with your job and finances?