Self Doubt

Do you ever catch yourself making excuses in your mind for why you can’t do this or that? How about talking yourself down from trying something new? Many people will spend their moments before a new adventure thinking about all the ways it can go wrong or all the potential outs they can use to get out of doing something they’ve never done before, and all of these bad habits link back to a fixed mindset.

While it’s natural to be unsure and even feel a little fear when you’re trying something for the first time, people with a fixed mindset will habitually stray away from new experiences because of a mix of limiting beliefs that tell them they can’t become good at something. After all, the fixed mindset is all about being born with a certain level of talent. If you didn’t possess a skill at birth, you can’t develop it–or can you?

The fact is, the fixed mindset is a limiting concept that has been disproven time and time again, yet it still holds many people back from becoming the best that they can be. That’s why many people are actively trying to get out of a fixed mindset and adopt a growth mindset instead, which will enable them to persevere even when they face obstacles. But, how do you switch from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset?

The Fix

While it will take time to change your old habits, there are many ways you can make new mindset techniques stick. The number one thing you can do is get in the habit of listening to your mind’s inner voice. Pay more attention to the things you say to yourself on a day-to-day basis and make it a point to talk to yourself in a growth mindset voice. You should also project this voice out into the world and in the conversations you have with others.

For instance, if you have never danced before, bite your tongue before you tell someone it’s “not your thing” or you “simply can’t dance.” Instead, tell them you have never tried it before–and then give it a shot. If you do, you’ll soon see that you can learn anything you put your mind too.

With a growth mindset, you’ll be able to overcome anything that stands in your way so long as you have the willpower to do so. When you want to learn something new, don’t allow yourself to say that you can’t or won’t ever be able to. Instead, put in the time and effort and follow a proven strategy so that you can prove the fixed mindset wrong and pick up a new skill in the process.

It will really only take doing it once to see that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. Each day, check in with yourself and regularly analyze how you are thinking. The only way to change your mindset is to continuously and persistently change your inner thoughts, and then everything else will fall in line.