One of the most valuable resources we have is our mindset, our attitude. Our mindset determines the outlook of our entire life. A beautiful sunny day to one person can be just another stressful boring day to another. Our mindset is also one of the few things that we have complete control over. We get to choose how we view our tasks, the world around us, and how we show up each day.
It’s kind of amazing that one of our most powerful tools is something we have complete control over!
There are so many different factors that go into our mindset and so many different outlooks we can have as a result. One of the most important kind of mindsets is a growth mindset. The way we view learning, new things, and potential opportunities can have a huge impact on the quality of our life. Fortunately, our mindset is ours to create and choose.
It’s been a very busy year so far, especially at work where priorities are constantly shifting, and needs continue to evolve. It would be easy to view all the change as bad or stressful, to dig my feet in and try to resist each new thing that comes up. But that wouldn’t change the new things that need to be done. It would only make my day a lot more stressful and frustrating and likely make everything a lot harder on everyone I interact with. Instead, I choose to view change, in work and out, as an opportunity to learn and grow.
I love learning new things and I’m constantly trying to grow myself, personally and professionally. Making the choice to view change as an opportunity rather than a point of stress and frustration makes it a lot easier to learn and grow. By focusing on leveraging each change as a way to showcase my current skills and learn new ones, I am able to enjoy the changes and learn from them. There will always be some things that feel frustrating, but choosing to come at them with a growth mindset helps minimize the frustration and maximize the benefits.
Choosing to look at change as an opportunity shifts your emotions away from fear and into excitement. I’m grateful I get to expand my skillset and I’m excited at what I can learn and create.
If you struggle with change or you aren’t sure how to take on a growth mindset, start small. Whenever a change is presented to you, pause, take a breath, and ask yourself “how can I learn from this” and “what benefits could come from this”. The more you practice, the easier it gets.
It can seem hard to find any benefits at first but benefits aren’t always straightforward. Maybe the benefit of one change is that you get to practice saying “no”. Or the benefit of another is that you get to practice asking questions.
Another way to look at change from a growth mindset is to start with what you already know. What are you currently trying to improve or learn? You probably know what that is. Then ask yourself, “how can I improve or learn this while implementing this change?”. You’ve just turned something potentially scary or frustrating into an exciting opportunity!
What’s your favorite growth mindset trick or strategy?
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