How to create a Successful Mindset
Getting the right mindset will help you be more successful. This isn't easy, but it is important. And what is important is worth your time. I have 8 steps to help you get your head in the right place.
In my New Year, New You video, I talked about 3 steps to help you plan for a great year ahead. Now I want to talk about another aspect of Self-Mentorship - how to get into a successful mindset. Below I provide 8 steps to help you get started.
Why is a positive mindset important?
Put your energy toward positive outcomes
Make yourself more valuable to yourself and others
Build a virtuous cycle of change
“Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”
Be Kind to Yourself
To have the right mindset, you need to start by taking care of yourself.
You are the only ‘you’ that you will ever have.
Kind of amazing, right? Think about it this way, if you were given a special and important gift, that could never be replaced, you would cherish and care for it. So examine how you care for yourself. Give your body and mind what it needs to be strong. Get some: rest, food, water, and movement every day. (I realize you know this, but do you do it?) Being kind to yourself and others is important to your mindset. So be helpful to others:
share your skills
mentor someone
create a good environment where ever you can
“Happiness depends on your mindset and attitude.
Happiness is in your mind, not in the circumstance.”
Attitude Is Everything
Smile, and you will start to feel better, have the right attitude, and things will seem easier. This advice seems basic, and it is, but it is also true. Having the right attitude can help you see opportunities and solutions instead of problems and roadblocks. That is a powerful skill. When something bad happens, try this:
Act as though the problem is someone else's. Try to see it with detachment.
Visualize holding the issues as a 3D model. Hold it in front of you, look at it from all sides to appreciate it without evaluating or judging it.
Be curious. Can you see anything interesting about this issue? Do you notice something that can be to your advantage or could create an opportunity?
If you cannot see the positive, try writing it down or talking it out with someone else. There may be an option you have not considered or at least a silver lining. See my idea generation video for ideas for brainstorming concepts.
At the very least, you have reviewed the issue objectively and will likely have some insights into how to address it, even if it still is a 'problem.'
We Are What We Believe
The internal conversation we have with ourselves becomes our reality. If we see it, say it, and believe it will become our reality. So make sure you see, say, and believe positive things.
And remember to be aware of external conversations and relationships as well. Being positive when we are surrounded by negativity is hard. So work to stop your internal and external critics so you can move on with your life.
Then find positive role models and mentors. If you have a goal, work to find someone who has already been successful in something similar. Today this is easier than ever using YouTube. You can find motivational speakers or entrepreneurs who've taken the journey. Just by watching people who have taken charge of their lives and happiness, you can start a mindset shift. Use Linked-In or a professional organization to look for a mentor who can meet with you 1-on-1 to help you address your goals and focus on actions to reach goals. See my video on the Power of Mentorship to get ideas for taking the next step here.
“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”
Work Hard, Dream Big
You probably already work hard, but do you work hard for the things that matter to you and you're well-being? Are you on the hamster wheel of work and life but cannot visualize the course you want for yourself? People with a successful mindset can work hard and dream big because the focus is on creating the future they want. They feel everything is possible and can make great things happen in their lives because they have given themselves permission to visualize their future and feel in charge of their choices. They are the leaders of their lives. Learn more about Leadership Skills from this video.
Define Your Future
The best way to shift your mindset is to define your future. Making a plan that works for you, that you own and will fulfill your personal goals will start you on the path to learning leadership. Leaders first have to lead themselves, control their emotions, and share their visions. To build this skill try this:
Create your future 'state' vision using the Life Coaching or Future Self tools.
Create a story that paints a detailed picture of how you will think, feel, and do to achieve this reality.
Create a one or 2-minute story that paints this vision for yourself, repeat it to yourself, and get used to seeing that future
Share your story with someone else. At first, try a safe place, like a family member or your mentor.
Fine-tune your story, vision, and future state as you do this.
When you are ready to share your story with someone, you ask for help or investment.
No matter the story and the result, you have created a narrative that can help you gain confidence and a future-forward mindset. Learn more about Storytelling in this video.
Know What You Need To Succeed
Success takes more than imagination. It takes action. So be pragmatic about your skills and capabilities. See the video on Soft Skills as an example of assessing your current hard and soft skill set and defining the actions needed to build your skills, capabilities or get the experience you need to succeed.
By preparing to succeed, you increase the likelihood of being successful. This may mean taking a role that gives you the experience you need to fill a skill gap. It might include investing in networking to get to know the right people since connections are the number one way to learn new skills, develop a business relationship or find investors. Remember that networking works best if you always bring something of value to the relationship first: knowledge, ideas, or just a good book recommendation. Offering something of value will show others that you understand their value and are trying to reciprocate.
Commit To The Journey
There are few 'overnight successes' that include mindset shifts, personal growth, or business achievement. Make a plan, create actions to follow. Track your efforts and outcomes regularly; if your action plan is not working, assess with yourself or a mentor to decide if you should persevere or try a new tactic. Stay focused by learning self management skills via these videos on Goal Setting or Time Management, to help you stay on track to the new mindset you are working toward.
Celebrate your Success!
The goal of the journey is to progress. Remember, fast or slow, big or small, progress is the goal.
Take time to reflect on the journey and milestones and celebrate the small changes when you can claim victory in stopping a habit blocking your progress or sticking with a mindset change that was hard to learn. Make a note of it. If you have a journal, that is a great place to do this. If not, put a note in your calendar. Create some way of recording to look back on the successes. This is even more important when you feel the process is slow or an old destructive habit has slipped back into your mindset. Celebrations help you dedicate yourself to the long-term view that is the change is worth making. It is worth your time, focus, and energy.
Need more inspiration? Check this article on the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
The steps I have outlined above can be addressed separately, but in my experience, it helps if you do them as part of a process. Use the steps that are helpful to you. It is okay to start messy and refine your mindset goals and process. The point is to get started.
I hope you found this article helpful. If it did, I'd like to hear what step you find useful or how you would change it. Please leave a comment below and let me know—success in your plan to create a successful mindset. You've got this!
