Many people do not realize that growing your business, your brand, increasing your following, or reaching new levels starts with your mind. Your growth is determined by the freedom of your mind.
If your mind is limited and blocked with short-sighted limitations, you will not see your full growth potential. However, a free mind that has no limits will take you beyond your excepted growth potential. How far you grow is solely determined by how far you are willing to let your mind go. I encourage you to let your mind carry you beyond your now and into your next. Free yourself of stigmas and the past. Don’t lock your mind in a cage. Allow your mind to be free to grow so you can grow. Growing your mind can be achieved through the following:
- Pay attention to your words and thoughts. Start to pay attention to the words you speak, even the words in your mind. If your words are low or dark, the results may be also. So watch yourself. Listen to what you are saying and thinking. Censor yourself and become your own guide.
- Stop seeking approval from others. Approval from others can often prevent a growth mindset. Cultivate self-acceptance and self-approval. Learn to trust yourself. You are the only person who will always be there for you in your life so you are the only one you need to impress.
- Refuse to let others control your mind. No one should be able to tell you your limits or define how far you go. Often people speak low limits into your mind because of their lack of success or their desire to not see you excel beyond them. Keep your mind free of others.
- Turn criticism around until you find its gift. The purpose of criticism is to make things better. Someone else can see what you are doing from a slightly different perspective than you and may have some valuable suggestions for you. If you’re open to hearing suggestions, you can more easily develop your growth mindset.
- Be realistic. It takes time, sometimes lots of time, to learn a new skill, like learning a new language or learning to play an instrument or learning how to become a good lawyer or developing a business from ground zero. It’s absolutely okay to glean from others.
- Acknowledge and embrace imperfection in self and others, as it is the spice that makes us individuals. We all have our flaws, peculiarities, weirdness and imperfections. Our imperfections make us unique. They are to be embraced, not frowned upon. And self-love is a good thing.
- Own your attitude. If you value having a growth mindset, take the time and try to develop it. Persist, and opportunities will come. Cultivate resilience along the way. You are remolding your mind to take you to the next level.
In summary, a growth mindset means one embraces challenges, persists in the face of setbacks, takes responsibility for their words and actions, and acknowledges that effort is the path toward mastery. It is basically the reason why “practice makes perfect."
By choosing to make the extra effort to build a growth mindset, you can make your mental processes work for you, resulting in a greater likelihood that you get the results you're looking for and live the life you want to live. I leave you with the declarative words of the R&B group EnVogue “ Free your mind, and the rest will follow.”
