Why Your Mindset is Holding You Back

If you've ever heard the phrase "fake it till you make it," you're already familiar with the concept of changing your mindset to make something happen. When it comes to feeling fulfilled in our personal and professional lives, nothing is more important than our mindset. It's what's going to keep us on the right path, get us through difficult times, and know when to step back and enjoy ourselves.

So, we'll be talking about your mindset and how it could be holding you back. There are some small changes that we can all commit to if we want to improve our state of mind. You'll be learning all about those here as well! 

Getting Your Mindset in the Right Place

Having a positive mindset doesn't mean that you're going to be happy all the time. That isn't how reality works. In fact, Russ Harriss wrote an entire book, The Happiness Trap, about how pursuing happiness can destroy our mindset and motivation. 

Instead of chasing an ideal, it's essential to get your mindset in the right place. A realistic place that can motivate you to make your future better. This mindset acknowledges that hard times may be ahead. And it also prepares you to make tough choices that could impact your road to success.

You see, by definition, mindset is a "set of beliefs that guide the way we interpret and handle situations.

If you can invest the time in yourself to understand your goals, needs, and unique perspective, you could develop the right mindset for your needs. 

The "right" mindset should look different for everyone, by the way. There are no two people with the same experiences and journey, so being true to yourself is a vital part of getting your mindset right.

Mindsets change your perspective on failure, as well. So, having the right mindset will also help you tackle failures head-on...rather than letting them sidetrack you from progress.

Once you are in-tuned with yourself again (meditation and exercise can help you get to this place!), you'll be in a brand new growth mindset. Then, you'll officially be ready to kick butt and pursue your goals.

Understanding the Differences Between Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets

Over 30 years ago, a world-renowned Stanford University psychologist named Carol Dweck changed the way we think about mindset. Instead of believing that some people are just born smart or successful, she posited a new idea:

Some people had a 'growth' mindset, while others had a 'fixed' mindset.

Based on the names alone, you can tell which bucket of people tended to be more successful and feel more fulfilled with their lives: those with a 'growth' mindset.

Dweck defined a growth mindset as a mindset that "thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities."

On the other hand, those with a fixed mindset tended to "assume that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can't change in any meaningful way." 

When someone adopts a growth mindset, they don't get trapped by self-imposed limits. If they meet failure, they'll find another way. When they thrive, it's because of their hard work and dedication. 

People with fixed mindsets are often able to skate by for a while on talent alone. But many great athletes never were able to switch from good to great (think John McEnroe). Why? Because instead of pushing through setbacks, they got frustrated at any sign of defeat while those with talent + growth mindset (think Michael Jordan) learned how to rise up and get stronger. 

Those with fixed mindsets feel stuck and often unfulfilled by the ways their lives are going. Whether professionally or personally, these individuals feel like nothing they do will change the dial. So they do nothing because nothing would change anyway, right?

Wrong! Getting your mindset into the right place, as I mentioned before, is key to reframing your perspective and removing the limitations you've created for yourself.

Marie Kondo Things that Take Up Your Energy

I love Marie Kondo. While I understand that it's difficult to let things go, especially personal property, I think minimalism always has a place in your mindset – even if you're not ready to bring it into your home. 

Marie Kondo's thing is getting rid of things that do not immediately spark joy. If you surround yourself with things that spark joy, you will feel more joyful and content.

Now, think about all that but in terms of your mindset.

What if you got rid of the things that did spark joy in your mind? What if you got rid of things that were no longer worth your energy?

Again, I'm not saying that you have to be Pollyanna all the time. But dwelling on past mistakes or circumstances out of our control are useless thoughts that are not going to get you any closer to your goals, and they are not sparking joy! When you apply Marie Kondo's test to things that are weighing heavy on your mind, you may be surprised about how much things can improve.

Suddenly, you'll have much more energy to dedicate to the things that make a difference in your life. Before you know it, you'll be making strides toward your goals without tons of baggage holding you back.

Reframing Your Needs 

It all starts with reframing your needs. It's time to tap into who you are, what your goals are, and what you need to do to get there.

Make sure you are putting time aside to focus on yourself. Do things that help you relax so that you feel refreshed when you do need to buckle down and get to work. 

It's not always possible to avoid stress, but it is possible to control the way you respond to stressful events. With a growth mindset, you will always be thinking about how you can turn a failure into a positive experience. A learning experience that will help you growth despite it being difficult at the moment.

If you have been stuck in a fixed mindset for a long time, reconnect with yourself and reframe your needs.

Think about the things you should "keep" rather than "throw away" in your life. Think about the things that will help you move forward rather than everything that is potentially dragging you behind.

This simple reframing exercise can help you further adjust your mindset so that you can handle anything that comes your way.

And maybe you can "fake it till you make it." Dress for the part you want, visualize your success, and act like you are already there. Let yourself feel what you feel when you've accomplished your goal. And maybe, just maybe, that switch in mindset will be the key that rockets you to success. 

Students: Here's a Little Something Extra for You

Adopting a growth mindset is perfect for your stage of life right now. 

When I started pharmacy school, I thought I had a growth mindset – but I was wrong. It wasn't until I read Dweck's book (check it out!), that I realized I had a long way to go. For me, there are many times that school came easy, which made it difficult to see how my habits were holding me back. I stuck to the same old study habits and told myself, "I'm just not good a X" as if I had ACTUALLY given it my all. 

Surprisingly to me, these thought patterns pointed to my fixed mindset! 

Why don't you challenge yourself to take one thing up a notch - whether that's pushing forward on learning a new concept.

And by this I mean instead of just memorizing a metabolic pathway, really learn it. 

Draw it, read a new book that explains a it differently, and talk about it until you can teach it to someone else! Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and trying new things is part of having a growth mindset. And these practices will help you be confident in a concept or task that was so hard at first!

Over time, that confidence and accomplishment of being excellent at a clinical concept you used to just memorize will push you forward to apply that methodology in other areas.