I recently had the privilege of being interviewed by my good friend and mentor, Michael, on his Academy podcast. Talking with Michael, who is a very experienced coach, mentor and speaker always raises some great points for me, and this time, it really highlighted the importance of mindset in getting you where you want to go.
I talked a little bit about my background – where I grew up education was not highly valued and the fact that I had ambitions beyond what people thought I “should be doing” meant that I was ridiculed a lot. Since that time I have coached many people, some who come from very tragic backgrounds, but the one key thing that seems to unite those who are the most successful and those who do well in spite of their background tends to be how well they manage their mindset.
There is a famous quote from Henry Ford:
“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t – you’re right.”
This quote speaks powerfully to why mindset matters in your everyday life. Your mindset can either limit your potential or open your pathway up to success. I’m always a big advocate for deciding what you want, then doing everything to go out and get it, but I realize for most people this is easier said than done. We all have that little voice that interferes sometimes, the one that questions, casts doubt and makes you feel stupid. The thing is, all successful people hear that little voice sometimes too, it’s a matter of equipping yourself with the tools to overcome it.
Many people get stuck in a trap of thinking if only they worked harder or longer, greater success would come to them. Sure hard work comes into it (you can’t expect things to just come to you if you’re doing nothing to get them!), but quite often the key ingredient missing is the mindset piece.
You see, our mindset can work to help or to sabotage us. If you really think you can’t do something, can’t have something or are not worthy, at a subconscious level you will work to sabotage your chances at success. On the opposite side, if you witness someone who really owns their mindset, they tend to shine and good things seem to happen to them all the time!
What can you do to get started? Here are 3 steps to put you on the road to mastering a success mindset:
1. Create your vision
It’s difficult to attract the right things into your life when you’re not even sure about what you want! Write it down, mind map it, create a vision board or find any other way to create a vision of what you want. It can be anything you want – dream big! The important thing is to create that clarity over what you would like to achieve. The mind is a funny thing, as soon as you are clear about exactly what it is you want, suddenly you find a way to start making that happen and attracting the right people or events into your life.
2. Ditch the victim mentality…
This means adopting a positive attitude, being accepting of challenges and responding calmly instead of blaming or playing the victim. This is not necessarily easy to do, especially if you have been used to negative thoughts or being surrounded by negative people, but take it as a daily challenge and start to monitor your thoughts. It is possible to train your mind to think more positive thoughts that serve you better rather than dwelling on the negative. Monitor your thoughts and take up activities such as meditation which help you to tune your mind.
3. Choose who you hang out with…
Ok, if some of your immediate family members are often the negative voices in your life, it may be difficult to simply ditch them, but what you could do is seek out others who are positive and uplifting. Find the doers, the encouragers, the coaches and the mentors – those who will be a positive voice in your life. If it is success in business that you are after, surround yourself with like-minded entrepreneurs and expand your network. The point is that you should be selective about who you allow to be a significant voice in your life – remember misery does love company and you don’t want to get stuck on that train!
