Category Archives: Growth Mindset

How to Cultivate a Growth Mindset

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“What you think, you become.”

The idea that our thoughts become our reality? Well that’s something we tend to forget, even if we know it’s true. We prefer to tinker with our outside worlds—to switch our diets, change jobs, try a new life hack. Don’t get me wrong, these do help you move toward a better life.

“Wealth occurs in the mind long before it ever shows up in the wallet”

But the most successful people in history know this: Your thoughts create your reality.

Ancient Wisdom
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” —Lao Tzu


“90% of success is mindset.” —David Bayer
Science has finally joined the party and confirmed what our top minds have known for three millennia: Our minds create what shows up in our reality. David Bayer’s clearly done serious thinking about mindset and he had some fascinating science about the power of thought:

  • Thoughts create happiness: In a study published in the Yonsei Medical Journal, researchers found a strong connection between positive thinking and overall life satisfaction.
  • Visualization creates our future: Scientists at the Institute of Neurology in London have shown that those who visualize a better future are more likely to create one.
  • Affirmations bring results: Researchers at the University of Exeter foundthat people who use affirmations (constructive, repetitive thought) to set goals were more likely to achieve them.
  • We tell our brain what to look out for: The Reticular Activating System in our brainstem allows only important information into our consciousness. Studies suggest we can program it with a positive mindset and good things will show up in our lives.
  • Negativity steals our power: When we worry or feel fear, our adrenal glands release the hormone cortisol. Research shows that high levels hurt our productivity and lead to burnout.
  • Others’ mindsets influence our own: Neuroscientists recently discovered“mirror neurons” in the brain that respond to actions we see in others. Surround yourself with positive thinkers and you’ll become one.

— Read on www.success.com/how-to-cultivate-a-growth-mindset/

Why Failure Is Good for Success | SUCCESS

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Failure is as powerful a tool as any in reaching great success.

“Failure and defeat are life’s greatest teachers [but] sadly, most people, and particularly conservative corporate cultures, don’t want to go there,” says Ralph Heath, managing partner of Synergy Leadership Group and author of Celebrating Failure: The Power of Taking Risks, Making Mistakes and Thinking Big.

In today’s post-recession economy, some employers are no longer shying away from failure—they’re embracing it. According to a recent article in BusinessWeek, many companies are deliberately seeking out those with track records reflecting both failure and success, believing that those who have been in the trenches, survived battle and come out on the other side have irreplaceable experience and perseverance.

“The quickest road to success is to possess an attitude toward failure of ‘no fear.’ ”

They’re veterans of failure. The prevailing school of thought in progressive companies—such as Intuit, Corning and Virgin Atlantic—is that great success depends on great risk, and failure is simply a common byproduct. Executives of such organizations don’t mourn their mistakes but instead parlay them into future gains.

“The quickest road to success is to possess an attitude toward failure of ‘no fear,’ ” says Heath. “To do their work well, to be successful and to keep their companies competitive, leaders and workers on the front lines need to stick their necks out a mile every day.

Embrace failure as a necessary step to unprecedented success.

— Read on www.success.com/why-failure-is-good-for-success/

10 Reasons It Is Never Too Late to Start a Small Business

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Those who start businesses later in life have a better chance of reaching success: Studies have shown that if you’re over 55 years old, you are twice as likely as your counterparts who are under 35 to launch a high-growth startup.

Not convinced? Here are 10 reasons you would make a better entrepreneur now than you would have when you were younger.
— Read on www.thebalancesmb.com/10-reasons-it-s-never-too-late-to-start-a-small-business-4083127

21 lessons for how to get the most out of life, from a guy who retired at 50 – MarketWatch

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A man who retired at 50 offers some unvarnished truths about life and retiring.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” — Hunter S. Thompson

— Read on www.marketwatch.com/story/21-lessons-learned-from-early-retirement-2018-04-12

Millionaire Mindset to Achieve Financial Independence

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Develop A Millionaire Mindset…Truly wealthy people develop the habit of “getting rich slow” rather than “getting rich quick.” To assure this, they have two rules with regard to money.

  • Rule number one: Don’t lose money.
  • Rule number two: If ever you feel tempted, refer back to rule number one, “don’t lose money.”

Wealthy people spend much more time thinking about their finances than people who remain poor. For example:

  • The average adult spends 2-3 hours each month studying and thinking about their money, usually at bill paying time.
  • The average self-made millionaire, by contrast, spends 20-30 hours per month thinking, studying and planning his finances.

This millionaire mindset, the very act of focusing on your money, will dramatically improve the decisions you make with regard to it. People who invest more time planning their finances invariably make better decisions, get better results, and achieve financial independence.

Develop The Habits Of Wealthy People

With regard to your growing bank account and goal of achieving financial independence, millionaires develop a series of other financial habits to assure that they don’t lose money, and that their money grows steadily over time. During the cultivation of a millionaire mindset, one of the best financial habits you can develop is the habit of getting good financial advice before you do anything with your growing account. Ask around and find a financial advisor who is has already achieved financial independence by investing his or her personal money in the areas that he or she recommends to you. Your ability to choose excellent financial advisors can be the critical factor in making good investment decisions.

Develop the habit of investigating before you invest in anything. The rule is:

“Spend as much time investigating the investment as you spend earning the money that you are thinking of investing.”

Fast financial decisions are usually poor financial decisions. Develop the habit of taking your time, of moving slowly, of finding out every detail of the business or investment before you ever think of writing a check. Never allow anyone to pressure you into an investment decision. Never allow yourself to feel that a financial investment decision is urgent and must be made immediately. A wealthy man I worked for once told me, “Investments are like buses; there will always be another one coming along.”

Sometimes, the best investments are the ones you never make at all. Make a habit of thoroughly understanding the investment before you ever think of parting with your hard earned money. If there is anything that you do not understand, or which seems too complicated for you, do not put your money in that area at all.

— Read on www.briantracy.com/blog/financial-success/look-rich-or-be-rich-develop-a-millionaire-mindset-to-achieve-financial-independence-wealthy-people/

Mindset Matters

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“Your view of yourself can determine everything.”

According to Stanford psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck’s essential finding — children who have a “growth mindset” that intelligence can be developed are better able to overcome academic stumbling blocks than those who have a “fixed mindset” that intelligence is predetermined — is as relevant as ever. Her work has influenced research across the social sciences and reached tens of thousands of schoolchildren nationwide. (Source: Why Mindset Matters, Stanford Magazine, September 20, 2017, by Marina Krakovsky)

https://medium.com/stanford-magazine/carol-dweck-mindset-research-eb80831095b5

Dr. Dweck states: “…in the growth mindset, failure can be a painful experience. But it doesn’t define you. It’s a problem to be faced, dealt with, and learned from.” We can still learn from our mistakes.

Dr. Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset tips for parents:

  1. Listen to what you say to your kids, with an ear toward the messages you’re sending about mindset.
  2. Instead of praising children’s intelligence or talent, focus on the processes they used.
    • Example: “That homework was so long and involved. I really admire the way you concentrated and finished it.”
    • Example: “That picture has so many beautiful colors. Tell me about them.”
    • Example: “You put so much thought into that essay. It really makes me think about Shakespeare in a new way.
  3. When your child messes up, give constructive criticism — feedback that helps the child understand how to fix the problem, rather than labeling or excusing the child.
  4. Pay attention to the goals you set for your children; having innate talent is not a goal, but expanding skills and knowledge is.

(Souce: Why Mindset Matters, Stanford Magazine, September 20, 2017, by Marina Krakovsky)

Dr. Dweck advises, “If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence.”. She advises also not to praise intelligence or talent, but praise the work ethic.

…[W]e can praise wisely, not praising intelligence or talent. That has failed. Don’t do that anymore. But praising the process that kids engage in: their effort, their strategies, their focus, their perseverance, their improvement. This process praise creates kids who are hardy and resilient.

How we word things affects confidence, the words ‘yet’ or ‘not yet,’ “give kids greater confidence, give them a path into the future that creates greater persistence.” We can change mindsets.

TED: Carol Dweck

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Carol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain’s capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? 

Carol Dweck, Ph.D, states that “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.

Carol Dweck, Ph.D, Psychologist, is a pioneering researcher in the field of motivation, why people succeed (or don’t) and how to foster success.