It's All About Mindset

Every time I come up with a great idea to write about and sit down to do it, I lose it. The exception is this topic. It seems to be popping up over and over in my life. Maybe this message is for you, or perhaps it is just for me. If I had to guess (okay, admit), it has to do with things that I need to change in my life. You know those things that you put off - thinking, "if I don't think about it, it will go away." There is that stinking thinking again. Can you relate?

Fixed Mindset; Growth Mindset - how we think about ourselves and our abilities

Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., coined the phrase. She is the author of the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. She shows how success is influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. (No, I have not read the book, I just looked up where this phrase came from.) But wait a minute, I beg to differ with who came up with this. See, my daddy always told me, and he is still right, that I can do whatever I wanted as long as I put my mind to it. My daddy may not have a Ph.D., but he has common sense.

Self-Examination Time: Which Mindset Do You Have?

With a fixed mindset, one's fear of failure gives them every reason not to try. People with this mindset avoid trying new things for fear others will judge them as a failure. They avoid problems and become bogged down in the mundane and stagnant. To a fixed mindset, they can't help it because they were born into their destiny.

On the other hand, a person with a growth mindset sees problems as opportunities to learn. They know that failure means you are growing. It is through hard work and commitment that their abilities can be developed and strengthened. There is no limit as to what one can learn to do.

I believe that self-awareness is the number one skill needed to be truly successful in life. Did you know that a knowledge of self is a part of God's design for us? As a Christian, I believe God breathed every word in the Bible. Because of that, it is only through biblical truths that we should seek guidance in all that we do. In Genesis, I am quickly reminded that I am made in the image of God. My God is a Mighty God, and because of this truth, I must live in a growth mindset.

I believe too many of us are stuck in a fixed mindset, and this should not be. A growth mindset can be found throughout the scriptures. One of my favorite passages is in Psalms 92:12-14. "The righteous will flourish like a planted tree; they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green."

So, how do you change your mindset to one of growth? It's simple. Ask! Luke 17:5, "The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" In Matthew 7, we are told, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened unto you."

Stop reinventing the wheel!