What are Mindset Shifts?

Shifts in Mindset

Mindset shifts are changes we make in the mentality we use to understand reality. We can choose to see and understand things differently, and in so doing we alter the course of our lives.

Imagine this: for as long as you could remember, you struggled at everything you tried. You would say things like life isn’t easy, and life’s not fair. You always thought “things are what they are, so no use fretting about it. I’m just unlucky”

Until one day you met a rather ordinary-looking person who swore that life and success were so easy. This person seemed to be skating through life because they were extraordinarily lucky. You asked why they had such good luck and they said, “not sure, I have never had to struggle for anything.”

On the surface, we think “sure, this happens all the time, there are even hundreds of movies about it.” “You are either lucky or you’re not, there’s nothing you can do about it.” But I am here to tell you this is a lie; luck is something you can control. It simply takes a shift in mindset. There are a few key mindset shifts that are worth your time. I will go over each below. Decide to begin shifting your mindset and work on each in this list one after the other.

The top 8 mindset shifts you need:

1. Growth vs Fixed
2. Win/Win vs Win/Lose
3. Best-Case vs Worst-Case
4. How Can I vs I Can’t
5. Doing vs Thinking
6. Journey vs Destination
7. 10x vs 1x
8. Limitless vs Limited

Growth vs Fixed

A growth mindset is crucial for anyone who is unhappy with their lot in life. A fixed mindset is one that hinders motivation because it diminishes hope. A growth mindset on the other hand, rewards those who want to get better at something. When you believe that you are capable of learning to do something, it sparks hope in the future.

Win/Win vs Win/Lose

The Win/Win Mindset is a belief that there does not have to be a loser for there to be a winner. It considers the idea that the option exists for everyone to win, and therefore we should look for the absolute best option, not just the easiest one. This of course takes patience and careful thought, not something that seems in abundance nowadays.

Best-Case vs Worst-Case

For this mindset shift, one simply needs to use the time to think about or ponder on things differently. Too often when we say “I need to think about that first” we are really saying “let me imagine every possible worst-case scenario and see if I am willing to make that sacrifice.”

The correct way to use this is to spend some time imagining 4 to 5 ways things could go perfectly and then begin creating a plan to accomplish the win. In this way, you are priming your RAS to look for and identify possibilities that were not apparent before.

How Can I vs I Can’t

If you catch yourself saying “I can’t” you should stop immediately and replace it with “How can I?” Doing this will prime your mind and brain to look for possible solutions that were not imaginable prior. When we say the words “I can’t” we are telling ourselves that we are not capable of doing anything further and there is no point trying any longer.

By asking “How can I?” we are creating a place for the desired outcome as well as the path to get there. Questions energize us to come up with solutions. We are curious by nature and challenges are often a welcome distraction. If you catch yourself using the phrase I can’t, do not beat yourself up, rather, just say “let me rephrase that, …how can I?”

Doing vs Thinking

We can get stuck in paralysis analysis. Very often people overthink situations and circumstances. Not to mention they waste time imagining the worst-case outcomes instead of the best-case possibilities.

Think of doing rather than thinking like this, a moving car is easier to steer. if you are moving in the wrong direction, it is easy to get back on track if you are moving. If you are moving faster, it takes less work to steer no matter which direction you are headed in.

Take the appropriate amount of time to develop a workable plan of action, then get going. No one has ever accomplished anything by just thinking about it.

Journey vs Destination

If you are waiting to feel like a winner or happy until you cross the finish line, you missed the point of the race. The journey is the part you should be enjoying. We are all on a journey of exploration and discovery. We need to learn to enjoy each day along the path toward where we think we want to go.

Too often we hustle through our tasks and do not take time to live in the moment. Being mindful is the realization that we are here in the moment. We are having the experiences we paid the ticket price for. If you resent standing in line and waiting to get onto a ride at an amusement park, you will spend most of the day not enjoying where you are.

Stop, feel your feet on the ground, smell the air, talk to the people sharing the moment with you. Learn something you didn’t know before. Intend to enjoy the process as much as you used to imagine enjoying the destination.

10x vs 1x

If you live with intent, you can accomplish so much more than you ever imagined. There is an old understanding that people will only chase what they believe they can catch. Meaning that if you think something or someone is out of your reach, you will not bother to try and catch them.

How does that apply to 10x vs 1x? What if I told you to set a goal of equaling your income next year, you would probably say it was doable and try. If I suggested doubling your income in the next year you might think it is a possibility -but a huge stretch, so you might give it a shot. If I said you should intend to make 10x more money next year than this year, you might think it too far from reality and not even bother trying.

It is imperative if you want to make major improvements in your life that you see the possibility for those improvements. If you are working in a field where you cannot imagine ever accomplishing your goals, stop climbing that ladder. It will never get you where you want to go.

Limitless vs Limited

If you believe there is only so much success to be shared between everyone, then you think anything you have is removing something from someone else. I believe that the world is limitless. I believe that all things are like love, the more you give, the more you receive. Because we are not consuming success, we are sharing it, it will multiply and fill the space available like a gas, rather than a solid that just occupies one place.

Success, joy, and happiness are all limitless. they are at their best when allowed to spread, rather than being kept bottled up. Share happiness, joy and success will come to you.