Developing a Growth Mindset

Having a growth mindset means that you see the lesson in the painful situation and focus on solutions instead of problems.

Many times in our lives, the way out of a sticky situation is through a change in our perception or mindset. It doesn’t mean that your problems will magically disappear just because you change your mindset. What it does mean is that instead of focusing on the problem, you focus on the solution or the growth in the situation. When you have a growth mindset, you don’t allow negative thinking or limiting beliefs to rule your perception.

You recognize the situation for what it is, allow yourself to feel whatever pain or frustration it brings and then move onto figuring out how to grow and learn from it.

When we stay in a negative “problem oriented” state of mind, we close ourselves off to any opportunities to fix the problem. This is because we become so enmeshed with the problem that our minds become cloudy with fear-based, limiting beliefs and a doom and gloom mindset. When we allow ourselves to experience the pain of a painful situation and then make the choice to not let it define our reality, we naturally grow out of the problem and into the solution.

As soon as you make the decision to change your perception from negative to growth, you immediately open yourself up to receiving divinely guided solutions to the problem.

This of course is easier said then done and it does take practice and repetition. When you experience something negative in your life, it can be hard to see your way out. You may start to think catastrophic thoughts like “my life will never get better” or “I’m such a failure” which are totally natural things to think. It’s not about preventing yourself from ever having any negative thoughts whatsoever. This is impossible because we really can’t control what thoughts come into our consciousness.

It is about observing those negative thoughts and choosing to not let them define who you are.

It’s about choosing to not let the weight of a chaotic situation bring you so far down, that you don’t think you’ll ever make your way back up again. It’s understanding that life is in a constant state of change and that nothing lasts forever, even the most painful experiences of our lives. When you start to develop a growth mindset, you allow the anger, sadness or frustration to come through when something less than perfect happens to you. But you don’t dwell in those feelings. Instead, you release them, shift your perspective and try to start thinking of ways to change your situation for the better.

It can be hard to try to start thinking in terms of solutions when you’re experiencing something frustrating.

But the only way out of those situations is to do that very thing. Please allow yourself to feel your emotions. Don’t bury them because that doesn’t help either. Just remember that the sooner you start shifting your perspective, the sooner your life and your situation will improve. Thinking in terms of growth will guarantee that you always come out of a bad situation with something valuable to take away from it.

When you don’t do this, you run the risk of becoming the forever victim of your life and circumstances.

Taking charge of your reality and choosing to shift from frustration to growth means that you put yourself back in the drivers seat of your life. Choosing to stay stuck in the negativity means that you make yourself the victim of your life and relinquish control to the universe to do what it will. One way empowers you. One way takes your power away.

Try to find things that you can do to snap you out of a negative, downward spiral mindset when things come up.

Different things work for different people. You can try saying some growth-oriented affirmations, writing your feelings out in a journal, meditating to see exactly what’s being triggered within you or calling a loyal friend for support. Find what works best for you and then after you feel your feelings, do that thing. Once you shift your mindset and perspective, you will experience growth and as a result, you will grow more confident within yourself.

So, have you worked on creating a growth mindset?