9 tips on how to change your mindset

Have you recognized yourself (in parts) in the Fixed Mindset and would now like to acquire a positive mindset? Then the first step is to reflect on your own thought patterns and beliefs: Where do they come from? From your strict father or a teacher from your school days? Only when you realize where your inner critic comes from can you reprogram your brain. 

I give you 9 tips on how to leave your old thinking behind and develop a growth mindset.

1.Know your why:

You can only be successful if you know why you are doing something in the first place. The innermost conviction is the key to personal success that drives peak performance. Your own why is the greatest motivator for getting ahead in your career. According to a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, passion for work helps in the pursuit of long-term goals.

2. Create a vision board

To keep your goals in mind, you should create a vision board. Visualizing your goals will give you the daily power you need to achieve your goals with your team.

3. Focus only on yourself

Don't waste negative thoughts on other people or colleagues. This will not get you anywhere and will hinder your development. You cannot change what is happening around you. Therefore, focus only on what you can change and work on yourself to become better.

4. Accept new challenges

A new area of responsibility, a presentation in front of a large audience, a challenging project: jump into the deep end, even if you have a queasy feeling at first. Dare to try something that was unimaginable for you until yesterday. Only in this way can you grow beyond your previously set limits and gain positive new experiences.

5. Accept mistakes and setbacks

You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs: failure is part of life. If you do nothing, you can do nothing wrong. But standing still means going backwards. Success can only come about if we think differently and are not afraid of making mistakes. As long as you learn from failed projects and draw the right conclusions, it is not tragic. Don't pigeonhole yourself as "This is good for me." or "This is bad for me." Instead, just accept the mistakes and setbacks and expect that everything has a meaning that fits you right now. By the way, did you know that it took Thomas Edison almost 9,000 tries before he brought the light bulb to market?

6. Be persistent

One thing is for sure: You will not change your mindset overnight. Don't set too high expectations for yourself, but stay patient. Positive thinking requires discipline and hard training to break the negative beliefs in your mind. Albert Einstein is said to have once said: Only those who begin to think differently can expect change. And Daniel Coyle has shown in his book "The Talent Lie: Why We Can Achieve (Almost) Anything" that talent can be learned.

7. Find role models

Look for personalities as role models who show that you can achieve something in life if you just put your mind to it (Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Barack Obama, etc.). And that not everything has always gone smoothly in their lives either, and that they have had to accept setbacks. The small but important difference is that they did not let this discourage them. Let the life stories of such people inspire you to consistently pursue your own goals in your professional life.

8. Leave your comfort zone

People with a Fixed Mindset always stay in their comfortable comfort zone, because they don't think personal development is possible. But if you develop a Growth Mindset, you know that it's up to you what you achieve on the job. So get feedback from the most critical experts in the company - it will help you move forward faster in your career plan. With a Growth Mindset, you curiously step out of your comfort zone on a regular basis to develop a positive mindset. For example, learn a challenging language or take up a hobby.

9. Orient yourself to the Pareto principle

Do you know the Pareto principle? According to the 80-to-20 rule, only 20 percent of your work is responsible for 80 percent of the end result. So say goodbye to the idea of always having to go full throttle. While perfectionism is not a bad trait per se, it can inhibit your daily work and drag down your self-esteem. Moreover, perfectionists often lose sight of the essentials at work.

Yours,

Gregor