A Growth Mindset vs A Fixed Mindset

''I wasn't able to get to the gym the last few days, but that's fine, I will still get 2 of my sessions in this week''.

Vs

'I slipped up on my plan, maybe I will give this another shot when I have more time''.

The former being an example of a growth mindset, the latter, a fixed mindset.

I am a firm believer that most of you know what to do to achieve your health and fitness goals.

Sure, you need a few tweaks, some guidance and maybe, some accountability.

But, to even be in a place where you're open to such requires a mindset shoft.

I can give you the perfect plan, but if your current mindset is fixed, there's a slim chance you will succeed on it.

The best part is, you are not stuck with your current mindset, and the rest of this newsletter will help you make that shift.

Bare with me, this is a longer edition.

The Reframe

In my early 30s, I realized something watching client after client fail—the missing piece wasn’t more information, but changing how they processed that info.

Like many, they confused having expertise with having the right mindset. They could ace blood panel tests but couldn’t stick to nutrition plans. They knew exactly what they should do and what they should do less of.

I gave them the blueprint, but they still couldn't execute.

The truth?

Their fixed mindsets were the problem. They thought if their ideal body hadn’t come naturally yet, it never would....

Everything changed when one client's doctor visit scared them into trying a “beginner’s mindset” experiment.

We committed to small actions over a year—no crazy diets or workouts.

We focused on undoing limiting mindsets around phrases like:

“I’m too old to change” became “I get better with age."

"I don't have willpower" became "I build willpower over time."

"I've tried everything" became "I will try new things in new ways."

Reframing their internal dialogue sounded too basic to work. Yet over weeks, the compounded effects of tiny changes began rewriting decades of health-defeating neural pathways.

A year later, they’d lost 35lbs, built muscle, were medication free and had energy they hadn’t felt in years.

But the biggest change?

Their sense of what was possible for their health and life exploded. By adopting a beginner's mindset (also known as white belt thinking), they achieved lasting results that had always eluded them.

Word spread. Soon I was helping others achieve the same breakthroughs by changing their mindsets after years of getting mediocre results myself.

The last 3 years, I have seen myself transition into a health & fitness coach who meets clients where they are, helping them reframe fixed mindsets little by little, then I watch them blossom into their best selves over time.

The lesson? Lasting change comes internally before it comes externally.

We are not done yet, as promised, here are four ways you can get started on making that shift:

#1 Set Laughably Basic Goals

I mean truly embarrassingly easy goals - walk 1 block, do 2 push-ups, hold a high plank for 10 seconds. Yes, it seems trivial. But tiny habits compound into big changes through what is known as the 1% Rule.

The 1% Rule says any habit done daily at 1% effort creates incredible results over time. Think flossing 1 tooth daily. It takes seconds, so your inner critic scoffs. But do that laughable action every day without fail, and in a year you’ll have flossed all your teeth over 300 times!

Tiny consistent actions snowball into massive momentum. Those baby step goals steadily combine like Voltron into incredible transformation!

Start with 1% efforts - conquer the basics before you tackle the advanced. Building small habits now will make huge goals inevitable later.

#2 Commit to Laughably Basic Consistency

Consistency around microscopically small actions utilizes the power of compound interest to create mind-blowing results.

Think about how compound interest works financially - small amounts of principal compound into huge investment gains over time.

$100 compounding daily at a 10% annual interest rate turns into $67k in 35 years. But, had you skipped depositing funds even a few days sporadically, you’d have far less....

This same compound effect works for goals and habits. Tiny physical actions done with religious consistency multiplies into massive returns over the months and years.

I like the 3-Month Rule when it comes to fitness habits. It states:

Any physical habit, no matter how small, done 5 days a week for at least 3 unbroken months will radically alter your body, health, and what you once believed possible.

Let's say your laughably basic habit is to walk leisurely around your block for 10 minutes per day first thing in the morning.

That’s it. just 10 minutes. We’re talking 1% effort here.

If you did just this every morning for 3 months without breaking your commitment streak, that’s around 90 laps around your block!

The effect on your fitness level, metabolism, body fat percentage - and most importantly your belief in what’s possible - would likely shock you.

From this one laughably small habit done with absurd consistency, both your outer and inner self, transforms dramatically thanks to the compound effect.

So, when starting any fitness goal, ask yourself first if you can truly commit to short bursts of 1% effort daily without lapse for at least 3 months.

Can you surrender the need for immediate results in exchange for laughable actions stacked end on end until they reach once unfathomable heights?

If so, you’ll witness exponential returns over both short and long horizons from some of the simplest endeavours imaginable.

#3 Fight Off Every Excuse Your Fixed Mindset Creates

As you begin stringing together small fitness wins through laughably basic goals pursued with insane consistency, be prepared - your inner saboteur will revolt!

Dormant limiting beliefs create excuses to derail real change. Your old identity fears the emergence of this new person, committing to daily actions towards a bold future self.

When you feel resistance, it means you’re on the right track!

But, you must silence these inner demons or risk staying the same comfortable person forever.

I fought my own fixed mindset for years until discovering the 3E Formula. This simple 3-step system disarms any excuse hampering your growth.

3E stands for Embrace, Engage, Evolve.

Here’s how it works:

1. EMBRACE every excuse, doubt, fear, limiting belief arising. Welcome them compassionately as desperate calls from an inner world craving acceptance and reassurance. Lean into discomfort mindfully without judgement. Learn from resistance rather than resenting its arrival.
2. ENGAGE excuses by reframing each as an invitation offering valuable intel, not ammunition against yourself. Ask “What is trying to help me by holding me back?” Transmute each excuse into constructive coaching guidance, then act on it.
3. EVOLVE using life’s obstacles as launching pads to rise higher than before they appeared. Let each difficulty strengthen resolve and deepen commitment towards the long-term vision. Catalyze evolution using what once stifled you as growth fuel.

Using the 3E Formula, you validate inner turmoil compassionately, then leverage it for rapid elevation.

Instead of excuses forcing you backwards, they propel you forwards.

Next time you rationalize bailing on doing your small habit repetition for the day, use the 3E Formula first. Embrace the fear behind the excuse, engage it as helpful intel, evolve by taking action, not avoidance.

Weaponize your excuses sidetracking your progress towards your future fit self! Confronting your inner saboteur takes mindfulness, reframing, and evolving through adversity - but the results are worth the initial discomfort, tenfold.

#4 Stop Taking Failures and Setbacks Personally

Lastly, interacting with the world ambitiously guarantees messiness. Actions bold enough to upgrade your body and belief systems carry the inevitability of occasional face-plants.

Yet, most give up permanently when things get rocky.

Why? They take failure too personally.

Temporary setbacks are part of the change process - there's rarely ever a smooth sail.

To make them work in your favour long-term, adopt an entrepreneurial mindset around failure and imperfection.

See present defeats and mess-ups as providing priceless intel to unlock future soaring success.

Here is the exact process human Guinea pig entrepreneurs use to inevitable screw-ups into assets rather than liabilities:

1. Prepare mentally for short-term stumbles. Tell yourself progress won't be linear. Expect hurdles as signals you’re making strides worthy of resistance from comfort addicted inner forces.
2. Avoid the spiral of shame. When you miss your 10-minute morning walk 3 days in a row, avoid a spiral of shame. Instead, get curious about what this teachable moment reveals about the current approach’s limitations.
3. Mine the mess-up for constructive data. What specifically failed? How and why? Was the goal unrealistic presently? Did life throw a distracting curveball?
4. Based on intel from the breakdown, iterate and upgrade. Maybe you need to shorten the duration for now. Or temporarily shift from exercise to mindset training. Use fail insights to enhance rather than invalidate efforts.
5. Break the chain. Over time, these course-corrective iterations compound into your biggest breakthroughs. Had you not embraced feedback from fumbles with an entrepreneurial growth lens, you’d repeat the same patterns indefinitely. But bravely engaging failure births progress.

Reframe setbacks by asking, “how can this propel me forward smarter and stronger instead of halting momentum completely?”

Excuse proof your vision by prepping for pitfalls, revisiting limitations with curiosity, not contempt when they arrive, then pivoting tactically, based on new intelligence FAIL spells.

The inner wisdom accumulated by leaning into falling down, assessing why, honestly, then standing back up brighter, beats perfection’s immobility every time.

The biggest takeaway? Shift your mindset first, results will follow.

If this resonates with you and you got this far, you earnt yourself a FREE consultation. Lets uncover where your mindset could be holding you back - message me the word ''MINDSET'' and let's chat.

I hope this has helped, have the best day ever and we'll talk soon.

Adam