A Mindset for Success

What does success mean to you? Is it meeting your monthly target, a deadline or a certain goal?

To me, the simplest definition of success is “accomplishing what you set out to achieve”. Some may aim their goals higher than others, yet in my experience there is something that all achievers have in common.

Having had the fortune of working with thousands of high performing individuals and leaders across the globe, my team and I were passionate about uncovering what really drives those to achieve. What we discovered is that the secret of success is in the mind!

Sure, we agree that there are many things that contribute to success – however among the high performers we observed, we discovered that they each adopt similar mental strengths. We have since collated these observations into a mindset model for success – what we call, the ‘GOLDEN’ mind.

Achievers, adopt what Carol Dweck termed a Growth mindset, believing that intelligence can be developed versus a fixed mindset where people believe their intelligence and abilities are static. People with a growth mindset see a FAIL as a ‘First Attempt in Learning’ rather than believing they will never achieve.

People adopting a GOLDEN mind are Optimistic – they make the choice to view the world through a positive lens and reap the rewards of many personal and business benefits! Did you know for example that optimistic employees are 56% more productive and 6 times more engaged, and 39% more likely to live to the age 94.  Impressive stats right!

Successful people ‘Listen to their self talk’. Yes, come on, we all talk to ourselves! But, they prioritise time to reflect and recognise that thinking is just as important as doing. They are proactive in analysing their self talk and take action to convert negative self talk to a more positive narrative.

Doing what you say you will do (‘DWYSYWD’) or being ‘Disciplined’, is fundamental to achievement. What is the point of expending energy in creating a path of goal pursuit and then not following through? Those who achieve don’t just manage their time effectively, they go beyond this and recognise the importance of connecting with their purpose and engaging with the ‘why’ behind what they are trying achieve.

People who succeed make time to ‘Enjoy’ the journey – not just the end result. They have fun along the way and create an environment of enjoyment where people have the opportunity to laugh and be happy! After all, research shows that happy employees lead to happy bottom lines… now that is a fact!

And finally (and one of my favourites), achievers are aware of their surroundings and the ‘Norms’ of their operating environments. Norms stand for ‘normalised practices’, or the status quo beliefs and practices that exist in every workplace. Most of the time, workplace norms will exist to support productivity and employee wellbeing. However, whenever norms become unproductive or unhealthy, truly successful people demonstrate the courage to become what I call a ‘positive challenger’, by challenging the status quo and proactively presenting solutions.

So, are you an employee who adopts a GOLDEN mind or a leader who leads with a GOLDEN mind?

If you do already adopt some of these elements in your own mindset, take a moment to acknowledge your behaviour – it’s important to take time to recognise when we’re doing something well! If there are some areas you could improve, could dedicate more focus to, which areas would they be?

Why not take a moment to focus on ‘YOU’ and your ability to achieve, and enjoy the benefits that becoming the best you can be can bring!

 Posted by Melissa Armstrong.