WHAT MINDSET HAVE YOU?--By Isaac Asiedu

As Henry Ford said, ‘‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right’’. Whatever your mindset is, it affects you. Your mindset is the lens through which you perceive the world. And this lens affects how you live and the choices you make every day. The quality of your life is defined by the quality of your mindset. Your life can never get any better than your mindset. Your mind is a powerful thing and the stories you tell yourself and the things you believe about yourself can either prevent change from happening or allow new skills to blossom.

According to Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, there are two types of mindset and the difference between these two mindsets and how they impact our performance are explained below:

The first mindset is the fixed mindset. Students with this mindset believe that their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents are just fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that is that, and then their goal becomes to look all smart and never look dumb. In the second type which is called the growth mindset, students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They do not necessarily think everyone is the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it.

Fixed mindset vs Growth mindset. PC: Getty Images

 Society plays a huge role in moulding our behaviour, character and attitude. It determines how we see people, our general outlook and perception and ethics. Society plays an imperative role in developing one’s mindset. If one grows up in a society that complains and gripes about everything, chances are that, such an individual will have that mindset woven inadvertently into the fabric of their lives. We are what we are because of the vibrations of thoughts that we pick and register through the stimuli of our daily environment. As Buddha said, ‘‘We are what we think; all that we are arises from our thoughts and we make our world’’.

My message is this: the status quo is limiting and our mindset about the future is disempowering. To paraphrase Einstein, the problems in our society today cannot be solved by the same mind that created it. We need to gentrify our thoughts in order to change our narratives. The question now is, ‘How do I change my mindset?’ The following  are some ways to help purge our mindsets:

The willingness to do so. Willingness to change is all that we need. Having the willingness to nail our old unproductive mindset on the cross so we can embrace a new beneficial mindset about ourselves and life in general.

Change your self-talk. One of the things I have realised as an individual is that, our self-talk sticks with us more than anything. Our self-talk is the conversation we have with ourselves. The conversation on what to do, what to believe, who to trust and most importantly how we process information. The conversation you have with yourself is a direct reflection of your mindset.

Change your language. Instead of complaining, appreciate and show gratitude. Instead of seeing the spec on the window, look at the sunshine. Never focus on the negatives in your life because what you focus on, multiplies. Your energy flows in the direction of your focus. This will encourage a mindset of abundance instead of scarcity.

Determine the mindset you need and act as if. Having a clearly defined goal and purpose is a tool enough to direct your mindset patterns. Know what you want and that will let you know what kind of mindset you need to fire and wire in your brain.

Jump out of your comfort zone. Our human nature tends to gravitate us towards our old patterns that we try to change. Doing something we have never done before is first uncomfortable, but with resilience and endurance, we can break through that glass ceiling. Therefore, when you feel as if you are resistant to change, it is not that you are a weak individual, the strength of your neural network just make you feel as if you cannot change. However, you can change.

In a nutshell, your attitude and your perspective are part conscious and part unconscious and can be learned, unlearned, programmed and reprogrammed in a variety of different ways. So, we cannot live life defined by society. We need to crawl out of the label society has put on us and reinvent ourselves to become better persons with better identities.

It is not a requirement of society that you develop a positive or empowering mindset; there is no law that says that you must have a positive outlook on life. You should demand of yourself to be a better individual, to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel has not been dimmed by the experiences of life but it is as bright as it can be.

Be bold, be willing and you can change your mindset and your life. By using your personal power of responsibility and choice, you can change your mindset and improve how you respond to situations in life.

Credits: The Mindset Advantage written by Thomas Oppong; Mindset: The psychology of success by Carol Dweck; Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it – Steve Maraboli

Acknowledgement: Tracy Helena  

About Author 

Isaac Asiedu is a final year Materials Engineering student and board secretary of the MATESA Editorial Board (Mediboard). He has an insatiable passion for writing and some of his genre include poems and prose on love and life. Get in touch with Ike here. 

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