Welcome to this meditation on growth mindset and calculated risk.
To begin now,
As always,
Finding yourself in a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down,
Whatever feels right for you in this moment.
Feeling yourself really firmly planted into the ground,
Your spine nice and straight,
Really breathing in a sense of calm and relaxation into your body,
Allowing that sense of openness and expansiveness to fill your body with each breath,
Inhaling through your nose,
Exhaling through your mouth,
Allowing all tension or distractions just to dissolve with each exhale,
Setting the intention for yourself now to cultivate a mindset of real curiosity and courage through this meditation today,
Breathing in and out,
Really enjoying that movement of breath,
But also being gently curious about it,
Noticing how the breath feels,
Noticing how the breath tastes,
Noticing the coolness of the in-breath and the warmth of the out-breath,
Not holding on too tight to any words or descriptions,
But just letting this open curiosity to flow through you with a gentle,
Easy awareness,
Breathing in that sense of growth and possibility,
And then breathing out that sense of fear or doubt that you might hold within you,
That might rest deep within you,
Giving yourself permission to really be present in this moment,
Welcoming that comfort and ease into your body,
And as you continue now to breathe deeply,
Visualize a path in front of you,
Leading through a forest or by a beach or in any natural place that looks right for you.
This path represents your journey of growth and learning,
A path that you've already been on,
And a path that you will continue to be walking along,
Noticing all the details around you,
Noticing the sights,
The textures,
The colors,
Noticing the temperature and the feel in your skin as you observe this path.
Imagine now that this path splits in two directions in front of you,
One path being safe and familiar,
And the other path being new and unknown.
Staying at this fork in the road,
Begin by looking down that safe and familiar path.
What do you notice there?
What do you see in the distance?
And what might you encounter if you were to walk down this safe and familiar path?
Welcoming in any of the thoughts or sensations as you simply imagine what walking down this safe and familiar path might look like.
And now,
Still standing at this fork in the path,
Turning your attention to look down the other path,
The path that's new and unknown,
And simply looking down the path,
Seeing what you notice there.
How does this path look different to the other one?
What might you encounter if you were to walk down this new and unknown path,
Allowing the sensory details to become really vivid for you?
And these details might be concrete,
Or they might be very subtle,
Very gentle.
And now,
Imagine a really powerful ray of blue light glowing through your body,
Bringing a great sense of courage into you.
This blue light fills every part of your body,
Radiates outward,
Noticing in your mind's eye how your body looks different standing on this path.
The posture that you begin to take as you radiate outwardly this sense of confidence.
And then,
With this newfound courage,
See yourself in your mind's eye walking down this new and unknown path.
What does it feel like to be on a path that you've never seen before as you continue seeing yourself on this new path?
What thoughts or emotions are arising within you?
And where do you feel these in your body,
Allowing this new path to become very vivid?
And the longer you observe it,
The safer you feel,
The more confident you are,
The more reassured you are of your decision.
And if you find yourself getting stuck or feeling overwhelmed,
Just bring your attention back to the breath,
Reconnecting with that sense of courage that you were breathing in with each inhale.
And now,
Letting go of that image of the path,
And that fork in the road,
And the journey that you've already been on,
Beginning to reflect to yourself,
What risks have you taken in your personal and professional life that have led to growth and learning for you?
How can you cultivate a growth mindset in your daily life and approach challenges,
These new paths,
As opportunities for learning and development?
What specific actions can you take to develop the courage that you need to take calculated risks?
And how can you support and encourage others to take these types of risks and pursue their own growth and development?
Beginning now to gently bring movement back into your body,
Allowing your eyes to gently flutter open in their own time,
And picking up your notebook and spending a few minutes now reflecting on all of these thoughts and observations and insights.
