What Is A Growth Mindset: A Mindset Reset

In everything, there is something for you. This simple sentence is quite powerful as it reminds us that no matter what finds us, we can use it to our advantage. A growth mindset resides in the wise mind, and getting there is not as hard as one may think. Inspired by the question: "Is there a simpler approach to a growth mindset and is there a simple exercise you can offer," we journey through grasping the mind's inner workings and dive into a growth-centered practice in less than 16 minutes.

Transcript

Nothing gives you emotional freedom,

Inner peace,

And balance like releasing the outcome of any given moment and practicing non-attachment.

In everything,

There is something for you.

This simple sentence is quite powerful as it allows us to remember that no matter what finds us,

We still have the power to use it to our advantage.

Today's Mindset Reset question comes from Georgia in Memphis,

Tennessee.

She wrote in and said,

Danielle,

I'm actively working on my mindset.

I realized a few months ago that I spend a lot of my life living through a negative mindset.

Something is always wrong.

I've never felt like good things can happen for me or to me.

And drama seems to follow me no matter where I go.

And I kind of thrive on it.

I want to change that.

But when I looked up what a growth mindset is after listening to one of your podcasts,

I really became very confused.

There's so much information out there.

I thought maybe you could make it simpler and perhaps offer a few exercises to help me get into a growth mindset once I know exactly what it is.

Georgia,

You're on.

Thank you for the question.

I'm so glad to hear that you're ready to get out of that cycle and change your mindset.

When you actively shift your thinking,

Your life actively shifts.

The growth mindset really resides in the wise mind.

And in order to talk about the wise mind,

We need to talk about how the wise mind is formed in three active states of the mindset.

Of course,

It goes without saying that your mind could be your greatest ally or your worst adversary.

Grasping the mind's inner working beyond how a thought is validated or the storytelling patterns of the brain is really next level mastery that we don't really need to get into.

But what we do need to start with is the wise mind.

So for those three active states of the mind,

They are the reasonable mind,

The emotional mind,

And the wise mind.

Whether we like it or not,

We all actively use each of these states,

But most of us tend to gravitate towards one specific area the majority of the time.

So before we jump ahead and you try to figure out which one you operate from,

Understand that each of these,

Each of these three operations actually serve a purpose.

So let's break it down.

The emotional mind is really where emotions are king or queen really for all of us ladies.

You get it.

It acts as the mind's ultimate ruler.

With the emotional mind in full force,

Feelings control everything from thoughts and actions,

Behaviors.

It can move our emotions and behaviors into a state where little consideration is really given to consequences.

Because the emotional mind doesn't really work with the world of facts.

It's more perceived truths,

Meaning that there can be unhelpful or unnecessary thoughts that are derived from the emotional mind.

We've all been there,

Right?

And this is really where stress,

Anxiety,

And depression can be found.

However,

Before you tell yourself that you never use the emotional mind,

Know that there's some great qualities as well.

This is the birthplace of creativity,

Passion,

Motivation,

Spontaneity,

And even empathy.

So let's now move to the rational or reasonable mind,

Depending on who you're talking to.

It could have two different names.

And this is the home of rational,

Logical,

Intelligent,

Fact-based thought.

This is where we focus on detail,

On long-term action plans,

And the ability to really weigh the pros and cons.

This is where this is coming from.

A lot of times people will say this is where you are left brain dominant.

But the rational and reasonable mind works in gathering,

Planning,

Learning,

Organizing,

And working with truths and grounded facts.

So evidence-based.

Yet,

Only being reasonably or rationally centered in your thinking can easily lead you into a lifestyle of black and white thinking.

It can make everything feel cold and calculated,

Emotionless.

It can even reduce your life choices if you're really set in only this mindset,

Right?

Because it's,

If this doesn't align and this doesn't align,

Then it doesn't actually work.

It's that black and white thinking.

It's here where many people will find themselves living in that negative mindset that Georgia first mentioned.

While this is the center of productivity and effectiveness,

It can also be balanced in a space where we can grow and compromise if used in combination with the emotional mind.

What we're really striving for is the wise mind,

A growth mindset.

Because the wise mind is all about balance.

It's the midpoint between the emotions and the reasonable mind.

The wise mind can recognize and respect feelings and details,

And it can respond to experiences in rational manners.

This is the place of knowing and balance and self-care and robust decision-making,

Confidence,

And increased life satisfaction.

It's where thoughts are validated in a positive frame and balance is given to the overall picture of how an experience should be,

Could be,

And what it has to offer.

It is the center of maturity,

Trust,

Truth,

And harmony.

It's the place where we really want to thrive from.

The wise mind is a great middle,

Right?

It's a space that can retain and regain calmness when we have high stress or we're placed in uncomfortable experiences.

It's a space where we can find clarity.

It's a peace creator and the place where we really feel pleasurable in our experiences.

We can hone a deeper understanding of ourselves in the wise mind.

It really tames that beast of limiting thoughts and behaviors,

Feelings,

Actions,

Habits.

It recognizes and regulates our emotions,

And it helps us grow in our emotional intelligence.

And in all of that,

It really is flexible.

It opens our eyes to seeking and acknowledging things from different angles,

So different perspectives.

This middle ground is really the path to healing,

To self-love,

To peace,

To acceptance,

To change,

To harmony in our lives.

Now,

Since I gave you what the wise mind does,

Let me give you a little bit more of what the emotional and rational mind does on their own,

So that we can see why we want to blend both places.

So the emotional mind is much more short-term.

It's quick.

It's mood-dependent.

It's emotionally focused.

It's impulsive.

It's passionate,

Creative.

It can be disruptive.

It can be distorted,

Intense,

Empathetic.

And it's here that we can begin to overthink.

The rational mind is logical.

It's fact-based.

It's lacking in emotion,

Cold.

It's science and math,

Black and white,

Analytical,

Calculated,

Narrowed,

Planning,

Intelligent.

It's a space of learning.

We need both.

We need both the logical and emotional minds.

So to go back to Georgia's original question,

What is a growth mindset?

We want to take the factors of the wise mind and move them into growth-centered practices.

So I'm going to give you a few operations to help you really understand and get centered in the thought of a growth mindset.

And then I want to give you a couple daily reflections that are going to help you keep your mind in a growth pattern and your wise mind active.

So a growth mindset has a desire to improve.

It knows that intelligence can be developed.

It embraces challenges.

The person with a growth mindset accepts criticism and negativity and knows that this is constructive feedback and sometimes not even about them.

These people who operate under a growth mindset equate rewards with their efforts and they celebrate their successes big and small.

They see setbacks not as full stops,

But as a way to grow in their strength and reset where needed.

All very important.

The growth-focused mindset never gives up.

It learns from their failures.

It knows that they can ask questions,

Lean into passion,

Lean into creativity and ask,

How can I show up?

How can I serve?

How can I do more?

This is a growth mindset.

The mindset that's fixed or really lying in a space of negativity avoids challenges.

It rejects criticism.

It is hurt by negative feedback.

It lets setbacks derail them.

They easily give up.

There's a failure to complete.

It says,

I'm not good enough.

Why should I bother?

This is a space no one deserves to be in.

So how can we make it work for us where we change the rhythm of our mindset and get into that growth mindset and stay there,

Right?

And that is where the self-reflections come in.

You can do this once a day.

You can do this multiple times a day or even do it weekly.

This is a practice that I do each Sunday morning is really reflect on my week.

And we begin to ask ourselves some very simple questions with very big beneficial answers.

So the first one is,

What was so difficult that made me challenge myself,

My emotions,

And my thoughts?

This is important.

We all experience difficulties to some degree every single day.

So where exactly was the difficulty?

Then what gave me joy?

Where is it that I need to be placing my energy to really focus both in gratitude and mindfulness and growth around these particular events?

So what gave me joy?

Where can I improve?

If you're having a hard time and you're focused more in the fixed mindset,

You're avoiding something,

You're letting setbacks derail you.

What can you improve and help yourself stay in that growth mindset?

You know,

What new things have I experienced that are really going to allow me to know that I have the evidence to have effort and reward?

What more should I be doing to allow myself to grow?

These are easy reflections that you can ask yourself at any time and they help us stay in that growth mindset.

The wise mind allows us to get into a space where we can operate on solid ground.

And that's where we want to be.

When we're on solid ground,

Our growth mindset is open.

We're ready to embrace challenges.

We're ready to persist in the face of any setback.

We know that our talent is only as small as the effort that we give.

And it's so important.

If you want to live from a space that allows you to get into growth of any kind,

Improvement,

Grounded self-love,

The ability to be seen and heard,

And to really not let a single piece of living be lost,

You want to live in a growth mindset through the wise mind.

Really practice getting into a space where you allow your thoughts to be filtered from these spaces and then ask those reflective questions.

They will help you.

They will ground you and they will increase your growth.

Georgia,

Thank you so much for your question.

I hope that this has served you and I challenge you and everyone listening to get into a space where you can find a deeper understanding of your growth mindset and allow it to accelerate.

When we're fixed,

We're not growing.

When we are sitting still,

We're not progressing.

And this life is all about progress.

So stay consistent,

Give what you need,

Be what you are,

And really thrive.

Remember the statement,

In everything,

There is something for you.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode,

Which originally aired on the Get Your Life Together Girl podcast.

Please take the time to review this conversation and follow me here on Insight Timer for more courses,

Meditations,

And additional conversations.

Until next time,

Be kind to yourself and others.