We all want things to get “better,” right?!?
But somehow, things seem to stay the same.
Change is rarely easy and change for the better is even harder. It can be frustrating when we feel like we’re dealing with the same problems again & again.
There will always be problems, especially in our businesses, but some are nicer problems to have.
The unfortunate reality is that if we want things to change for us, WE must change.
It’s nobody else’s responsibility and it’s nobody else’s fault.
We need to take both the responsibility for our current situation as well as the blame for how we got here … for good or bad. Change can begin when we accept that there’s plenty within our sphere of control that we can adjust to get us on the “better” path we desire.
It doesn’t come by magic, it comes from two simple, but profound things.
Growth Mindset
First, we must develop a Growth Mindset.
In her book, Mindsets, Carol Dweck shares considerable research into the two prevailing Mindsets that we can have, the Growth Mindset and the Fixed Mindset.
Of course, there is a continuum and we’re somewhere between the two extremes, but typically we have significant tendencies toward one or the other.
The difference in the Mindsets is whether we believe that our intelligence or personality is something we can develop or something that is a fixed, deep-seated trait.
Carol’s studies overwhelmingly show how important our Mindset is to our success and happiness.
If we seek “better” for our lives, then we need to embrace a Growth Mindset.
Feel free to check out her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success to learn more, but if we don’t actually believe we can change (i.e. a Fixed Mindset), then we won’t see positive change in our lives.
Once we see that change is possible and that we can learn and grow (i.e. a Growth Mindset), then we can get on the path to consistently grow ourselves.
Setting Goals
Second, we must be tracking our progress towards clearly-defined Goals.
While it’s not new information to most of us, the fact is that very few of us have our Goals clearly defined and/or written out.
We have a slight understanding of what “better” might look like, but we haven’t thought through it in any detail.
Without a detailed understanding of where we’re headed, we’re not likely to get there.
As we strive towards “better” most of us are also looking to be “happy”.
It’s been shown that very often we don’t even need to achieve the Goals to get the happiness we seek. We merely need to be making noticeable progress on the path toward the Goal to start getting the benefit of feeling happier!
Final Thoughts
Two simple things: Having a Growth Mindset and Tracking Progress Towards Goals.
As simple as they sound, most of us haven’t made the effort to do them. Instead, we quietly hope that things will get “better” on their own.
By implementing these two ideas, we can put ourselves on the path.
We can leave our old selves behind and slowly transform into better versions of ourselves. The fact is that if we get better, everything will get “better” for us!
