Mindset does matter
Have you ever met a highly talented individual who begins their conversation about something they want to achieve by saying, “I really want to do this, but I just have my doubts that I can”?
Despite the fact that this person has all the skills and talent they need to achieve what they want, they are sabotaging their chances of success because of their mindset — a set of beliefs that influence how you think, feel and behave.
In fact, what you believe about yourself impacts your success or failure. That’s how important mindset is, whether you’re embarking on a new project, starting a new exercise routine or dealing with chronic illness.
According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, there are two basic mindsets: fixed and growth. If you have a fixed mindset, you believe you are born with a certain level of ability that can’t be changed. Many times, a fixed-mindset person also believes their talent and intelligence alone lead to success, and effort is not required.
On the flip side, if you have a growth mindset, you believe that your talents and abilities can be developed through hard work and effort; i.e., everyone can work to get better.
Let me give you an example from two stories you’re already familiar with: “The Little Engine That Could” and “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
In the first tale, a long train must be pulled over a mountain after its locomotive breaks down. Larger locomotives — when asked if they would pull the train over the mountain — all declined for a variety of reasons: It’s too hard or I’m too tired.
As a last attempt, the train asked the little engine whose main job was to pull only a few cars on and off the track if he would pull him up the mountain. As the little engine begin pulling the train, he kept saying, “I think I can, I think I can” until he reached the top. In this case, the little engine had a growth mindset that believed he could accomplish his goal with hard work and determination.
In the case of the hare, he was so sure that he was going to win the race against the much-slower tortoise that he sat down and fell asleep. The tortoise, on the other hand, just kept slowly moving along, thinking he had a chance to win.
In this instance, the hare had a fixed mindset, believing that his abilities always meant that he could win at whatever he did. The tortoise, meanwhile, had a growth mindset similar to the little engine, believing that he had to work and keep pushing on to have a chance to win.
So, then, how does this concept of mindset tie into your overall wellness? By understanding, adapting and shifting your mindset, you not only can improve your health, but you also can decrease your stress and become more resilient to challenges.
The good news is that you can work to change your mindset if it currently is more like the hare than the little engine or tortoise, thanks to your brain’s neuroplasticity, which allows it to be reshaped over time. The first step is to listen for that little fixed-mindset voice in your head that tells you that you can’t do something.
Once you start becoming aware of it, you can begin to reply with a growth mindset approach and remind it that you have the ability to learn. And over time, you’ll find your thoughts focused more on what you can do rather than what you can’t.
After all, the more pessimistic and negative you are, the more active your stress response becomes. So, change your self-talk accordingly and see what a difference it makes in your decision-making, energy and overall health.
