The four steps to create a growth mindset

Posted on July 05, 2022 by Harry Goldberg, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

Most of us have heard of a “Growth Mindset” and it’s importance in achieving the results we desire.

Or at least heard about the importance of our “Mindset”.

It is often contrasted to a “Fixed Mindset” or a “Limitation Mindset”.

But that often comes up with more questions. Do you know the answers to the following questions?

1. What a growth mindset really is?
2. How it impacts your life?
3. How to harness it?
4. How to use it to achieve greater results?

I have a short definition for you:

“The belief within yourself that you are able to overcome all challenges which you will face.”

But how is this belief created?

The Virtuous Cycle

Most people will define their growth by looking at their results. So let’s start there.

1. Results
We get certain results and then we can very easily define ourselves as having achieved, grown, improved or become more successful. Think back to the last time you achieved something and received a clear signal, recognition or feeling of satisfaction & completion.
These results are bound to affect our…

2. Belief in Our Success
Once we achieve the results that we have put our energy, effort, time & focus into, this starts to change our beliefs of ourselves. Specifically, we start to thinks statements like “Wow, that was tough but you did it”, “Maybe you can be successful”, “Look how much you’ve improved over the last few years” & “That exceeded everyone’s expectations of me!”
When we start to say “I am successful” or “I was able to reach my goals”, these beliefs begin to contribute to our…

3. Belief in Our Potential
When we tell ourselves something over and over again, we begin to believe it. It doesn’t even matter if those statements are truth or lies. (Consider the Nazi propaganda mantra of “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”). This formula of [Repetition = Belief] works regardless of it being a lie or a truth. It’s about what is overtime perceived to be true.
We start to see a pattern of “I can do this”, “Maybe I can be successful”, “I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again” and our beliefs are no longer just of our success, these beliefs are of our potential.
And when we believe greatly in our potential, we start to…

4. Take Successful Action
While action is the last step of this explanation it is always the first step of success. Because our actions define our results which define our beliefs of our successes and then our beliefs of our potential. And when we have a great belief of our potential then we will almost always have higher motivation & inspiration to take action that is more likely to produce successful results.
And alas the cycle continues

It’s not always a Virtuous Cycle

When reading this you might be thinking “These beliefs don’t sound like mine”, “I’m not getting great results” or “Taking successful action always seems so difficult to do”.

If that’s you, you’re not alone.

It just means that you are not in the Virtuous Cycle.

What stops us from growth:

I’ll start by sharing that many clients have reached out to me believing that their beliefs are impossible to change. Or that their habits, behaviours & actions are too challenging to adjust. The most common manifestations of this is the statement are:
“I’ve just always been that way.”
I’m telling you that what has been will not always be.
“It’s who I am.”
Who you are is drastically different to who you are conditioned to be.
“It’s too late to change.”
And it’s never too late to change. Never.

Step 1: Spot the patterns (Change the belief in our success)
Within each of us, there are stories about how successful we’ve been, how well we’ve overcome challenges and how likely we are to overcome future challenges.
I refer to these stories as patterns. Because we repeat them to ourselves over and over again!
We can change these patterns by acknowledging the times when the facts didn’t align with the story in our minds.
And positively changing the pattern leads to greater belief in our success.

Step 2: Visualise your best self (Change the belief in our potential)
It might sound corny to you, but when we create a clearer image of who we truly are and who we want to be then we begin to align closer with the actions that our best self would take.
Our belief in our potential to be better, achieve more, experience more >>insert emotion here<< defines our ability to do those very things!
Try and picture the greater version of you in 5 years. And imagine what advice they would give you to transform your life and become them in the future.

Step 3: Learn what action you need to take (Take successful action)
This is where you need to do your research. Find a great book, mentor, coach or adviser who has achieved your desired results and knows exactly what action you need to take.
This is where you need to get crystal clear on what great action would look like and understand why you need to take it.

Step 4: Take action consistently (Change the results you achieve)
For this step to be conducted successfully, you’ll need to be able to (positively) answer all of these:
Why do I want this result?
What will success really mean for me?
Do I have confidence in this strategy?
Do the benefits outweigh the perceived costs?
Am I genuinely, emotionally & logically motivated to achieve this?
And then you need to be willing to change your approach and revisit step 3.

“This doesn’t feel easy”

Well that’s because if you’re doing it right, it’s not.

And that’s a good thing – because now you’re ready for the growth that’s coming your way…

…if you truly want it ;)