Why Is Mindset Important?
We hear talk of a growth and scarcity mindset anytime we roam social media, so much so that one could have fallen trap into wondering what kind of mindset we might currently possess. So what is a growth mindset or why is mindset important?
Imagine this, you’re scrolling social media watching the flood of posts invade your eyeballs and thoughts, making you feel a bit lazy and non ambitious. As you see old friends and random people being part of all sorts of things, from investing to learning dance moves to learning how to play pickleball you reach for the next kernel of popcorn, more like the next kernels of popcorn. As you comfortably sit on your couch you suddenly stop on a post talking about a growth mindset vs scarcity or fixed mindset. Your popcorn falls midway from your mouth, you wonder, “do I have a scarcity mindset?” You hope not.. It doesn’t sound too good. Let's dive in, why is mindset important and why is everyone talking about it?
What is mindset?
Mindset is the lens we view the world through. Let me explain, everyone views the world and the people in it differently. We create different stories or assumptions of everything that surrounds us and that we interact with. This view we have of everything outside of ourselves is the lens with which we view the world. This lens is composed of beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions or stories of everything happening outside of ourselves. Think of it like a filter. As you're out and about taking in the world with your eyeballs everything you’re registering is being filtered through this mindset lens. To make it a little more complex, this lens not only includes our beliefs, attitudes, and stories of the things outside of ourselves but it also includes the beliefs, attitudes, and stories we have of ourselves.
To sum up this up:
Mindset is the lens with which we view the world through
The mindset we possess is composed of the beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions we have created of the world AS WELL as the beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions we have of ourselves
Where does our mindset come from?
As we take that in we might realize that our mindset is something that was molded by our caretakers as well as the environment we grew up in. In truth, our environment, the people surrounding us, and our biology all had something to do with the mindset we’ve developed up to this point.
Environment: This includes the state of our society, the events going on worldwide, the events in our communities, and the communities we coexist with
The people surrounding us: This includes all the people we’ve interacted with throughout our life span. Our biggest influence here is of course our caretakers
Our biology: This includes the needs we crave as babies, toddlers, and teenagers
All of this blends together creating a perfect mix of the lens we view the world through.
Why does mindset matter?
Now, let's get to the nitty gritty important stuff shall we? Why is mindset important or in relevance to all this talk about a growth mindset, why is mindset important in achieving success or why is mindset important in day to day activities? Mindset is important because it shapes the world around us and the way we fit into that world. These two things bleed into the way we perceive the world or the story we tell ourselves about the stuff that is happening around and in front of us. This means that mindset plays a big part in influencing our future aspirations as well as what we think as possible for ourselves. Thinking about the possibilities in store for us includes the way we deal and handle problems. Ever wondered how some people get through the most atrocious problems and come out on the other side? Mindset plays a huge part in this. It’s also something that involves lots of inner work and it most definitely is not a quick fix.
The beautiful thing is if you’ve read this far along it most likely means your inner world has intrigued you and you’re ready to know yourself a bit more. Creating a relationship with yourself is fortunately one of the first steps in healing and achieving a growth mindset. Remember to be gentle to yourself on this journey and discovery.
