“The Athena Principles” Growth Mindset – Principle 4 (Sixth in a Series)
The fourth of five Principles outlined in The Athena Principles, Simple Wellness Practices for Overworked Professionals is Growth Mindset. How the wellness journey is viewed determines one’s level of progress and enjoyment. When you adopt a growth mindset, you begin to focus on what is right in your life. The more you practice this mindset, the more you’ll being to experience challenges as opportunities that will, in turn, position you to move forward with more confidence and ease.
Do you have a love/hate relationship with your wellness practice? Do you find yourself “rubber-banding” back and forth between positive thoughts and the absence of them? Since your mindset is comprised of thoughts that influence attitude, shifting those thoughts can quite literally change your life. By choosing to focus our energy and resources on the positive, instead of focusing on the negative, we take ownership of our emotions and experiences.
There are two components in the dictionary definition of mindset:
1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person’s responses to and interpretations of situations.
2. An inclination or habit.
A positive attitude is a state of mind that has the capacity to envision and routinely expect favorable outcomes, which influences behavior. A person with a positive attitude:
Builds on a foundation of optimism and positive thinking
Views situations positively (I can, we will, it’s possible) and does not contribute to fear-based thinking or actions
Perceives obstacles as opportunistic challenges
Acknowledges but does not dwell on problems and sees the silver lining in the unexpected
Tries new things
Appreciates the virtuous in all people and believes in a greater good for all
Accepts the world as it is and works to make it better.
Sometimes just a small shift in attitude can get you going in the right direction, such as:
Shifting from a feeling of drudgery (I have to) to being open to trying something new (I get to)
Easing up on the need for perfection and doing the best you can at any given point in time
Reframing setbacks by finding inspiration in similar stories, addressing what didn’t go as planned and expressing gratitude for what went well.
Your habits are behaviors that create who you are and determine where you’re going. Habits are something we do regularly, sometimes without thought. I like to think of habit as a groove – a way to make good choices routine and easy by the support system created around it.
People who establish and practice good habits tend to be:
Self-motivated and action-oriented, rising early and minimizing time spent that is not in alignment with what matters most
Disciplined and health conscious, eating well, exercising regularly and prioritizing sleep
People-oriented who enjoy healthy relationship with family, friends, colleagues and those in their community
Emotionally mature with well-defined boundaries yet generous with time and resources
Growth-oriented, investing in practices that support their continuous improvement and ongoing learning.
Of course, some habits can also work against us. We all have unfavorable habits that have become actions we perform on “autopilot.” These are done without much thought or consideration as to how they are affecting us long term. These are the habits sabotaging what we really want out of life.
What habits have you formed that are in direct conflict with your wellness aspirations? How can you find ways to make your wellness aspirations a priority? What makes good habits stick?
There is a pattern that behavioral psychologists use to encourage forming good habits by using routines, cues and incentives:
Routine – finding ways to make actions so commonplace and memorable they are easily followed regularly
Cues – Visual reminders that promote a positive state of mind in relation to the habit
Incentive – Reinforcing the intended behavior with a meaningful reward.
The secret of forming good habits starts with the awareness that seemingly small or inconsequential decisions you make add up over time. The trajectory of good habits will propel you forward if your decision-making is in alignment with where you want to go.
Attitude and habits are intertwined and play a huge part in who you are and who you will become. Shifts from a fixed mindset of “I should” to a growth mindset of “I will” puts the power back into your hands and serves as an accelerator for optimized well-being.
I will continue sharing the book’s key concepts with you through blogs posted on the 1st and 15th of the month through October. You can sign up for blog post alerts below and get a free download of The Athena Principles framework and action plan at: https://athenawellness.com/actionplan
Book Announcement: The paperback, eBook and audiobook versions of The Athena Principles, Simple Wellness Practices for Overworked Professionals are available on Amazon. Feedback shared via Amazon reviews is much appreciated!