Written by: Claire Johnson, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
So, what is mindset? Well, your mindset is the frame of mind you are in at any single time. It is a strong powerful tool whereby thoughts and the way you think about anything can either hinder or help you. Your mindset and the way you think (and subsequently feel) about anything is shaped by your habitual thoughts.
Your perspective is created by your values and beliefs so, therefore, impact your behaviour to the situations that life throws at you. Your ability to cope with these challenges is determined by your mindset. Your beliefs are formed from a young age with your family upbringing impacting this, from the language you use to speak to yourself through to your beliefs around money, relationships, work, family and your own ability.
There are two types of mindset, fixed and growth. A fixed mindset is when people believe their traits are fixed and cannot be changed, an example being “I am not good at sport”. As you can see telling yourself this is very limiting and by believing this to be true no action will be taken to try! A fixed mindset is quite closed yet in some circumstances is beneficial to have, for example when you have responsibilities to stick to.
A growth mindset, which is the one adopted by the alpha female, allows you to be open to learning, improving and comes with an understanding that it is ok to be where you currently are at. It comes with the belief that you have the ability to be in control of changing your destiny through developing the necessary skills or educating yourself to make that happen. It is a lot more open and empowering as well as provides the ability to be fluid and proactive to change rather than reactive. Having a growth mindset allows you to evolve regularly and be dynamic in becoming the best version of yourself.
People can be referred to as having a positive or negative mindset and often you can recognise this from the language they use when conversing. It is highlighted by the words they use, the descriptions they say plus their use of tonality. Think of someone who is energetic with a can-do attitude, one who speaks with enthusiasm using phrases such as “I will try”, “I can do”, “how can this be done” and “if I did” then you’re most likely thinking of someone who has a positive mindset. They are willing to give things a go and will often lift up those around them energetically and through words of encouragement.
Now think of someone who is the opposite to that, someone who limits themselves with phrases such as “I can’t do that” or “that’s not possible”. They may appear to be unwilling to try new experiences or get out of their comfort zone. You are likely to hear them moan about a situation or look for the bad things about something rather than looking on the bright side. Often this person criticizes themselves and has low belief in their capabilities.
The famous car manufacturer Henry Ford is quoted as saying “whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right” which is one of my favourite quotes. I love it as it reinforces my beliefs and experiences around what you say to yourself. The person you will talk to most in your entire life is you so why not make the conversations positive! Think about all the times you’ve been self-critical saying “I’m rubbish at ...”, “I’m not good enough to do …”, “they don’t like me” “I wish I didn’t” “I’m no good” “I’m stupid” …the list of negative terms we use with ourselves is endless! Imagine if every time you caught yourself speaking down to yourself, you turned this around to put a positive spin on it. I can guarantee that by doing this, that you will soon start seeing more opportunities plus feel more confident, empowered and have the belief in you to go grab life and live it to the full!
Creating an awareness of the language you use is the first step to being able to proactively create a positive change. By learning to notice your thoughts and subsequently the way you react emotionally is the key to changing behaviours and mastering your mindset.
Claire Johnson, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine
Claire is an expert mindset, nutrition, and training coach for women, authors, TV presenters, expert speakers, and female empowerment mentors.
Claire is the CEO of The Naked Warrior, which delivers 3 winning online coaching programs and Founder of The Naked Warrior Tribe online female empowerment community plus the author of two books — The Winning Formula: Discover the Secrets to Unleash Your Alpha Female and The Winning Physique: How to Get the Competitive Edge on Stage.
