Your Mindset Matters

Strategies and tools are important, but your mindset determines how far you’ll go. A fixed mindset sees barriers; a growth mindset sees stepping stones. Let’s explore why mindset is the secret driver of success.

Why Mindset Matters

Carol Dweck’s research shows people with growth mindsets achieve more. They see challenges as opportunities to learn, not as proof they “aren’t good enough.”

1. Reframe Failure as Feedback

Thomas Edison didn’t fail 1,000 times—he discovered 1,000 ways that didn’t work. This mindset shift fuels resilience. View all setbacks as learning experiences - because they are. I'm not saying that it's not normal to feel crappy after a disappointing product launch or closing an online store because of a lack of sales (that's me!). That is a normal human emotion. So feel it, learn from it, pick yourself up, and use the experience in a positive way in your next venture.

2. Watch Your Self-Talk

Your inner voice can either sabotage or support you. Replace “I can’t” with “How can I?” or "I haven't learned how to do that...yet." When you catch yourself with a negative thought or a doubt, replace it immediately. Do not allow it to fester.

3. Visualize Success

Many elite athletes, performers, and actors use visualization before big games. Carli Lloyd, Oprah Winfrey, LeBron James, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Smith and many more have spoken about how visualizing their success helped it come to fruition. Studies show the brain activates in similar ways when imagining success and when actually doing it. In other words, our brains can't tell the difference between our imagined success and real-life success. Did you like to daydream when you were a kid? I sure did, and I got scolded too many times to count. Well, you now have full permission to daydream - in fact, set aside a small block of time each day to fully immerse yourself in what you want your life to look like.

4. Embrace Progress, Not Perfection

Perfectionism is procrastination in disguise. Consistent progress compounds faster when your work reaches excellence, instead of waiting until everything feels perfect or “ready.” There are so many great quotes about perfection, but I think my favorite is by French writer Voltaire: "Perfect is the enemy of good."

5. Surround Yourself with Growth-Minded People

Energy is contagious. Spending time with people who see possibilities elevates your own thinking. Likewise, spending time with negative energy-suckers will quash all that hard visualization work you've been doing. I'm not saying dump all your non-entrepreneurial minded friends. But, business goals aside, do you really want to spend time with negative Nellies? We humans have a herd mentality, meaning we like spending time with people who think and act like us. As you continue on your business growth path, you will find yourself naturally migrating toward like-minded people and away from those who don't understand your goals.

Conclusion

Your mindset shapes your ceiling. Cultivate a growth perspective, and you’ll find opportunities where others see obstacles.

Practice establishing a positive mindset with Kathy Bales' FREE guide: 10 Essential Mindset Shifts for Success.

Set good, productive habits with Connie Ragen Green's Double Your Productivity For Life.