Mindset is powerful. It not only affects our confidence and behaviours, mindset significantly impacts how we approach and respond to various situations and challenges.
In our recent workshop on the ‘The Power of Mindset’, hosted by Gemma Casey of Natwest Enterprise, we looked at how we should embrace mindset, be aware of how mindset may affect our everyday business decisions, and how we, as freelancers, can use mindset to help us start, scale, and succeed.
In this workshop, Gemma delved deeper into fixed and growth mindsets. In a fixed mindset where character, intelligence, and creative ability are fixed, you struggle to embrace change, and you are not in control. The feeling of “I’m no good at this, so I might as well not try” is commonplace. In comparison, a growth mindset is one where you are open to trying new things, taking risks, and you grasp opportunities with both hands. In a growth mindset, you can change and grow through effort, application, and experience – in a growth mindset, you are in control.
Freelance Heroes members can watch the workshop here, but for anyone else who missed it, here are five of the key takeaways:
Having a positive mindset can influence success.
Positive people stand out amongst a crowd of equally talented individuals. Why? Mindset.
These people will most likely have a growth mindset that continues to influence their success. They have the focus and ability to grasp opportunities and adapt and change their attitude to get the most out of every situation.
Is it fear holding us back?
Fear and the dreaded imposter syndrome most certainly affect our mindset, where we believe that we aren’t good enough, so we may as well not try. Mindset does affect our response to failure and potential failure. However, to move from a fixed to a growth mindset, we need to learn from our experiences. To dust ourselves off and realise that failure is not a reflection of you or your ability; it is something we can use positively to move forward.
You don’t need a growth mindset all the time.
It is entirely natural to have a fixed mindset at times; in fact, we don’t need to have a growth mindset 100% of the time to succeed.
Acknowledging that we don’t need to apply a growth mindset to everything, but rather the things that you feel are maybe holding you back is what counts. Building on your skills and abilities to improve and achieve more is key.
We have a choice.
Mindset isn’t a fixed point; you aren’t either a fixed or growth mindset. Instead, mindset is a spectrum, with our mindsets changing throughout even the course of a day. For example, events happen every day, events that we have no control over, and it is our reaction to these events that is important. You do have control and influence over your reactions. You have a choice in how you react, and sometimes taking a step back and taking a breath can help to change your reaction and create a more successful outcome.
Acknowledging mindset is the first step.
You can develop your mindset by first acknowledging how you are feeling. Acknowledging that you may be in a fixed mindset and making small changes to move into a growth mindset, such as changing your language from “I can’t” to “I can’t yet,” or moving from a state of denial to a place of accountability, can help.
However, this takes practice; you need to learn and understand your triggers, triggers that tip you into a fixed mindset.
Gemma’s advice:
- Take time to reflect.
- Have a vision and plan.
- Understand what is really holding you back.
- Make the most of the right opportunities.
- Ask for help.
By being aware of our thinking and feelings and digging a little deeper into what is really holding us back, we can change our mindset, moving from fixed to growth and reaping the benefits that this has the potential to bring.
Being able to clearly and concisely outline what you do is absolutely key. You never know when you might be talking to your next client, so join our next workshop hosted by Gemma Casey of Natwest Enterprise on ‘Writing a Great 60 Second PItch’. You can book your FREE ticket here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-a-great-60-second-pitch-tickets-443273030567