The Power of Mindset
How Your Thinking Shapes Your Life
Have you ever noticed how two people facing the same challenge can have completely different outcomes? One sees a setback as the end of the road, while the other views it as an opportunity to grow. The difference isn’t luck, talent, or intelligence.
It’s their mindset that makes the difference.
Your mindset is the internal compass that directs your actions, responses, and ultimately, your success. Whether you realize it or not, the way you think about yourself and the world influences everything in your life, from your career and relationships to your personal well-being (Dweck, 2006).
Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset
Dr. Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist, introduced the concept of fixed vs. growth mindsets.
A fixed mindset assumes that abilities, intelligence, and talents are static, you either have them or you don’t. People with this mindset avoid challenges, fear failure, and often give up easily when things get tough (Dweck, 2006).
A growth mindset, on the other hand, embraces the idea that abilities can be developed through effort and learning. People with this perspective see setbacks as opportunities to improve, persist in the face of difficulties, and ultimately achieve more in life.
Think about this: When you say, “I’m just not good at this,” you close the door to growth. But when you shift your thinking to “I’m not good at this yet, but I can learn,” you create the possibility for progress (Dweck & Yeager, 2019).
How Your Mindset Determines Your Outcomes
1. Mindset Affects Your Response to Failure
Everyone fails—it’s a part of life. But how you interpret failure makes all the difference.
A fixed mindset sees failure as proof of inadequacy: “I’ll never be good at this.”
A growth mindset sees it as feedback: “This didn’t work, but now I know what to do differently.”
Successful people aren’t immune to failure; they just refuse to let it define them. Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before inventing the light bulb, yet he famously said, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” (Stoff, 2001).
2. Mindset Shapes Your Confidence and Self-Worth
If you constantly tell yourself that you’re not smart enough, not talented enough, or not capable, your brain starts to believe it.
But when you shift your self-talk—“I can figure this out,” or “I am capable of learning new things”—you begin to cultivate confidence and resilience (Duckworth, 2016).
3. Mindset Determines Your Actions and Results
Your thoughts drive your behaviors, and your behaviors determine your results.
If you believe success is possible, you’ll take action toward it.
If you believe you’re doomed to fail, you won’t even try.
Imagine two people preparing for a big presentation. One tells himself, “I’m terrible at public speaking; I’ll mess this up,” so he barely practices and stumbles through his speech. The other says, “I may not be great at this yet, but I can improve,” so she practices, refines her skills, and delivers a strong presentation. The belief set the stage for the outcome (Brown, 2018).
An example of this for me is when I was playing baseball I would tell myself I was a terrible hitter and would just strikeout, and with that mindset and mentality, I did strikeout more often than not. Fast-forward to my adult coaching life and telling kids to keep a positive mindset and to tell themselves they’d hit the ball. And guess what happened for those kids? They’d more often than not get a hit because I’d instill confidence and belief in them due to my learned behaviors. My changed mindset on hitting, helped my players with their mindset to where they believed they could get a hit and build their confidence.
How to Cultivate a Mindset That Serves You
1. Reframe Negative Thoughts
Catch yourself when you’re thinking in limiting ways and reframe those thoughts.
Instead of “I can’t do this,” try “I haven’t figured it out yet.” Small shifts in language can have a huge impact (Dweck, 2006).
“The Man who says he can, and the man who says he can not.. Are both correct”
-Confucius
Just changing those little words in our thought process can make a deep impact on our everyday lives because the more often we change them to positive ones, the more good things will happen for us, as we build upon our positive mindset.
2. Embrace Challenges
Challenges are opportunities in disguise.
The more you lean into discomfort, the more you grow.
Instead of avoiding difficult situations, see them as stepping stones to improvement (Duckworth, 2016).
Challenges can be disheartening and downright suck at times; however, the more we embrace these challenges and face them head on, the more likely we are to learn, overcome, and create something better for ourselves and others as a result of the challenges we face.
Weight-loss is always a challenge for me as well as many others. I have been in great shape to where I was competing in CrossFit competitions, feeling like I was a million bucks, looked great, and had a lot of confidence, and I have also been at a point where I felt as though you could put me in front of the sun and cause an eclipse and had no confidence in myself or anything I was doing. Through the challenge of weight-loss and maintaining a healthy weight I learned a lot about what works and doesn’t work. The challenge that always came with a new obstacle every time I got to a new high or a new low; however, I always learned something. And now when things don’t go my way with my weight or something else, I know that by learning from those past challenges and changing my mindset from I can’t do this to I can do this, has made a difference in how I approach challenges that arise in my life.
3. Learn from Criticism and Failure
Instead of taking criticism personally, ask yourself: What can I learn from this?
Growth-minded people seek feedback, knowing that it helps them improve (Brown, 2018).
Ask for feedback and take it all in. We all had teachers and coaches that would provide feedback whether we wanted it or not. How we took it, is on us to determine what we were going to do with it. If it’s negative feedback, it may be frustrating at first; however, learn from it to what you can do better to improve. If it’s positive feedback, that’s great; however, as for where there are improvements as nothing is ever truly perfect.
4. Surround Yourself with Growth-Oriented People
Mindsets are contagious.
Spend time with people who challenge you, inspire you, and push you to be better.
The company you keep influences your mindset and, ultimately, your success (Clear, 2018).
5. Practice Gratitude and Positivity
What you focus on expands.
When you choose to see challenges as opportunities and celebrate progress (even small wins), you train your brain to adopt a more resilient and optimistic mindset (Emmons, 2007).
Final Thoughts
Your mindset is the foundation of your reality. When you believe in your ability to grow, learn, and adapt, you open the door to incredible possibilities. The good news? Mindset is not set in stone—you can change it at any time.
So, what will you choose today? Will you see obstacles as barriers or as opportunities to level up? The choice is yours, and it starts in your mind.
What’s one area of your life where you’re shifting your mindset for the better? Share in the comments! 💡👇
References
Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts. Random House.
Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Avery.
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Dweck, C. S., & Yeager, D. S. (2019). Mindsets: A view from two eras. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(3), 481–496. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804166
Emmons, R. A. (2007). Thanks!: How practicing gratitude can make you happier. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Stoff, J. (2001). Thomas Edison: Young inventor (Childhood of Famous Americans). Aladdin.