We need to work on being happy. Wishing is not good enough. One of the most effective tools in being happy is knowledge, and as the old saying goes, knowledge is power. With knowledge you can do miracles. However, it will be best if you know those things that obstruct positive feelings, vibes, initiations, and actions.
Before we explain what positive thinking is, we need to understand why some people think negatively? Using common sense, we might derive that such individuals are either afraid or unconfident of change in their life, or the negative state of mind they are in is an effect of their uprising, growth, environment, family, learning, bad role model, psychological problem left in the unconscious mind and is feeding their conscious mind.
Those deep psychological barriers cause an obstruction to change, in other words, fear of change. If we want change, then we have to welcome change in whatever form it may come in, hard or easy, to change those negative values built in our deep conscious minds and factor out all the fear elements.
It is important that we try and understand fear and the factors contributing towards it so that we may equip ourselves with the knowledge which will guide us towards an appropriate solution to counter fear. Disregarding whatever has been said about fear thus far, a little fear is always healthy as it gives you the thrive and motivation to go that extra mile.
Dealing with Setbacks
These mindsets also cause people to deal with setbacks differently:
•People with a fixed mindset are very discouraged by setbacks, because a setback dents their belief in their ability. They tend to become uninterested and give up.
•People with a growth mindset view a setback as an opportunity to learn. They tend to try harder in an effort to overcome the problem.
“The moment that we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability, we will be brittle in the face of adversity”
– Josh Waitzkin
Neuroplasticity
Did you know your brain can change?
The good news is that you can change your mindset.
Neuroscience shows that our brains continue to develop and change even as adults. Old dogs really can learn new tricks.
The brain is actually quite like plastic, and can be reshaped over time, forming new neural pathways. This has led neuroscientists to call this tendency neuroplasticity.
These neural pathways are developed by doing or thinking particular things. The things that we do or say more often become hard-wired into our brains as habits. These form defined ‘routes’ in our brain, which become easier to use.
But you can still change them. The first step is to realize that you need to, then to train your brain in the new skill. It may help to think about this learning as a cycle.
There are three key things that you can do to develop a growth mindset:
1.You need to recognize that a growth mindset is not just good, but is also supported by science. In other words, you need to be committed to developing a growth mindset.
2.You can learn and teach others about how to develop and improve their abilities through adopting a growth mindset. This will help you to take control of your life, which is hugely empowering.
3.Listen out for your fixed mindset voice. When you hear that little critical voice in your head telling you that you can’t do something, reply with a growth mindset approach and tell it that you can learn.
Letting Go of the Wrong Mindset
If you have a fixed mindset, it doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with it. Being aware is half the battle. Your mindset is something that can be changed depending on how you cultivate it.
First, you have to be able to identify the mindset that you have. You need to understand that your mindset can be fixed with one issue, yet be leaning toward growth on other issues.
This occurs because though there are two definable types of mindsets, you can have times where you cross the line from one to the other – and your mindset becomes a mixture of the two.
You can tell if this is what you’re experiencing by your inner thought patterns. If you feed yourself limited thoughts, then you’re in a fixed mindset. Fixed mindsets will often first focus on the negatives in any situation before they see the potential.
Fixed mindsets will close doors to opportunities while growth mindsets seek ways to open them. An example of being in a fixed mindset would be inner thoughts like, ‘You don’t have the right talents for this. You’re not intelligent enough. You’ll make a fool of yourself if you try.’
These fixed mindset thoughts keep many people from trying new ideas or venturing out on their own. If you’re not sure what pattern you’re in, keep a journal of your honest feelings to gauge where your head is at over the course of a 6-week period. A fixed mindset can keep people stuck in a routine, such as giving them the fear of leaving a job they don’t enjoy - when they really want to start their own business.
If people with a fixed mindset decide that they’re going to make a change and reach for an opportunity only to have it end badly, they’ll hear a round of ‘I told you do’ thoughts.
This leads them to believe that they’re not enough – that they’re better off not trying again. A fixed mindset can keep you trapped and prevent you from developing a strong success mindset unless you decide that you’ve had enough.
To change a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, you have to stop the messages that a fixed mindset feeds you. Instead of allowing yourself to believe thoughts like, ‘I knew I was a failure. I blew it,’ you would switch that to something like, ‘I know I’ll find a way to succeed. Look at all of the setbacks others had – yet, they made it and I can, too.’
Understanding mindset so that you can let go of the wrong kind is one thing, but you have to know how to take action to support that mindset.
Power of a Positive Mindset
Many people assume that positive thinking implies seeing the world through rose-colored glasses without paying much heed to the negative aspects of life. This is far from the true meaning of positive thinking.
The ignorance and avoidance of problems does not make up positive thinking. Positive thinking involves making the most out of negative situations, seeing the good in others, trusting your abilities and having hope for the future.
People with a positive thought process look at problems constructively. They turn their attention to the solutions rather than towards the obstacle, and thus look at the obstacles as interesting challenges that have many solutions.
They jump out of the box and start thinking of possibilities. They think less of the problem and more of the possible solutions. They know that if you focus on the problem, you will lock yourself in the box and will not see except the four corners that are evident in front of you.
They use the 80/20 rule called the Pareto Analysis, which states that to reach a positive solution or answer, concentrate on the solutions (80% or more) and less on the problem (20% or less) to unlock your mind to a world full of possibilities, and thus building interest while pursuing the answers.
On the other hand, people with negative thinking patterns lock themselves in their own cocoon and they look for others to put the blame on. Thus, losing the possibilities to change and become better at whatever they pursue or do.
Blaming yourself for things beyond your control is likely to have an adverse effect on the state of your mind. People who think positively exclude all the negative reasons behind a negative outcome, and fill themselves with self-esteem and confidence, when a positive event takes place.
Some