A Key to Resilience: Mindset Shifts
I didn’t choose my childhood.
Like many other children, my childhood was wrought with adversity. More than most, that’s subjective. I spent my early years feeling scared and wounded, inside and out, taking a back seat to others' needs and wants and being driven along by circumstances that were out of my control.
When life happens to you at such a young age, your external voice gets stamped out by words like “no,” “why do you have to be so dumb,” or “what on earth is wrong with you?” The silence of being ignored is haunting. And soon, your internal voice follows suit, holding you back at every turn and it works against you.
“I can’t do that.”
“I’m not smart enough to be that.”
“Nobody wants to hear what I have to say.”
Years later, as adults, we feel stuck.
I felt stuck. Despite achieving a Ph.D. and a successful career, my inner voice convinced me I was a failure. A fraud. I referred to myself as “irreparably broken.” I struggled to find the resilience required to take the next step. The impact of my childhood adversities was there every step of the way.
Frustrated, I began searching for the key to breaking free. The key to tapping into my true power and recruiting my inner voice to work with me, not against me. What I discovered forever changed my life. And it can change yours too.
The key: mindset shifts.
MINDSET SHIFTS UNLOCK YOUR HIDDEN POTENTIAL.
Dr. Carol Dweck coined the term “mindset” in the 1970s while researching motivation and drivers of success. She compared those with a “growth mindset” to those with a “fixed mindset.”
Growth mindset is the difference between “I can’t” and “One day, I will.”
This shift in language is subtle, yet powerful. When you recruit your inner voice to work for you, there's no limit to what you can accomplish. When you allow your inner voice to critique you and break you down, even the smallest tasks can feel daunting.
Sadly, many people live with an ever-present critic, which creates what is widely known as the “false self,” or a condition called imposter syndrome. A self that feels fake or fraudulent, leading people to think, “if they knew the real me, they would leave me, not love me, reject me…fill in the blank.” The false self often writes the script that leaves us stuck.
Here’s how I like to put it: “What you say to yourself about yourself becomes a part of what you believe about your identity.” I’ve been known to say, if you knew the power of your words and your thoughts, you would never have another negative thought ever again. Easier said than done, and important to know nonetheless.
That’s why my recipe for mastering resilience includes a series of mindset shifts that anchor in the transformational process. While you overcome external obstacles, you get to acknowledge your strengths and your true sense of self. It’s helpful to have an advocate in your corner—someone who will support you and believe in you and show you how it’s done..
You have so much potential to make a positive change. With specific mindset shifts, you can consistently have a more dynamic and meaningful life.
LIFE BEGINS WHEN YOU TAKE ONE STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Some say growth is hard, but it doesn’t have to be. Solutions can be simple, not necessarily easy, but they don’t have to be hard either.
This can be true for you. With the inner strength that comes from using the recipe for mastering resilience, you can face adversities that life throws your way. You can step into the unknown with confidence because you have effective strategies to stay aligned with your true self.
Many people stay in their comfort zone. Whether driven by adverse experiences, a fear of failure, or a fixed mindset, they play it safe. And in the process, life grinds to a halt.
Just one step is all it takes to move out of your comfort zone and a life is there for you, a life designed by your dreams and goals.
The most impactful step you take toward growing your career or business, forming a new relationship, overcoming past adversity—requires getting slightly uncomfortable. It requires stretching your mind and your emotional skill sets, making mistakes and course correcting.
Be willing to take one step. Try a new recipe. See what you can make.
MAKE ONE MINDSET SHIFT, YOU’RE READY FOR CHANGE.
A mindset shift is the starting point. Continue from there.
In my book, Mastering Resilience: Transforming Into Your Purpose, I walk through the eight ingredients of mastering resilience.
Ingredients that are designed to:
Break cycles and patterns that no longer work
Prompt you to take action consistent with your true self
Help you set goals and achieve them
Blend together with strategies to anchor in resilience time and time again
and much more!
I share my journey of transformation and those of others, from being controlled by childhood adversities to using them to help others. From being “irreparably broken” to being healed. From having a fixed mindset to having a growth mindset.
Your choices may have been taken from you in the past. You have a choice now. To break free from what holds you back and to move forward in your purpose. Or to stay stuck.
I hope you choose your purpose. Because when you do, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.
If you’re looking for more ways to shift your mindset or where to go next, get a copy of my book here. You’ll learn the eight ingredients to mastering resilience and tangible ways to move forward into the future of your choosing.