I’ve been hearing and thinking a lot about mindset lately, as I am learning more about how to create growth in my business and life. The phrase “work on your mindset” can seem a little “woo woo,” as if what you think can magically create the thing/experience/outcome that you want.
What I’ve come to realize is that mindset is synonymous with attitude, or the way you think about something. Your mindset or attitude towards whatever that goal is will be a factor that determines whether or not you’re able to reach it.
What really solidified this idea for me is the work I’ve been doing with some clients regarding self-confidence. In The Confidence Gap, Dr. Harris writes, “Genuine confidence is not the absence of fear- it’s a transformed relationship with fear…It’s not the actual fear that holds people back, it’s the attitude towards fear that keeps people stuck.” It’s the mindset: the self-judgement, the comparisons to others, the (usually negative) predictions, and unhelpful ways of thinking about barriers (e.g., just complaining without trying to generate solutions).
So it’s not a magical thing that happens- mindset work is hard work. It’s about noticing and increasing your awareness about HOW you think about fear (and it’s usually fear that gets people stuck- fear of failure, fear of success, fear of looking like an imposter, etc), and changing the way you relate to fear- for example, seeing it as a useful emotion than one to be avoided. (I wrote more on the function of fear here if you want to check it out.)
As I continue to work on my own mindset / attitude / relationship towards fear, I'll share my thoughts here. In the meantime, let me know if you do any mindset work yourself! Do you have a specific mindset practice that has helped you change and grow? Let me know in the comments or shoot me an email.
Hi, I’m Dr. Ivy and I help professionals who are questioning if their alcohol/drug use is a problem, or want to reduce or stop their alcohol/drug use.
I also help people who have grown up in chaotic environments, or experienced traumatic events, and have difficulties with finding safety and trust in the world and with other people.