*Resources mentioned during the episode*
Level up with The Outsiders Business Accelerator – This is a mastermind for entrepreneurs, freelancers and small business owners who want to create a long-term sustainable brand and business. www.onestepoutside.com/accelerate
Growth Mindset
Transcript:
Hello there. This is Anna Lundberg talking at you from behind the computer with a blue screen in front of me – a blue screen, I say, a blue sky! Even better than a blue screen. And today I want to talk to you about mindset. So we’re looking at the second pillar as I call it, building confidence and resilience, and an important piece of that is your mindset. Most specifically, most importantly, I want to talk to you about a growth mindset, having a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. And if you haven’t already come across this concept, it comes from Carol Dweck. She has a book called Mindset, which I definitely recommend. And the way I think of this is from school. And from the way in which we grew up, we have this fixed mindset, which is that teachers tell us, you know, you are really good at English, Anna.
Speaker 1: You’re not good at languages. John, you are really good mathematician, promising mathematician. I think somebody said to my sister promising is good. Isn’t it? That’s a growth mindset, in fact, but the fixed mindset is you’re either good or you’re not. And so the problem is that because you think it’s something that you are, it’s impossible to change. So if you’re confronted with a maths problem and it’s just too hard, then you think, oh, there’s no point I’m rubbish. I’m just not good at maths. I’m not gonna bother. And you give up. Whereas if you have the growth mindset, you’ll think, oh, this is quite tricky. How can I use what I know to figure it out? How can I learn? Who can ask for help? Maybe if you’re allowed to do that, obviously not on an exam, but it’s a different kind of mindset, or I dunno how to do that yet.
So a few more examples. So if you say I’m just not good at this, right? I’m just not good at sales or I’m such a procrastinator. I just don’t have discipline it’s stories. We’re telling ourselves as well, right? It’s I’m just not good at putting myself out there, talking on camera, networking. I’m just not good at it. But instead of that, try to reframe it. So instead of I’m just not good. And that’s a fact, an imovable fact change it into, I can’t do it yet, but I will learn. That’s really important. And we’ll talk about in the next few weeks, you know how you can get that support, but okay. I can’t do it yet, but that’s fair enough. It’s new. This is the first time I’ve done it before. Think of all the kids who try walking for the first time, try eating for the first time.
They can’t do it right away, but they don’t give up. So I can’t do it yet, but I’m gonna learn. It’s too hard. There’s just no point. You know, it’s too much effort. Oh my gosh, I have to struggle. I have to suffer so much. I have to sacrifice compromise, sweat, blood, sweat, and tears. There’s just no point I’m gonna give up. It’s too much effort instead of that, Hey, it’s challenging. But embracing challenge is what’s going to help me grow. Hence the growth mindset, right? I’m going to grow. I’m going to learn. I’m going to become stronger. Oh, I failed. I might as well give up instead of that, it’s okay. It didn’t go quite as planned. I didn’t quite as get quite as many sales. I didn’t show up exactly as I wanted. What can I learn? How can I prepare better? Where can I get help?
How can I practise? What can I do differently? What can I learn from this? I’ll never be as good as that person over there. That’s the comparison comparanoia, right?
Oh, you feel threatened by other people’s success. I can’t believe that this person is succeeding as a business coach. How am I going to do it? That designer got this incredible work. I’m never going to get there. We’re jealous. And we begrudge other people their success. Instead, we’re going to reframe that. I’m inspired. I’m inspired by other people’s success. Seeing someone else succeed means that there’s a possibility that I can succeed to there’s this abundance, abundance mindset. That there’s enough for everybody. So I feel inspired by seeing other people succeed, not threatened. And finally, I’m going to stick only with what I know I’m going to stay in my comfort zone and I’m going to do what I’ve always done because that’s, what’s comfortable and easy and, and familiar instead, reframe that to I’m willing to try new things.
So can you see the difference from, I just can’t do it. It’s too hard. There’s no point I failed. Might as well give up. I’ll never be good enough. I’m just gonna do this little thing over here versus I’m going to learn. This is going to help me grow. What can I learn? I’m inspired. I’m gonna try new things. This is so exciting. That’s what we’re talking about with a growth mindset. Now, a few other aspects of this and, and aspects that I talk about a lot. So getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, you may have heard me say before, if you are a part of my community, if you’re new, then first of all, welcome. And let me introduce you to where one step outside. My brand name comes from my business name. It comes from the quote. Everything you’ve ever wanted is one step outside your comfort zone.
And so you may have seen a, a version of a graphic. You imagine a circle. There’s the comfort zone outside of that comfort zone is the growth zone. And that’s where the magic happens. There’s another image where there’s a comfort zone. And then the magic circle is, is way far away. That looks a bit harder to get to, right? Actually believe that it’s at one step, hence the one step outside, but you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable, stretching that comfort zone, trying new things, doing things differently, asking for help. And so on. Speaking of asking for help, another piece of this is swallowing your ego, and we’re doing a full episode on this next week. Swallowing your ego, putting your pride to one side and recognising that you’re learning. Brian Tracy big guru has said continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.
I can’t just do a coach training and then rest on my laurels, I did these, you know, however many hundred hours in 2015. And now I’m a coach 2014 and I’m going to be a coach the rest of my life. I can’t just write one book and then, and think that’s enough for the rest of my career. You know, I need to keep learning. I need to keep challenging myself. I need to learn new marketing techniques. I need to get different experiences working with different clients. I need to keep practising. I need to read. I need to listen. I need to learn. And then finally really important to be flexible and adaptable, right? We need to only look at the last couple of years to understand that we need to be able to pivot, to adapt, to accept some things that are out of like a control and yet be flexible and adaptable to evolve as needed and to move forward.
So get uncomfortable swallowing or ego learning, having that flexibility and adaptability.
So, so critical. Now it related to this growth mindset and a pass that I think is really something that I keep emphasising. And in fact, something again, I did an episode on a few weeks ago about being in it for the long haul, focusing on the long term, you really have to stay focused on the big picture vision. And this is a mindset shift, right? Rather than just getting caught up in what happens to be in front of you. I’m more for taking those big steps for being present and mindful. And so on small steps, did I say big steps for looking at just the step right in front of you? However you need to keep that big picture, vision and mind because as you’re not taking the steps, however small, that will actually get you to the real dream, right?
Things like, and I always, you know, give the same examples, but writing a book, doing a podcast, starting a business, moving to the country, to the sea, going travelling. These are big things. They’re not going to just happen unless you focus on them. So you need to know whether it’s on your vision board or in your journal on host it in your mind. You need to know that that’s the vision and you need to be taking however, small, incremental steps, but calling out some time to work on that dream, knowing that it might be far off, but Hey, if you suddenly go, you know what, it might have possible this year, but five years, 10 years anything’s possible. So that becomes super easy peasy. Again, I’ll reemphasize. Another piece of, of this being in it for the long haul is learning from failures. Understanding that each failure, each setback is a stepping stone on the road to success is going to get you further in the long term.
If I’m only focused on this launch right now, the first time you do a webinar, even the third time, fifth time you do something. Then of course, if that fails, then, oh my goodness, it’s a disaster. I’m a failure. That fixed mindset. Again, if I know that I’m in it for the long haul, this is an incredible gift. I’ve just learned that this way didn’t work, or this is what I’m gonna tweak, and I’m gonna get this feedback and these testimonials, and this is what I can do differently next time. And finally, and again, I had an episode on this too, a while back, which is all around enjoying the journey. If you’re in it for the long haul, you can enjoy these peaks and troughs in the rollercoaster. I know it can be emotional, stressful, but enjoy the process of learning again, being present, having fun ex embracing challenges.
Sometimes, sometimes you know, a bit of darkness, a bit of sadness then of course, really allows you to enjoy and celebrate. When you get through that really hard thing that you’ve come out. The other side, you’ve demonstrated resilience, and that you really are really are capable and your confidence gets built as a result, right? Confidence as a result of the effort, you’ve put in the incredible results then that you get. So enjoying that journey, being in it for the long haul. So stay focused on that big, big division, learn from those failures and setbacks, see them as stepping stones and then enjoying the journey along the way. And so the final piece of the mindset puzzle, and this is something that came outta my positive psychology course. I did the last couple of years, it was all about optimism. We talk about resilience. I’ve shared before Angela Duckworth’s research on grit, grit.
She says, there’s two elements. One is the passion for that long term goal, which I just mentioned. And the second is resilience, which is being adaptable, flexible, accepting, showing up, keeping going and so on, bouncing back and so on. All the things we’ve just talked about. So the grit is really the passion for long term goal. Plus the dedication, the discipline, the showing up the, the resilience, the bouncing back from setbacks and so on. Something else that came out from that course was the importance of optimism. And I found lovely quote. I, uh, did a project on Helen Kell and I was primary school, which is a story for another time. But I found a quote from her, which is optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. If you are pessimistic and cynical, there’s no point.
There’s no way this will never work. I’ll never be able to. And there’s this scarcity mind said, there’s nothing I can do about it. Oh my goodness. Then how are you ever going to succeed? If you, and we’re not talking blind optimism and being ridiculously naive and idealistic optimist are good at saying, Hey, there’s a problem. Let’s focus on what we can control. Let’s focus on addressing this problem except what we can’t control. We’re going to our us for help when needed. We’re going to take action. We’re going to use a bit of humour, not take ourselves so seriously so that we can cope and manage this. So that optimism is so critical as part of your mindset you need to be. And, and perhaps I’ve always been a little bit naive and idealistic, but I’ve now I’d like to think rooted that grounded in the realism of knowing what it takes to act, actually build my business.
It’s not quite the naivety that I had when I first started. And I thought I’d be a travel blogger and I’d travel the world and make lots of money writing. But although that reality didn’t happen, the, the reality, which is so much more nuanced and complex is so much more meaningful and relevant and personal to me. So again, growth mindset versus fit mindset. We’re talking, being in it for the long haul, embodying that sense of abundance and optimism. I dunno how to do it yet, but I will learn getting comfortable, being uncomfortable, swallowing your ego, learning, being flexible, adaptable, taking those failures and setbacks are stepping stones, enjoying the journey. And then finally above embracing that sense of optimism and abundance. And it will work out. It’s a question of when, and maybe how not, if, so of everything I’ve said, where do you think you need to work the most on your mindset?
Do you need to work on that growth mindset?
Do you find yourself telling yourself limiting stories of, oh, I’m just not good at this? I can’t do that. There’s no point. And is that something to work on? Part of it is just a subtle shift in, in reminding yourself in putting that yet in the sentence, right? That’s quite a good prompt. Is it about having a bit more optimism? If so, what can give you that optimism? What can give you some of at confidence that Hey is going to work out? Is it listening to some of the interviews I have where other people have have gone through this? Is it working with someone who’s going to guide you to help you achieve your results, but have a think about what it is you need most in terms of your mindset. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts as ever, you can email me@podcastatonestepoutside.com or you can message me on any social platform. I’d really love to hear what your thoughts are and your biggest insight from this. And of course, as ever, if you have any questions or any ideas for future topics as well, I I’m all Liz. This is for you. Thanks so much for listening this week and I’ll see you back here next week. Bye for now.
WORK WITH ANNA
Let us help you design a business and a life that gives you freedom from the 9 to 5. There are several options for how you can work with us. Choose the programme that’s right for you.
The Outsiders Business Incubator
A year-long business incubator for experienced corporate professionals who want to translate their skills and passions into a profitable and fulfilling business. onestepoutside.com/9to5
The Outsiders Business Accelerator
An ongoing mastermind for service-based business owners, freelancers and online entrepreneurs who are ready to achieve success on their own terms. onestepoutside.com/accelerate
The Outsiders Business Academy
A self-paced course for you to work through in your own time, to learn – and implement – the foundations of building a profitable business that lets you escape the 9 to 5. onestepoutside.com/course
1:1 Coaching & Mentoring
If you’re looking for one-to-one support to help you achieve your specific life and business goals, Anna has a limited number of spots for individual coaching and mentoring. onestepoutside.com/coaching
The Outsiders Business Accelerator
An ongoing mastermind for service-based business owners, freelancers and online entrepreneurs who are ready to achieve success on their own terms.
