How to Build a Success Mindset
LEVEL UP YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH TOOLS TO HELP YOU BUILD A MINDSET FOR SUCCESS
For the longest time I never realised how big an impact our mindset could have on everything we do. Only as an adult (and long into motherhood), did I discover that our attitude - and essentially our mindset - could either make us or break us. So, when I realised how powerful this was, I began my journey to shifting my mindset to one of success rather than one of victimisation and limitation. If you're on a personal growth journey too, then I have a couple tips that will help you loads.
You see, in every scenario and circumstance in your life, you choose to be one of four possible characters; the hero, the villain, the victim, or the bystander.
I'm sure I'll be talking about each of the characters in future posts, but for right now, I just wanted to highlight the victim, because this is the character that can really limit us when it comes to achieving success.
The victim is the person who takes the position that what has happened is not their fault. There were external circumstances that led to the result. Or someone else's mishap, wrongdoing, or poor judgement caused the outcome.
In essence, the victim avoids taking ownership of the outcome. And it's not hard to see why. Often it can be painful to "own" a bad result. Or it can be embarrassing or shameful to admit that somewhere we may have gone wrong.
But this is exactly what separates those who are successful from those who are not - however you define success.
Taking ownership or accepting responsibility for yourself actually empowers you. In their book The Power of Agency, Dr. Paul Napper and Dr. Anthony Rao, state that acknowledging your role and actions gives you the power to change your future.
Another book, Extreme Ownership, echoes the same thought that it requires ownership of your actions to create success.
Here's the thing, if you can't do anything to change the outcome, then you’re likely to experience that same outcome again and again.
But that’s not why you’re here.
You’re here because you KNOW that with the right mindset, you can have a profoundly positive effect on your future.
If you're on this journey, then I have a couple tips that will help you.
1. Read or listen to mindset shifting books or podcasts
The tricky thing about changing our mindset is that, more often than not, it’s subconscious and completely ingrained into our current thinking. But there’s a saying that goes “you’re the sum of the books you read and the people you hang out with”. And if that’s the case, the books we read can and do make an impact on who we are becoming.
Many books qualify as mindset shifting books. Some may shift your mindset positively, whilst others can have a negative impact on your mindset. It’s important, then, to be diligent about choosing the right books to read. Books that will help us and not keep us stuck with a victim mentality.
It might not happen overnight, but here’s the good news, it can and will happen if we keep digesting the kind of books that epitomise the type of mindsets, beliefs and qualities we desire to have.
This is why, if you’re a Christian, reading the bible daily has a big effect on your Christian life.
So where do you start?
A few good mindset-shifting books I can recommend are:
Historically, I use to say that I never had time to read.
And then I met Audible.
If you’re a busy mum like me, or you just don’t know where you’ll squeeze in the time to get through a single book, I want to encourage you to subscribe to Audible. Then you can listen to books whilst you wash the dishes, or fold the laundry, or travel to work, or on the way back home from dropping the kids to school.
The good thing about Audible is that even if you only grab 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there, the app remembers exactly where you were and just picks up from where you left off!
I can honestly say, that if it wasn’t for audiobooks, I wouldn’t be able to consume as many books as I do now. Not that I go through a lot of books, but considering that I wasn’t reading at all when I became a parent, and now I can get through a book a month - it almost feels like a miracle!
And if you don't want to get an Audible subscription, you can subscribe to podcasts that will inspire and motivate you. They're completely free and there are lots to choose from!
2. Use mindset supporting phrases
Another thing that you’ll want to do to build a success mindset is to start using, reading and memorising ‘mindset supporting phrases’.
What are mindset support phrases?
These are phrases, or even words, that help to build the mindset that we desire to have. Some people might call them affirmations. But I think they encompass more than just affirmations.
Like I mentioned, they can also simply be words like “Believe” or “Shine”.
When we read, use and memorise words and phrases that support the mindset we want to have, we are actually rewiring our brains.
Our brains are finely tuned to react to the words we use. That’s why language is so powerful. And the language you use when you talk to yourself can be some of the most powerful language of all.
The conversations you have with yourself in your head have a profound and cascading effect on your emotions, your thoughts, and ultimately, your actions.
This is why, if you want to change your actions, you’ll need to change the language you use with yourself. If you want to change your mindset, you’ll need to change the words you replay in your mind.
To get started, why not download our Affirmation Cards. It contains encouraging statements and phrases that will motivate you to achieve your goals. Use any that resonate with you, or you can simply make up your own. ⤵️
If you join our stationery club (Paper Me Pretty), you’ll get 25+ stationery items each month. One of these is an Art Print Quote. I LOVE our Art Print Quotes because they are inspirational quotes that really help you build a success mindset.
These quotes are also used on our monthly wallpapers and I use them on my phone each month so that whenever I pick up my phone, I see the motivational quote and it continues to have an impact on my mindset.
An Art Print Quote from our stationery club.
An exercise that I like to do when I think about achieving my goals, is to write down any negative thoughts or fears I have about achieving a goal. Then I will write down why the opposite is true.
This can sometimes be called creating “liberating truths” and it’s a really useful exercise on shifting your mindset to one of success.
I hope you’ve found this post useful. Building a success mindset is a journey of personal growth. Let’s do this journey together - join us inside Paper Me Pretty.
"If you want to change your mindset, you need to change the words you replay in your mind."
PAPER ME PRETTY