Unlocking the Power of a Growth Mindset

Mindset refers to how we think about ourselves, others, and the world around us. It can be either fixed or growth-oriented. A fixed mindset means we believe our abilities, values, and beliefs are unchangeable. Conversely, a growth mindset is when we believe that our abilities, values, and beliefs can develop and improve through dedication and hard work. It’s important to realize that mindset significantly impacts our thoughts, feelings, and behavior, which, in turn, can significantly impact our achievements and life outcomes.

In NLP, mindset refers to the patterns of our thoughts and beliefs that shape our behavior and our responses to the world. Additionally, NLP presupposes that “The map is not the territory,” meaning our beliefs and attitudes about ourselves and the world can change with time and experiences.

Several techniques in NLP and timeline therapy can help us shift from a fixed to a growth mindset. To name a few:

1. Identify limiting beliefs that hold us back from achieving our goals. Some of these beliefs are conscious, while others are unconscious, formed through childhood experiences and interactions with the world around us.

2. Reframe identified limiting beliefs and reprogram them into more positive and empowering ones. In addition to reframing techniques, anchoring can help shift our perspective and create new neural pathways in our brain for empowerment and high achievement.

3. Use visualization techniques to create a positive mindset. Visualize ourselves achieving our goals, living the life we desire, packed with all positive emotions. This can motivate us to take action towards achieving our goals.

4. Release negative emotions. Our unconscious mind represses events and memories with negative emotions that have not been labeled, sometimes for protection. Revisiting these events with timeline therapy and releasing all identified negative emotions is essential to avoid holding ourselves back from growth opportunities.

5. Be careful of what we tell ourselves. Increase positive self-talk to grow our mindset. Dr. Masaru Emoto’s study on cooked rice placed one-half in a jar labeled with positive words and the other half in a jar labeled in negative words. He showed how rice in the positive words jar stayed white while the rice in the negative jar became rotten and dark. Though these studies are not scientifically validated, they demonstrate how positive thinking and self-talk can impact our stress levels and anxiety.

A growth mindset can help us achieve our personal and professional goals by increasing our resilience, persistence, perseverance, problem-solving skills, learning from feedback, learning new skills, and ultimately improving our performance.

Research suggests that mindset can be affected by genetics and environment. However, NLP suggests that mindset is learned through experiences and interactions with others. Children who receive praise for their efforts and perseverance are more likely to have a growth mindset than children who are praised for their intelligence or natural abilities.

Maintaining a growth mindset can be challenging, but it’s important to stay persistent, remind ourselves of our goals, focus on progress, learn from mistakes, practice self-care, and surround ourselves with positive people. As Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

For my NLP Coaching, schedule your session at Amaal Ghadieh.