A Key to Success: Start With the Right Mindset

The right mindset is not only important, but it should be set at the very beginning of your day.  If you are not doing things for the right reason or can’t see yourself doing it, then it won’t happen.  It’s the self-fulfilling prophecy.  If we see ourselves failing or don’t believe it or think it can’t happen, then it won’t.  

I remember back when I first started playing golf.  Every time I would hit the ball I would slice it every time.  One day when I was playing, I hadn’t really thought about my slice and had been playing pretty good; well for me.  I came up to a tee box and I noticed a line of houses right along the right-hand side of the fairway.  
I saw in one of those backyards a man doing some yard work, and then I noticed a sign right next to the tee box.  This sign said that any damage to the houses was the responsibility of the golfer, and I immediately remembered my bad slice.  Boom!  It was in my head now, and I pictured myself hitting the guy in the yard.  

To overcome my thought of hitting this man in his yard, I moved my stance and aimed way to the left. I then hit the ball, and guess what?  No, I didn’t hit the guy, but I did hit the ball into his yard.  Mindset is very important.

In Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset, she discusses two different mindsets people have.  Some people can always be one or the other, and some people can move back and forth depending on the situation.  The first mindset is the fixed mindset.  In this mindset, you are locked into who you are and you avoid challenges or failure opportunities.  You think you know as much as you know.  

The other mindset is the growth mindset.  You are always learning and growing and challenging yourself.  There is no failure, just a learning opportunity.  This is where we all need to be and we need to help everyone around us to get there so we can be better every day.

It can be challenging for pessimistic people to get in a positive mindset and sometimes optimistic people, like me, can think too rosy.  You have heard of the adage; you are either a glass half-empty or glass half-full kind person.  I challenge you to think of this differently to get you in the right mindset.  It doesn’t matter if it is half-full or half-empty; what matters is that it is refillable.

The great Zig Ziglar once said, “You are who you are and what you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change who you are and what you are by changing what goes into your mind.”

How many have heard the term garbage in/garbage out?  While this is a true statement, what is more important is we can change who we are by not putting any more garbage in.  We can build a better mindset to start putting good stuff in.

Here is an example.  Boston was built on a  landfill.  Boston was originally a hilly 800 acres and now is flat and makes up 89 square miles.  They cut down the hills, brought in gravel from all over, used the burned wood from the Great Fire of 1872 and who knows what else was put into the landfill.  That is a lot of garbage in, but they changed who they were for the better.  Boston became a vibrant and thriving city.  

No matter your foundation or how you got to where you are, today is up to you.  Make sure you get in the right mindset each day.  One tool I use daily to help me get in the right mindset is to start my day off, before things start exploding, and write down three gratitude statements for the day.  Commit to doing this consistently and you will see a change in your mindset. 

If you see others in the wrong mindset, help them get in the right mindset and watch the impact it has on them and on you.  I was at a dealership recently dropping off my vehicle and I usually always go to the same sign-in attendant and he is usually very upbeat and happy.  This one day he was being very quiet and just not himself.  I simply asked him if he was ok because he was acting like something was bothering him.  

That really caused him to do a quick self-check and he thanked me for asking and said he was ok, but a little distracted.  I told him if there was anything I could do to help to let me know.  He seemed to immediately transform before my eyes.  I had made a positive impact on him by just asking how he was.  When I came back that afternoon, he was back to his old happy self.  

Helping him also made me feel good and helped me have an even better day!  The right mindset makes a huge difference.

I encourage you to begin each day by writing down your three daily gratitude statements and doing everything in your power to stay in the growth mindset.  You will see a positive impact on your life and on the lives you encounter.

Be Great…Today!

Brandon Brazeel, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Chief People Officer