Did you know that there’s one major thing that sets successful business owners apart from their less-successful counterparts?

And believe it or not, it isn’t anything related to education, knowledge, skill, or talent.

Science has found that the best predictor of success in life is actually your mindset — AKA the set of beliefs you hold that shape how you make sense of the world. Your mindset influences how you think, feel, and behave in any given situation.

There are two basic mindsets: fixed and growth. If you have a fixed mindset, you may believe that your abilities are fixed traits and therefore can’t be changed or improved. Some common beliefs that individuals with fixed mindsets often hold include:

• “I’m either good at it or I’m not.”
• “I’ll never be successful.”
• “There’s no way that _____ is possible for me.”

On the flipside, if you have a growth mindset, you believe that talents and abilities can be developed over time through effort and hard work. Individuals with a growth mindset hold more positive thought patterns than their fixed mindset counterparts as well. Some common growth mindset beliefs are:

• “I can do whatever I set my mind to.”
• “The more I challenge myself, the smarter I become.”
• “I’ll get better at _____ the more I practice.”

Now that you have a better idea of how mindset works and influences your thinking, I’m sure you can guess that individuals who achieve great things and become successful typically have a growth mindset.

But wait! Don’t worry if this isn’t where your head currently is. What’s so great about mindset is that it is malleable — meaning there are a few tricks you can start implementing today to help you improve your mindset and set yourself up for success, no matter what your current thought patterns look like.

• Start listening to — and contradicting — the voice inside your head.
  If you’re curious about how mindset typically manifests itself, it all begins in the privacy of your own head. You know that nasty, negative voice that sometimes pops into your head uninvited when you least want it to? You could be working on your new business plan and all of a sudden that voice in your head will say something like, “You aren’t that smart. Why would you think you can run a business?” and before you know it, you’re no longer excited or passionate — you’re stuck in a negative thought spiral that zaps your confidence and motivation. This happens to everyone at times, and the only real way to combat it is to start contradicting that voice. When you hear it, instead of letting it win, go out of your way to write down one thing that contradicts the voice and proves it wrong. This is how you begin to recognise when your fixed mindset is trying to undermine your good success.

   

• Go out of your way to embrace growth.
  Even the most successful entrepreneurs need to go out of their way to embrace their growth mindset, which can mean investing time and/or money into new education, knowledge, or skills in order to further your own expertise. There are so many ways to embrace growth in your life that there’s really no excuse not to implement it into your daily routine. It can be as simple as setting aside time each day to listen to a podcast or read a self-development book, or you can take things up a notch by hiring a mentor or coach to guide you. You’ll reap the benefits either way!

   

• Set clear, focused goals.
  Individuals with a growth mindset know that once one goal is achieved, there’s always another that can be tackled. Create clear, realistic goals based on your unique business model, passion, and purpose and revisit them frequently. The more you achieve, the more motivated you’ll be to move on to the next.

   

• Celebrate your wins — big and small.

It’s SO important to recognise and validate your own progress, and there’s no better way to do that than by celebrating every win, no matter how small. Book a new client? Pop the bubbly. Schedule out a month’s worth of content? Buy yourself something nice. Notice a shift in your confidence? Have a dance party! It doesn’t matter WHAT you do to celebrate your own success, as long as you make it a priority. (And remember — there are ALWAYS wins to celebrate, and they don’t have to be financial or business-related!)

• Stop comparing yourself.

There is NOTHING worse or more demoralising than comparing yourself to another business owner. It can be so disheartening to see somebody else “living your dream” — especially if you can’t exactly pinpoint what makes them so successful and why you can’t replicate it. But here’s what you’re forgetting…everybody is different. In reality, you don’t KNOW the intricacies of what’s going on behind-the-scenes in their business. The story you’ve been telling yourself may not even be true. So, as difficult as it may be, the only person you should be comparing yourself to is YOU. Are you seeing growth? Are you stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things? Are you happy and confident? You’ll be amazed at how much your perspective shifts when you let go of the social media comparison trap and focus solely on your own progress. (This may mean muting people you follow who make you feel bad about yourself — by all means, do it!)

I will never lie to you and pretend that mindset is “easy” to master. It is going to take time, reflection, and consistency to shift your way of thinking and step into a growth mindset if you aren’t used to it yet. But it’s also one of the most worthwhile things you can do for yourself and your business.

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to exploring your mindset, learn more about booking a strategy call with me. We’ll dive deep into your mindset and the energetics behind your business, so that you can finish off Q4 feeling more confident than ever in your plan moving forward.