How to rewire your mind

I’m not a naturally optimistic person (at all).

Cynical? For sure.

Sarcastic? You bet.

Positive? Not so much…

I struggled a lot with anxiety and depression and the super unhelpful thinking patterns that come with them.

I spent a lot of time trying to fix myself.

Then, I worked on accepting my brain.

Until finally, I realized: I could train it (which means you can too).

Read on to learn how to build faith in yourself…
Est. read time: ~3.5 minutes

6 simple habits to develop your growth mindset:

But, first, the questions you’re too embarrassed to ask:

What is a growth mindset?

• Belief that anyone can learn anything through effort & perseverance.

• Openness to embracing challenges as opportunities for growth.

• Willingness to continuously improve and learn from failure.

Okay, cool, and why is it important?

• Empowers you to take on big goals and help others do the same.

• Stimulates creativity and fosters a culture of exploration.

• Builds the capacity to bounce back from setbacks.

Now that I have you on board - here’s how you build it:

#1: Set goals.

Growth mindset is irrelevant if you’re not interested in, well, growing.

While I want you to set BIG goals - start micro if you need.

• Time: 5-10 minutes daily (bonus: 1-2 hours, 2-4x per year)

• Learning: Find what you want to get good at and allocate the time.

• Doing: Identify your ‘must-dos’ to define what success means that day.

Remember: Goals are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Time-bound

#2: Reflect on progress.

DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! Please.

This is how you train your brain for resilience.

You give yourself credit.

Then, you turn roadblocks into solvable problems.

• Time: 5-10 minutes daily (bonus: 1-2 hours, 2-4x per year)

• Celebrations: Write down 3 things you learned or achieved.

• Challenges: Write down your 1 biggest challenge and ideas to tackle it.

#3: Choose your environment.

Negativity breeds more negativity.

Surround yourself with optimism.

• Time: Ongoing (seconds to change)

• Content: Choose books, podcasts, articles, and videos that add value.

• People: Surround yourself with others who inspire and challenge you.

Choose to learn (not to numb).

#4: Find feedback.

Imposter syndrome stems from guessing.

We assume what people think of us.

There’s a lot of data out there - use it.

• Time: 30 minutes, 2x per month

• Analyze: Remember that ‘measurable’ part of our goals? Use that.

• Listen: Ask others to weigh in on your strengths and opportunities.

#5: Talk back to yourself (nicely).

90% of your thoughts are lies.
(source: I just made it up)

Question them.

Get curious about them.

Change them.

• Time: Ongoing (seconds to change)

• Stop: Use an anchor (physical or verbal) to disrupt negative thinking.

• Replace: Pick alternative (positive!) framings for common thoughts.

#6: See success.

This is secret of the world’s top athletes.

They do the thing in their mind before they do it in the game.

• Time: 5-10 minutes daily

• What: Imagine what it feels like to achieve you big goal. Step into it.

• How: Picture the person you have to become to get there.

Visualizations don’t just feel good -

They tell you what changes you need to make and what you need to prioritize (right now).

Believing in yourself and your capabilities can feel: weird, scary, conceited, naive, and generally uncomfortable.

Growth mindset ≠ toxic positivity.
Growth mindset ≠ arrogance.
Growth mindset ≠ delusional.

It means knowing:

• Achieving your goals will be hard, AND

• There’s always a way forward.

Want to dive deeper on this topic?

• Podcast (30 min): 4 Steps to Develop a Growth Mindset

• Book (300 pages): Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Was this helpful? Want a specific topic covered?

Reply to this email and share your thoughts!

See you next Thursday,

Alex

P.S. If you want more insights like this, follow me on LinkedIn. I write daily on motivation, impact, and joy at work.

P.P.S. If you’re ready to level up your leadership and build your growth mindset, book a free 45 min strategy session. You’ll get to experience my 1:1 coaching to see if it’s a good fit for you.