A growth mindset is an internal belief that we can learn and expand our minds beyond the current knowledge we have.  Additionally, we believe that we can alter our life circumstances by learning new things.  To enhance our mindset, we need to understand how we learn, move out of our comfort zones, and adequately respond when we face disappointments.  Here are several ways for you to grow your mindset.

1. Three Simple Guidelines for Personal Growth      

At what age did you stop growing?  Growth is our own initiative to learn something new, to better ourselves for its own sake.  Regrettably, most people stop when they get out of college.  Rarely will you find a person committed to comprehensive personal growth and development.

As people, we are always influencing others; everyone still has unreached potential waiting to be fulfilled. In all parts of life, how far you go depends on how much you grow. Your development as an individual is in your control; you CAN do something about it. You’ll develop the most when you know the most about how the process of personal development happens.  Here are simple guidelines for you to implement to enhance your personal growth.   

2. Three Ways We Interact with Knowledge:  Only One leads to Growth          

One of the most valuable mechanisms in the world is knowledge. Lots of things in our lives can be taken away from us.  One thing that no one can ever take away from us is the knowledge we have acquired. 

The more knowledge we have, the more we realize that we have to learn.  In the age of the internet every day we can learn something new.  With this knowledge, we can gain more momentum towards the goals we want to achieve as well as personal growth.

How do we maintain positive movement? It’s straightforward: by learning more and then doing what they have learned. We are distinguished by our ability to process information and put it to use.

There are three ways in which we interact with information, and each impacts positive movement. Be sure that you are growing as you encounter knowledge, and it’s the most valuable mechanism that we have in our complete control.       

3. Moving out of our Comfort Zones        

To move out of our comfort zone, we need to realize that we must grow. A comfort zone is a place of stagnation, not a place of development.        

We all know what our comfort zone is, and we like to stay in it.  It’s safe, and we are familiar with what occurs in this comfort zone.  Sometimes we are asked to stretch ourselves a little bit and go outside of our comfort zone.  When that stretching occurs, what do we do?  Do we decline, or do we show our bravery and do something new?  If we refuse, we choose to lose out on a great opportunity.  If we decide to spread our wings, we have the chance to sour with the eagles and we expand our growth mindset.

4. What to do in the Off-Season    

Every year as old man winter becomes less nasty, we all get excited to get back outside and enjoy ourselves. What can we do to make the most of the off-season?  We, during this period, are the perfect time to schedule some personal growth opportunities, authentically connect with others, and plan a little self-care.  During this season, we can be working towards the vision we developed for ourselves.  Develop your stamina in the off-season … you will be glad you did.

5. How to React to Disappointment like a Winner 

How should we respond to disappointment? Why do successful people recover when goals are not met?  First and foremost, winners know that an unachieved goal doesn’t make them a failure.  The moment we don’t achieve our goal, we’re hit with a wave of negative emotions. We are depressed, disappointed, and tend to second-guess ourselves.

To make matters worse, not making the goal usually happens in a public setting, and the people around us watch us to see how we react. Successful people respond to disappointment and failure differently; they look at them as growth opportunities. Here is how you can change your mindset too.     

6. Why Journaling is Vital for Your Growth       

We’ve all been told that we should journal but how many of us actually do it?  I had an on-again-off-again relationship with my journal since high school.  After a traumatic event, I did a lot of writing in my journal as a way to deal with anger and other emotions I didn’t understand.  Then my journal was read by my sister, and secrets I wasn’t ready to reveal came out.  Therefore I quit the journaling practice to my own detriment. 

So, what does it mean to journal?  It’s the act of writing which can force you to organize and make concrete the emotional turbulence swirling around in your head; it is a way to have the vague feelings become structured and measured.  Here are five ways a journal can be beneficial.

7. The Soul Desires to Expand and Grow

The famed poet, Rumi, asks us, “When will you begin that long journey into yourself?”  However, we choose to answer this question is based on whether we are listening to our soul.   Daily our soul longs for us to hear it.  Those gut feelings, the whisper of encouragement as you try something you haven’t done before.  They are the ways your soul communicates with you. Your soul’s ultimate desire is to have you expand and become your authentic self.  The journey is the reason we are here. 

Children know the truth of who they are and what their purpose is.  But the adults in their lives influence them, and they begin to forget who they really are.  So the first whispers of the soul help us remember who we are, a spiritual being. 

Then we need to connect to Spirit. It’s your destiny.  We all take this journey in some form.  If our family raises us with a specific religious belief, it exposes us to the Divine from a young age.  Being aware of a particular religion doesn’t mean we have faith or that we understand what the truth is for us.  That’s the journey the soul wants to take you on, and your soul is the only one who can lead you. The soul wants you to take.

8. Don’t Worry; the Ultimate Solutions are Within

From Buddha to Christ to Mohammad, sages have told us that the answers we seek are within us.  Whether we are seeking advice on a decision, we are to make, or grandiose questions about why we’re here, the only solutions true for us come from within ourselves. 

Seeking outside ourselves will still give us answers, but they might not be the best ones for us. Our society encourages us to look elsewhere for permission, validation, satisfaction, acceptance, and love. Finding experts for those areas you are not knowledgeable about is an excellent practice. However, you still need to evaluate the answer you received to see if it’s right for you. 

Learning to access the Source within allows you to find the best answer to any question and recognize it is right for you.  How do you know?  Because your soul only tells the truth.  It provides loving solutions, as it wants the best for you.  Only by going within do we find peace.

9. Why Fear is an Incompetent Teacher

Plato believed that the knowledge which we gain under compulsion is the information that our mind doesn’t keep.  It makes sense that if we’re forced or coerced into learning something, even if it’s valuable, that we will associate it with dread. This anxiety in learning anything makes it more difficult for us to recall the material.   

My granddaughter is an excellent example of this phenomenon.  As the start of school was approaching, I took her shopping for some supplies.  I asked her if she was excited about starting third grade, and she burst into tears. 

“Madeliyne, why are you crying?” I inquired.

“Grandma, in third grade, they make you take a big test,” she sobbed, “and I have to pass so I can show everyone I’m not stupid.”

Wow—it stunned me.  It took me a while to get Madeliyne to calm down. I was reassuring her that the test didn’t matter with all the other things she would do in her lifetime.  Still, I thought it was utterly sad that at the age of eight, she was terrified of having to take a standardized test based on the pressures she heard from the surrounding adults.  No wonder that 44% of elementary students show significant signs of stress.  So, why do we instill fear into our children when we want them to learn? 

10. How to Live from the Heart, Not the Mind

I spent a lot of my life listening to my head- it was logical and made sense.  My heart wanted me to take chances and trust others that my egoic mind overruled.  The first time I followed my heart was when I married my husband, Phillip.  My ego fought me.  It told me it wasn’t logical.  I was overriding long-standing belief systems in place to keep me safe.   But it was the best decision I’ve ever made, and it began my path of living from my heart and not my mind. 

Human beings, multitask and try to do it all, and we’ve allowed the mind to run our lives automatically.  It dictates our understanding, activities, reactions, and choices, mainly based on old belief systems and handed down responses from others. 

We think we’re in control but also feel exhausted.  We have conflicting thoughts and confusion.  Many times we move in a direction out of fear.  We’re stressed, overwhelmed, and out of balance.  But by allowing our power-hungry brains to run the show, we’ve quit listening to the heart- the soul’s voice. 

When we live from our hearts, life feels different.  There’s peace and ease as we move forward because we have a deep inner knowing that all is well.  We’re relaxed, respond from a place of love, and live in balance.  When we live from the heart, our lives transform. 

11. Revealing How All Limitations are Self-Imposed

As humans, we have limitless possibilities for our growth potential.  We can be more than we are, do more than we do, and contribute more to humanity.  We base our limitations on our beliefs and the actions we take.  That’s right; all our limitations are self-imposed. 

We can be so much more than we are right now.  Each of us is continually changing in some form.  But are we allowing these adaptations to expand our authentic selves into the limitless being that we are?

The limitations we think are in place arise from the egoic mind.  And somewhere along the way, we agreed, and a wrong belief about ourselves emerged.  I’m not saying that it’s easy to overcome, but we can; once we notice the way the ego uses its voice against us.  All of us can accomplish all we dream of doing if we release our self-imposed limitations. 

12. Discomfort is Part of the Growth Process

The development process comprises many steps.  We all begin in the unconscious stage where we don’t realize that we need to learn a new skill or a life lesson for our soul to expand.  Awareness is the first and most difficult step in our authentic expansion because, as unconscious beings, we’re ignorant of the constant need for us to grow.

Abrupt change brings discomfort we never thought could surface.

When we awaken to mindfulness, we move into the uncomfortable stage of the process.  The discomfort arises because our awareness means we are conscious of the need to mature, and the ego doesn’t like change.  But we know that change is neutral, and for us to grow, we must transform. 

My role is to help us stretch and expand into new areas.  That’s part of the art of coaching, educating, and cultivating personal development.  We all need assistance at times to help us deal with the discomfort of moving out of our comfort zones because life always gives us what we need for our growth. 

13. Forgiveness is the Greatest Recognition that We’re Healing

The ability to forgive someone shows that we have inner strength.  The statement, I forgive you, is simple but invokes powerful emotions from our egoic minds.  We’ve all been hurt, and we’ve all hurt others.  So, we have been on both sides.  The need to ask another for forgiveness is just as hard as forgiving someone who hurts us.  But when we do, when we forgive someone, it’s the most significant recognition that we are healing. 

Showing compassion for another through forgiveness is a fight between getting justice for the ego and our ability to rise above the experience we’ve had.  Exonerating someone is a conscious choice we make.  But many don’t realize that the reason we absolve is for ourselves, not for the person who harmed us.   Through the act of reconciliation, we are no longer drinking the poison of anger, tension, and despair.  When we no longer blame others for how we feel but take responsibility for our part, our reaction, so we can reclaim our power. 

We think by withholding our forgiveness thinking we are harming the other person.  Or we hope we are punishing them, but this is a lie of the ego.  The only person we harm by not reconciling is ourselves.  Through compassion, we dissolve resentment, and allows us to move past feeling wounded.  Because when we are hurt, happiness and peace elude us. 

14. No One Knows Enough to Be a Pessimist

My husband commented this past weekend; he seems to have become more cynical as he has gotten older.  It seems to sneak up on us based on what we’ve experienced.  The hope that people will be kind erodes over time, especially now.  But as we approach life with more caution, we allow our egoic mind to take control of our thinking, making us more bitter.  The ego knows nothing about our future; therefore, it doesn’t know enough to turn us into cynical pessimists. 

When we react negatively to a situation, it’s based on an adverse emotional reaction.   Maybe we may feel vulnerable, let down, or disappointed.  Or we’re allowing the egoic mind to indulge in judgmental attitudes.  We aren’t accepting what is. Or we want a different outcome than we have. When we’re cynical, we become defensive.

Many people associate cynicism with pragmatism.  But expecting a negative outcome isn’t being practical. It’s attracting into your life something we don’t want.  Why do that?

15. Laughter Stops the Painful Hurting

We’ve all heard the saying that laughter is the best medicine.  And we all know the wonderful feeling we get after a good belly laugh.  But can it help our healing process, both emotional and physical?  Yes, it can.  Laughter can stop the painful hurting.  

There is a lot of scientific evidence on the benefits of chuckling.  It can help bring our bodies back into balance and lighten our negative reactions to the circumstances around us.  Humor builds up our resilience and helps us in overcoming hardships.  When we are giggling with others, it builds more intimate connections and enhances our relationships. 

We get so much benefit from something free and fun. So why don’t we use it more to lessen our suffering?  Because the ego likes to wallow and keep us from expanding ourselves. 

16. What Do I Need To Learn Now?

Humanity has an innate capacity to learn.  We want to understand the world around us, determine how something works, and add to the body of knowledge.  You can see this in a child’s veracity to learn by their curiosity about everything. 

Learning is essential to our advancement.  From an evolutionary perspective, if we don’t comprehend the world around us, it can be deadly.  It’s so vital for survival that our brains give us a dose of dopamine as a reward when we learn something new.  So this means that everyone can learn.  Let’s repeat that—Everyone Can Learn—if we are determined to do so.

My husband wanted to create a walking stick for me to use when we hiked.  The final product is beautiful.  He’s been asked who taught him, and it surprises everyone to hear that he taught himself as he was working on this project. When we are determined, and it ignites our passion, we can learn anything.

But what do we need to learn now?  What do we need to focus our attention on to absorb the new knowledge that is most beneficial to us in the present?  Our souls want to expand and grow to be more of our authentic selves and share our gifts with the world.  But for us to do this, we need to get quiet and go within to seek the answers we desire.   

17. How to Improve Our Communication Skills

Being able to communicate effectively is a skill everyone needs to have.  Authentic communication is more than the exchange of information.  It’s the ability to understand the emotions and intentions behind the data being conveyed.  It’s a two-way transmission between the messenger and the receiver. 

Eckhart Tolle says that “True communication is communion- the realization of oneness, which is love.”  I think this is the reason we communicate, to connect with others through love.

As human beings, the ability to communicate efficiently would seem intuitive. It is when we are conversing from our authentic, soulful selves.  But the egoic mind interferes with most of the interactions we have with others.  For example, we make a statement. The other person hears something completely different from what we intended.  Or there are misunderstandings from word usage and frustrations from not listening because we are thinking about how to reply.

Improving our communication skills so we are clear, concise, and understood easily is an area we all can strive towards.  Why?  Because cultivating our ability to connect with others means it will enhance all our relationships by increasing trust and respect for one another and improving our social and emotional health. 

18. Why We Need a Tribe & How to Find Them

The people who love and support us are our tribe.  They are like-minded but will challenge our thinking.  They can be members of our family, friends, coworkers, or neighbors.  We all need those who encourage us, accept us, and love us as we authentically are.  But how do we find those people as we are growing and expanding our souls? 

We are born with the need and the desire to connect with others authentically.  Our brains are wired to do so.  Through our relationship with others, we reduce our suffering because we can share and comfort.  When we don’t genuinely bond with others, it affects us in negative ways.

As adults, trying to find our tribe can be difficult.  Because leaving our primary familiar connections causes the egoic mind to take over. And when the ego is in control, fear sets in.  Today we have the technology to keep us communicating with others.  But we have become more disassociated despite the world being more accessible because a text or social media post isn’t supporting what our brains crave- human contact. 

Our society has moved away from having a community of people helping one another. Instead, we are using paid services because we think it is more convenient and time-efficient.  It takes time to build and maintain a relationship with others.  And it has become challenging to carve out time to sustain our connections. 

19. How to Remove the Shame We Feel

I think shame is the most destructive of all the emotions we feel.  It doesn’t matter where we come from, what we look like. It’s a feeling we all experience at one time or another.  The ego uses shame to convince us we don’t belong, we aren’t worthy, we’re unlovable, or that it knew we would fail. 

When we feel shame, we have a powerful uneasiness.  We experience feelings of insufficiency and worthlessness.  Then the egoic mind adds some anger at others “who made us feel this way” or at ourselves for getting into this shameful situation. 

The shame I felt not only shut me down for almost a decade, but it also developed into destructive behaviors that took another quarter of a century to overcome.  My shame came from the sexual trauma I suffered as a child.  It arose from the belief that I was unworthy of my mother’s love and protection.  It stayed because my eleven-year-old mind didn’t know how to deal with incidents I endured.  My egoic mind then used the shame to keep me in a fearful state of being for over a decade.  

Most shame doesn’t come from us behaving badly. It comes from being told we’re bad, that we’re unworthy.  When we accept this lie from others or our ego takes it as true, we have difficulty admitting that anything about us is good. 

20. It’s Helpful to Explore Universal Faith As Part Of Your Authenticity

Faith is a word many associates with religion. Still, the word’s definition means confidence in something or a belief not based on proof.  This sense of faith is what I want us to explore—the inner knowing of our soulful being. What some call intuition is your soulful self connecting with the Universe to guide us.  

• It’s trusting in how the Universe weaves your life with others for your growth.
• The belief that life isn’t random. 
• It’s accepting what is and believing it’s purposeful for you. 

It takes courage to have faith in your intuitive self, especially when the exterior view in front of you doesn’t support your intuition. This guidance from within is what I call spirituality.  For me, this differs from institutionalized religion, which points outside of you for wisdom and guidance.

I’m not saying anything negative about religion as I believe they all point to a Universal truth that we are all connected. Therefore, we are to love and help each other as best we can as acts of faith. And since we are all teachers and students to one another, being compassionate to each other is how we grow and expand our souls. 

21. It’s Simple But True; You Aren’t Broken, So You Don’t Need To Be Fixed

As a child of trauma, I believed I was broken for a very long time, pieces of me were missing, and that I needed to be fixed.  But this was a lie my egoic mind perpetuated to keep me in a constant state of fear.   

Yes, I was wounded. I buried parts of myself. But putting on masks and armor were defense mechanisms that helped me cope when I needed them. It didn’t mean I was broken or any part of me was taken away.      

Remember, the ego is trying to protect you from additional harm. So it uses fear as a mechanism to keep you safe. And the ego lies to you to keep you afraid. 

I needed to understand that I was always whole under all the defense mechanisms, disguises, shields, and labels. Yet, over the years, my soul was whispering to me sweet words of encouragement to look within. Underneath, my authentic self was patiently waiting for me to remember who I was.     

I took the healing journey through self-love and self-acceptance to see a different perspective than the one my ego showed me, one of wholeness instead of brokenness. 

22. Yes, You Are Creative: It’s Time to Explore Your Innate Creativity

Over the years, I’ve heard many people tell me they weren’t creative. A high school art teacher even said to me I wasn’t a talented painter. And her statement kept me from doing something I enjoyed for over twenty years, which stunted my creativity.

Creativity is part of human nature. You create each day.  Anything that you produce comes from your creative inner Spirit. So just because it isn’t considered art doesn’t mean it’s not imaginative. Instead, I believe when something new and valuable is formed; it results from creativity. 

You have distinctive abilities and strengths, which are the foundation of your unique creative process. For example, the ability to see a solution to a problem is creative. Likewise, inventors are innovative in finding better ways of doing something. An inspired artist chooses a medium for their creative process to form a new piece of art.  Finally, a writer puts words together differently to develop their one-of-a-kind story. Each example is a way for their authentic selves to serve the world with their gifts and talents.  

So if you don’t think you’re creative, then it’s undoubtedly time for you to explore your innate creativity. It’s about taking your ideas and allowing them to take a form in the world. It’s part of a growth mindset.  

23. Actually, Exploring Possibilities Is Integral to Achieving Your Dreams

When you hear the possibilities are endless, do you become overwhelmed? Or do you feel that for you, they are limited? Maybe you find yourself in the rut of what you think is an ordinary life. But, in reality, everyone is meant to explore the limitless options that lie before them. I submit that exploring possibilities is integral to achieving your dreams.

Yes, daily routines and habits are comfortable, but they don’t allow for growth in your life, do they?  Growth only occurs when you venture into the unknown, the new, the possible. You don’t know if you will like something unless you try it.  But when you do, and you love it, how do you feel, exhilarated, wonderful? Where did the uncomfortable feeling go?  You don’t remember it anymore, do you? 

When you challenge yourself to explore the possibilities, the opportunities, new ideas, it opens you to novel ways to achieve your dreams.  Why? Because the best way to accomplish your objectives may not be the route, your egoic mind wants you to take.

Creativity is the way of the Universe, not the run-of-the-mill way of the ego.   Co-creating with Spirit allows for limitless possibilities the egoic mind cannot conceive. And being inflow will always allow for the top solutions, the next best steps to arise.

So how can you be open to the limitless opportunities that lay in front of you?

24. Why Exploring The Messy Middle Of The Healing Journey Is Vital For Growth

I will admit, the healing journey can be a tough road to travel. First, there are the potholes of despair to traverse.  Then there’s the debris that stops you in your tracks, which needs to be dealt with before you can move forward.  And if you don’t deal with the rubble, it rots, and life stays smelly and unpleasant.  Next comes the muddy, messy middle, where the old egoic patterns are seen, but you struggle to overcome the limiting beliefs. 

Although it’s part of the process, no one going through it wants to hear that statement.  Growth, expansion, healing have some messy processes you must complete.  There are no ways around–just straight through.  Just as the body develops, there are growing pains, so there are discomforts as you wade through the messy middle of the healing journey. 

But take solace in knowing that the speed you travel in the middle of the expedition is entirely up to you. The hardest part of the healing journey is already over, getting you going down the path. The middle part is about reframing. It’s altering your perspective, changing your mindset, and modifying the stories you tell yourself. 

As you walk through the middle, you also find wisdom, where you find your truth. Every part of life has a great beginning, a messy middle, and a fantastic finish. So how can you move through the messy middle of your healing journey quicker?

25. Here Is How To Have the Self-Discipline to Cultivate Growth

How much self-discipline do you have? Are you able to control how you respond to new situations or

stick to your budget? Or do you let your impulses and the current excitement of the moment take on a

life of their own? See, being able to control your impulses takes willpower, which requires self-discipline. Your ability to practice and nurture yourself takes time to develop. But once you have it, you stay inspired

to take the right action and move towards your dreams.

26. It’s Simple To Cultivate Growth By Utilizing Your Creative Abilities

Inspiration and fresh ideas to encourage growth in any area of your life all come from within yourself. It comes through the creative connection everyone on the planet has with the Universe. Every day you create, even if you don’t think you do. For example, planting seeds and flowers in your garden is creativity at work. Creating a beautiful feast for your family, finger painting with your kids, or dancing to your party mix are all additional examples of your creative abilities.

27. Actually, The Best Way To Help You Grow Is By Stretching Yourself

Are the goals you have truly stretching you to reach new heights or are you playing it safe and allowing your egoic mind to be rational about your objectives? But did you realize that playing it safe means you aren’t growing and most likely stagnating? Remember, taking a misstep means you are learning and, therefore, discovering growth and success.

28. Simple Ways to Tend Your Garden Of Personal Growth

Do you ever think about how you are tending to your personal growth and mental or emotional wellbeing? Do you plan to sow seeds that benefit your mindset? Many don’t and try to fly by the seat of their pants, hoping for a decent outcome. But if you tend your garden, you can foster a healthy foundation in which you can handle the unexpected and still thrive.

29. Yes, Thriving Means You Feel Your Life Is Abundant In All Areas

Your mindset is the major component of your success in life. Furthermore, having an abundant attitude makes it simpler to thrive in life. According to research, the way you view yourself and your environment can have a significant impact on how you learn, manage stress, achieve success, and even affects your immune system. Your abundance mentality is an attitude that enables you to live life fully and effortlessly. When you live in this place of abundance, you’ll observe how new opportunities appear, as though by magic. It feels great because you are in flow with the Universe. Working with an abundant mindset enhances relationships, inspires creativity, and improves overall well-being.

30. Yes, Feeling Fulfilled in Life Is A Part of Thriving

When people talk about thriving, many look at whether there is a feeling of fulfillment in their life. Just because you have a good job, authentic relationships, and are physically healthy doesn’t mean you feel fulfilled. But why not? Contentment isn’t an outward manifestation. Why? Because if something goes wrong at work, you disagree with a loved one, or your commute ruined your mood, you can still feel fulfilled. Fulfillment doesn’t come from outside of you. It’s an inward expression.

31. Permit Yourself To Indulge In Self-Care To Help You Thrive In Life

Self-care is everything that you consciously do that is a part of caring for your mental, emotional, and physical health. While it’s a simple notion, it’s something frequently overlooked. Basic self-care is vital to improving mood and reducing stress. It is about refueling yourself so you can continue to do those things that you are passionate about. It’s something you should indulge in regularly.

32. Thriving: How To Live An Authentic Life Where You Flourish

What does your ideal life look like? Imagine it in your mind’s eye. Of course, you would have authentic relationships with those you love. Your mind, body, and spirit would be healthy. You would believe in yourself and your abilities. Adhering to your values is important to you. What you are imagining is your life flourishing.

Moving Forward with a Growth Mindset

Now that you understand what a growth mindset is, you can easily choose to steer your life towards your dreams. This acceptance of expanding your mindset includes your personal development so that you can become all you are to be.  As your authentic self journeys through this world, successful living is easier to achieve, and you can make genuine connections with others. 

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Summary

Article Name

Developing a Growth Mindset

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How to develop a growth mindset so that you can steer your life in the direction that you want to go. Having a growth mindset allows for successful living.

Author

Terri Kozlowski

Publisher Name

Kozmic Soul Solutions LLC

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