Having a success mindset is about believing, deep in your core, that you are a successful person, and that you can achieve anything you set your heart and mind to. A success mindset enables you to see opportunities and make the most of them in a positive way. To effectively make a major career or lifestyle change, a success mindset is almost as important as working through the strategies that you need to take to achieve that change.
You know the old saying that a definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect to get different results. The reason we usually keep doing things the same way is habit rather than conscious behaviour. To be successful in anything, including career change, usually requires you to break out of your comfort zone and eliminate the limiting barriers surrounding you. You need to develop a success-oriented mindset.
What barriers do we put in front of ourselves?
Roger Bannister, who broke the four-minute mile record in 1954, presents a wonderful example of the power of mindset. Until then people believed that humans could not run 4 miles in under four minutes. After Roger Bannister achieved this people realized that it was humanly possible. Within weeks an Australian had broken that magical four-minute mark, and by the end of the year hundreds of athletes had run 4 miles in less than four minutes.
Nothing had changed in the function of the human body. What had changed was the belief of the athletes, the belief that a human being could run that fast. Once they stopped putting up the barrier that said it was impossible they realized that they could do it. They had developed a success mindset.
The same thing is true with making major life changes of any sort. Successful people in general believe that success has no ceiling, no limits. They take the first step expecting they will have success and that makes all the difference.
Our brain is constantly changing
New brain cells are always making changes in the brain, forming new synaptic connections with other neurons. Thus, as a result, we create new learning, new skills, and new memories. This means that we are not tied to being the person that we always were with the same thinking patterns that we’ve always had. We are constantly capable of change, and that change means that we are responsible for our emotions, the way we behave and how we present ourselves to the world. Even if you have been unsuccessful in the past you can develop a success mindset.
Are you ready to make a change?
Through Young at Heart blog posts we’ve been looking at how you can prepare yourself to take the actions that are needed to make a successful career change to a new job, a new career or self-employment.
Many of our posts consider the choices that you have to make, the changes that are required, the challenges you face, and the need for confidence to make it all happen. If change is constantly happening to us and around us it makes sense that our brain is also constantly adapting. By recognizing this it is clear that we, too, can change and learn new ways of behaving and feeling and foster a success mindset.
Commit yourself to developing positive self-esteem
Your self belief determines your confidence and determines how well you’re going to manage the challenges involved in your next step in life.
Self-confidence can sometimes be faked, in fact I have suggested this is a good starting point if your confidence has been eroded. Someone can have a great résumé, be well prepared for an interview, and seem to be brimming with self-confidence, but if their underlying self-esteem is not strong it is quite likely that they will sabotage their own efforts. A person can have a fabulous business model and plan, but if they don’t believe they can be successful – that is they don’t have a success mindset – they are likely to prove themselves right.
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is about knowing deep down that you are a worthy person. This is not a constant in our lives. It is sometimes stronger than at other times, dependent on hormones, life problems, even your state of health. So what can you do about your self-esteem if you know that it isn’t as strong as it should be? You certainly don’t want self-esteem concerns to create barriers to your success. Depending on your issues, a counsellor or a well-trained professional hypnotherapist may be able to help you to recognize and deal with your self-esteem issues.
Poor self-image or self-esteem can be the result of experiences as a child, but it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with poor parenting or even something traumatic happening in your life. The messages that were accepted by our brain as fact as a child are not necessarily what the reality was that the time. If you observe a young child over-reacting to some situation you’ll often see that their interpretation of what was meant, or indeed what actually happened, is not necessarily accurate. Unfortunately our feelings are based on what we remember rather than the facts. Therefore, if we had been in a situation where we felt that our self-esteem was seriously undermined, such as if a child is told that they are stupid, or they are bullied by others, it is the emotions of that incident that they will remember subconsciously.
Ready to take action
So, fast forward to now.
A great résumé, interview preparation, a new suit, a new hairdo, and all the ingredients seem right for a successful interview and career change … OR … A fabulous business model, excellent services planned, Well prepared to meet a prospective client, and all the ingredients seem perfect for a great business success.
What could possibly go wrong???
Unfortunately inside that successful looking person is a small child whose self-esteem may have been undermined, someone whose mindset is focused on inadequacy not success. When we are stressed we tend to revert to the patterns of thinking that we’ve always had. And so while that smartly dressed person waits to go into the interview the little voices in their head are telling them that they are stupid or fat or incapable, or that nobody likes them. That’s not a great start to a successful interview!
Can you see why it is so important to deal with your self-esteem issues? Be very conscious that you don’t want past hurts and past patterns to sabotage this great opportunity that you have
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What’s your next step? A career renovation?
Or planning a future you will love?
