Three key mindset types to help you learn, grow and change
Embodying an abundance mindset, positive mindset and growth mindset
“The mind is everything.
What you think, you become.”
~ Buddha
Did you know that according a research study by the National Science Foundation around 80% of our thoughts are negative each and every day? This study further stated that it’s estimated we have around 12,000-15,000 thoughts each day. That’s a lot of negativity!
This study illustrates how important our mindset is in living our best lives and achieving our goals. Your mindset is key and starting each day with an intention to embody a positive mindset will make a huge difference in your life.
Here are three mindsets that I encourage you to start growing today:
Abundance Mindset: Someone with an abundance mindset believes that the world has enough resources for everyone (i.e., money, love, opportunities) and that those resources won’t run out. Do you have an abundance mindset or a scarcity mindset? You’ll know you have a scarcity mindset if you never think you have enough (even when evidence supports that you do) and you don’t allow yourself to dream and set big goals.
How to develop an abundance mindset:
Focus on what you have instead of what you don’t have. For example, if you’ve just lost your job, focus your attention on the opportunities that lie ahead, i.e., more time to enjoy the things you love or the prospect of an even better job.
Surround yourself with people who have an abundance mindset. When we want to move away from a mindset focused on scarcity and lack, it’s important that we’re not surrounded with people who think the same way. Find role models who have an abundance mindset.
Practice gratitude. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of gratitude. When we’re grateful for the things we do have in our lives, it helps create an abundance mindset because we start to realize that we have so much in our lives already.
Develop a positive mindset! (See below).
Tell yourself you are deserving of abundance. Work on believing in yourself and your worth. For some people this is very difficult. It you’re one of those people, I encourage you to talk to your coach or therapist about it and work through those limiting beliefs you have about abundance.
Start your morning meditation or journal writing practice with an affirmation that your brain can get on board with, such as:
“Today I am open to creating abundance in my life.”
Positive mindset: Someone with a positive mindset makes thinking optimistically a habit. They are continually looking for something good even in the midst of a bad situation. A person with a positive mindset knows that things will improve. Do you have a positive mindset or a negative mindset? Here are 6 ways to cultivate a positive mindset:
Focus on the good things in your life. Our mind has a negativity bias which means we naturally think negative thoughts. Purposefully focus on the good things.
Practice gratitude. Write in a gratitude journal or simply close your eyes and repeat silently or out loud 3-5 things you are grateful for every single day.
Look for the humour in life. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh.
Watch how you talk to yourself. Are you using negative language? See if you can find a way to think about a situation positively and eliminate phrases such as “I can’t” and “I don’t know how”.
Start every day intentionally with a positive attitude. Smile as soon as you open your eyes in the morning. You’ll be surprised how effective that is.
Add some mindful movement to your morning routine. Being kind to your body creates a positive attitude.
Growth mindset: Someone with a growth mindset (a term coined by Carol Dweck, Ph.D in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success) believes that we have the capacity to learn and improve our basic abilities through learning, dedication and hard work. People with a growth mindset love learning and develop greater resilience which leads to more success. People with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities are unchangeable and if they can’t do something the first time, they’ll never be able to learn how. Do you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?
The best way to develop a growth mindset is to work on developing new ways of thinking and talking to yourself. For example:
How we talk to ourselves is so important because our brain believes everything we tell it. Make sure you’re feeding your brain with information that supports you.
Here’s a short morning meditation that will help you start developing a more positive, abundant and growth-oriented mindset.
I like to do this meditation while I’m still lying in bed in the morning and like that it reflects all three types of mindsets. It takes about 2 minutes.
Morning Meditation with Affirmations
Find a comfortable position either sitting or lying down. If you’re still in bed, spend a moment stretching your arms over your head and reach your toes towards the end of the bed before relaxing. Place both hands on your belly and begin to notice your breathing.
Notice how your body is feeling and maybe do a brief body scan, starting at your feet and slowly moving your awareness through your body from your toes all the way to the crown of your head.
As you are lying or sitting, breathing and noticing, internally state three to five things you are grateful for this morning. Breathe into each statement as you say it to yourself.
When you’re ready, repeat the following affirmations:
“I allow myself to be who I am without judgement”
“I give myself the care and attention that I deserve”
“There is plenty of time to work towards my goals”
“I am learning, growing and changing every day”
“I am open to limitless possibilities”
“I believe in myself”
When you’re ready, gently open your eyes, stretch in any way that feels good right now, smile and get on with your day.
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
For an audio version of this week’s blog, please check out my podcast here:
Are you interested in life change & mindset coaching? If you are interested in exploring new ways to bring joy into your world and live your best life, please email me to set up a complimentary 30 minute coaching session/discovery call at sharon@sharonashtonmindulyoga.com or visit my website coaching page.
"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
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