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Is Your Mindset Holding You Back? 4 Signs It Is And 1 Thing You Can Do Right Now To Change It

5 min read

If you’re asking the question, “Is my mindset holding me back?” I don’t mean to be Captain Obvious, but the answer is likely a resounding YES! However, as I pointed out in my previous post about the definition of mindset, your mindset is just a belief. More specifically, YOUR own belief about who/where/what/how you are. I am NOT saying that everything within your life is within your control. I am saying, you have a choice about what you believe and how you move through the world. 

In this post, I will share 4 signs your mindset is holding you back and give you some practical strategies to shift away from these fixed mindsets.

4 Signs Your Mindset Is Holding You Back

1. The Little Voice In Your Head Is Meaner Than A Swarm Of Fire Ants

We all have voices in our heads that chat the day away, but there is always that one that is very loud, pretty mean, and always tearing us down. Many people will refer to this one as your “Saboteur” and even encourage you to give it a name. One sure sign that your mindset is holding you back is if you’re hearing more negative self-talk to you or at you. 

This is your Saboteur keeping you in a fixed mindset. It is not protecting you, nor helping you in ANY way. It is a bold-faced liar. In more honest terms, your Saboteur is you and you are actively holding yourself back. A growth mindset slowly (at first) shifts that voice from negative to positive, or at the very least neutralizes it until you begin to see it for what it is…an illusion. A work of fiction and not who you really are. 

2. You Are Threatened By The Success Of Others

Personally, I have seen this toxic mindset amplified by social media. You know exactly what I mean – the ‘insta-perfect’ lives and photoshopped selfies. The more you watch, the more you are threatened by the “success” of others and start feeling constant jealousy and incredible low self-worth. You’ve just put yourself in a fixed mindset trap and the answer is not taking a social media vacation (that is just a good idea for self-care). The answer is to adopt a growth mindset and teach yourself that you define your success; your success is not defined by other people or how other people define success. 

3. You Give Up…Too Easily And Too Often

If you find yourself giving up too easily or too often, that too, is a sign that your mindset is holding you back. Giving up can sometimes be for the best if you realize you’re not going in the right direction. This is different. Here, I am referring to giving up for fear of failure or adversity. This is a sign of the fixed mindset at work. My other half always reminds me that fear is the lowest frequency and if you stay in it too long it will bring about more negative in your life. However, fearing failure doesn’t make sense when failure is all apart of life. 

You’re going to fail. You’re going to mess up. These are truths and facts of life. But it is also a truth that you will learn, grow, and not be defined by your failure. Failure is not final. A growth mindset is not ruled by fear and knows when to move fast, when to move slow, and when to change course. 

4. You Avoid Risks And Challenges At All Costs

I am not going to harp too much on our frenemy ‘fear’ here. However I will say that avoiding risks and challenges causes people to live small. A fixed mindset like this will never help you reach your goals, nor will it ever help you live your life’s purpose. A growth mindset is not defined as a “risk taker,” you don’t need to skydive anytime soon to shift your mindset (though if you do skydive, send photos!), it means that you embrace a challenge because you know life is full of them. Embrace life’s challenges, because it makes success all the more satisfying!

1 Thing You Can Do Right Now To Change Your Mindset

We both know I just gave you 4 ways to change your mindset, but I’ll give you another one. It’s great for those moments when you have given your Saboteur the stage and they are screaming at you that everyone else does it better, you should just quit now and there are just too many challenges to bother.

Take a breath. A full, giant, deep breath, through your nose. When you think you are done breathing in, breathe in for 3 more seconds. 

Then blow it out, quickly, through your mouth, making sure to get it all out. It should make a delightful “whoooooosh” sound.

Feel better?

Now, smile. 

Tell yourself, “I am Extraordinary.”

Because let me tell you, you really are extraordinary, but you need to hear it from yourself. 

Rinse and repeat, often. 

I am EXTRAORDINARY!

I’ve just shown you many ways to change your mindset. If nothing else, I hope that you now realize that only you have the power to do that. I would be honored to help you in that journey! Let’s set up a Chemistry Call to see how we can work together!

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