Last week’s blog raised a fundamental question about what does 2020 really mean given the dire economic situation South Africa finds itself in. This was prompted by the categorization by many of the year being a year of ‘plenty”. The blog acknowledged that this could be a function or a mindset more than an objective assessment of South Africa’s economic outlook. The blog started defining the growth mindset and agreed that it is about the belief that you are in control of your own ability and destiny. It is about adopting positivity notwithstanding any obstacles that might come your way. As they say…” Your attitude determines your altitude” so what your outlook and mindset are, if not determine whether you reach your goals. This in turn needs practices and adopting certain habits which would then propel you forward.
Afam Uche (Poet, author) identifies 10 growth mindset practices and these I discuss and elaborate on below:
- Prioritize continued learning over knowing it already – there are a lot of people who see studying and knowledge acquisition as a static process as opposed to a dynamic and lifelong process. Putting the need to learn as paramount to our approach to life is imperative to being impactful and achieving your results;
- Use mistakes as an opportunity to grow instead of self-criticism or points of shame – nobody can be successful without ever making a mistake. Many successful people use these mistakes in learning areas and build from them. It is human to feel discouraged by mistakes, setbacks and obstacles however the growth lies in not allowing these to paralyze you. This involves befriending your inner critic and use it as a sounding board as opposed to being the determinant of your destiny;
- Reward your efforts and the process more than the outcome – people are often so attached to the outcome such that they miss the lessons and the richness of the process…..give yourself permission to stop and smell the roses and yes….reward and celebrate the journey.
- Acknowledge new ways of thinking and being in the world – there is no one way to reach your destination and often times people are often caught in the only way and often miss out on the potential for taking other less rocky paths. The world is in constant change and we all need to take stock and adapt…..as they say the road to success is always under construction.
- Make room for something different to be possible – Ever heard of “its my way or the highway”. If we open ourselves up and surrender we can always find quicker and often better ways of getting to the top.
- Add the phrase “not yet” to your vocabulary – this is about faith and resilience. Its the ability to keep the end in mind and soldier on despite what might be happening in the here and now. It includes being optimistic, patient and determined.
- Cultivate curiosity and beginner’s mind as often as possible – when we know it all or jump into conclusions because we have “seen the movie before” often robs us the ability to find out new things and be enriched with other possibilities. Let’s stay open and be curious as by doing so we are likely to see and find the booby traps.
- Celebrate your growth and celebrate the growth of others – when we pause and celebrate our achievements and growth then we are more motivated and inspired. At the same time when we do this for others we practice “ubuntu” and encourage and motivate each other.
- Take stock of all the ways you have grown and changed – we are often on a rat race and not grounded. By being permanently in this mode we miss key milestones and our own success points. We need to pace ourselves so that we are able to pause when necessary and take stock of where we are.
- Embrace imperfection and honour all the ways you continue to try regardless – we are often trying and working hard and we miss our achievements because we are only concentrating on the big and perfect things. A small victory remains a victory and it is intact a stepping stone to a bigger victory and we all need to embrace and celebrate this.
On the 1st and 8th of February we are running two 2 hour workshops/masterminds where we explore these issues further. This will be hosted on Zoom (online platform) and there are limited seats available. You can join from the comfort of your home and you do not have to travel. So if you want to get a seat at these workshops please indicate by sending your details to ziyanda@zenandeleadership.com or info@zenandeleadership.com. The seats are on a first come first served basis and they are all sponsored seats hence there is a restriction on numbers.
If you want to be part of the workshop/mastermind on the 1st and the 8th of February 2020 at SAST at 14h00 – 16h00 then use the email addresses above to request your sponsored seat. You will be then be sent log in and access details. Hurry up as the seats are limited.
Let us tackle 2020 with a growth mindset and let’s be proactive and put ourselves first.
Lovingly
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