Believing that there can be a better future is the first step towards attaining one
So much of the way that we think about our future comes down to our perceptions. We often sit around thinking about ourselves, sometimes critically and other times less so. The way that we think about ourselves and our development can shape our growth over time.
Carol Dweck is an American psychologist who talks about two mindsets towards our personal growth. Dweck says that we manifest our mindset into the future leading us to become closer to the person we strive, or limit ourselves, to become.
With a fixed mindset we limit ourselves to being static in our development. That we won’t get any smarter, better or more creative. Having a fixed mindset makes it challenging to develop over the long term. This is because over time, having many separate occasions where we are limiting our potential due to our mindset, manifests in changes in behaviour that may inhibit you from reaching your goals.
When there is an opportunity to grow or stay fixed, there may be a decision or an opportunity. It’s these moments that in the long run build up and people can quite easily lose movement in their development, if people aren’t willing to take opportunities more often.
A growth mindset is characterised by the perspective that an individual has on their own development. In this mindset, we feel more optimistic and like we are on the right track towards a greater existence. It might be a subtle change in self-talk now, but fast forward ten years and our persistence, perspective and optimism can have us land somewhere quite remarkable, and quite different from a fixed mindset.
How you may see yourself today, is a far cry from the person you’ll be in ten years and having an approach that focuses largely on your possibility, as opposed to your current ability, is very powerful.
Perhaps at this point in your financial life there are things that you don’t believe are possible; buying a house, owning a car or even investing for the first time. If you can change your mindset from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, some of these goals may become more attainable to you.
If you have an intrinsic belief that you can become more intelligent and develop into a better person than the implications of this can help you achieve these goals. Dweck says that having a growth mindset may force you to become more likely to embrace change and challenges, persist in the face of setbacks and learn from criticism. All great traits that will help you achieve your goals.
Believing that there can be a better future is the first step towards attaining one. If you would like to discuss mindset and your financial goals further contact us today through our website.
