What are you looking for out of life? There are certain core values that, if implemented correctly and consistently, will make everything click. Working on a better version of yourself isn’t easy, but there are certain steps everyone should take for an improved lifestyle.
For example, Gymreapers was founded with a mentality of nothing is given, everything is earned. It’s how we look at our business model and orient success inside and outside of the organization.
Consider your daily routine and the thoughts accompanying your activities. If you’re working out, thoughts like “I don’t need to do that last set” or “I’m too tired to do cardio today” reflect a subconscious pattern that influences our day and, ultimately, our lives.
"That’s just how my mind works and it’s looking at things in a realistic, honest way", you say. But who told you those things are true?
How do we know the things we say to ourselves are even true? Everything that’s happening is a form of a self-limiting belief. The thoughts that we create are the reality that we live in. A self-limiting belief is something we all have (more or less), and if we allow it to take over, the beliefs diminish our abilities from our current and future progress (1).
The right mindset is the foundation of achievement. So, how do you develop a mindset that leads to resilience and goal accomplishment with consistency and steady progress? We want to share with you the four core values that help you live a better, more successful life.
Everything starts with the right mindset, incorporating goals, consistency, and measuring progress. Once implemented, these values will positively impact every aspect of your life.
How to Optimize Your Mindset
You might have heard this before, but how you think has an incredible impact on your learning and how you make progress in life. According to author and Stamford University psychologist Carol Dweck, there are two common types of mindsets — the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.
As you can imagine by its name, a fixed mindset is one that negatively affects any progress. According to psychologist Carol Dweck, people with a fixed mindset avoid challenges, give up quickly, and aren’t receptive to feedback or new situations. They often believe that their abilities and intelligence are static, which limits their potential for growth and achievement.
Characteristics of a Fixed Mindset
- Avoidance of Challenges: People with a fixed mindset tend to steer clear of challenges to avoid failure or criticism.
- Quick to Give Up: When faced with obstacles, they are likely to abandon their efforts, believing that their abilities are inadequate.
- Resistance to Feedback: Constructive criticism is often seen as a personal attack rather than an opportunity to improve.
- Fear of New Situations: Unfamiliar scenarios are avoided because they might reveal perceived weaknesses or lead to failure.
In contrast, a growth mindset is characterized by the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. This mindset fosters a love for learning and resilience, which are essential for great accomplishments.
The Power of a Growth Mindset
- Embracing Challenges: Individuals with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities to grow and learn, rather than threats.
- Persistence: They are more likely to persist in the face of setbacks, understanding that effort is a path to mastery.
- Welcoming Feedback: Feedback is viewed as a valuable tool for improvement, not a critique of their inherent abilities.
- Adaptability: New situations are approached with curiosity and openness, recognizing that they offer chances to expand knowledge and skills.
When you choose the growth way of thinking, you view yourself as a constant learner focused on expanding existing knowledge and applying it to other aspects of life. This perspective not only enhances personal development but also positively impacts professional and academic achievements.
Dweck was able to determine the motivations of fixed and growth mindsets by doing a study and analyzing how the brain behaved during difficult questions.
The fixed mindset individuals only cared about the information that corresponded to their current abilities. The growth mindset folks focused on the information even if they got an answer wrong and were eager to expand their learning.
Whichever mindset you choose for yourself determines how you live your life.
The good news is that it’s never too late to improve your mindset. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to grow and change your mindset to keep up with the rapidly evolving world. As the landscape of life shifts from various angles—technological advancements, societal changes, and personal challenges—we must continuously learn, adapt, and transform. Here’s how you can start improving:
1) Start Making Positive Changes Now
Work on your self-awareness
How do you respond to new challenges or things you’re not familiar with? Do those situations trigger feelings of doubt and failure? If you feel like your defense goes up, listen to what your mind is telling you. Pick up on the small hints so you can recognize them and shift into a growth mindset that appreciates the unknown.
Train the brain
The human brain works like the muscles in our body, so it can be trained to change functionality at any age — known as neuroplasticity. The brain needs to be challenged to grow and doing the same thing repeatedly doesn’t accomplish that. Just like getting physically fit, your brain needs constant work.
Choose a new challenge
Similar to the last suggestion, work on getting uncomfortable rather than playing it safe. Triggering your brain to recognize that you might learn something new even if you fail will lay the foundation for future growth. Tackle fear with confidence and optimism and block limiting thoughts.
Turns threats into inspiration
Comparing ourselves to others and instantly thinking about how they’re better slows progress. Instead, turn the intimidation from a threat into an opportunity to do better. If someone is further along than you in something, learn from their progress.
Realize progress takes time
And nothing is accomplished overnight. Doing something for the first time is never easy, so stop putting pressure on yourself to succeed right away. Instead, focus one step at a time and create your learning path. As you grow, your confidence grows.
2) Build Your Goals: A Guide to Success
Having the right mindset plays into the science of goal setting. Yes, there is a science to goal setting, supported by impressive data that suggests people who write down their goals accomplish a significant amount more than people who don’t (3).
It’s important to note that goals should follow the SMART acronym, which stands for Smart, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely.
Orienting your success around this method provides a sense of accountability so you’re visualizing your future self at each step. For visual learners, goal setting doesn’t have to be mundane. It should be exciting and euphoric as you’re planning out ways to create the best version of yourself.
Writing down your goals in different ways and colors helps your brain uniquely remember them. When organizing your brain, write out longer descriptions of how it would feel to accomplish that goal because it will solidify your connection to achieving it. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to cement your goals:
What motivates you?
Understanding why you want to achieve a specific goal should be clear. Without a big enough reason (like health, happiness, or wealth), your journey might lack the drive that’s necessary for success.
How do you get there?
You’ve done the leg work, but have you thought about the small steps? Start with tangible steps that rely on the SMART method so you’re on track. Are you consistent? Make sure to review and track your progress regularly.
Are you sharing your goals?
Telling others about what you want to accomplish helps you stay accountable. Just by talking about your goals aloud to someone, you’re more committed to materialize.
3) Stay Consistent: The Key to Achieving Your Goals
To supplement your mindset and your goals, there are a few other elements to always be conscious of. As we mentioned, you should always be consistent and review your goals often. You’ve heard the term consistency is key. There is truth in that because it envelops the overall mindset of habit building.
Sticking with a goal, especially in fitness, produces significant improvements.
How are habits formed?
Staying consistent is about creating habits, maintaining motivation, and being adaptable. By developing a routine, using tools and resources, staying accountable, overcoming obstacles, maintaining motivation, reflecting and adjusting, and building a support system, you can ensure steady progress toward your goals and achieve lasting success.
Sure, it can be hard to start the habit and it takes effort, but breaking down the goal into smaller (attainable) chunks makes it easier. Once a habit is consistent enough, it’s hard to break. Habits play into your overall goal and push your journey forward.
4) The Path to Continuous Improvement
How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are? The question applies to many situations, especially when it comes to your success. From the SMART acronym above, the second most important aspect of goal setting is that they’re measurable.
Regularly reviewing your progress is essential for achieving your goals and ensuring continuous improvement. It helps you stay on track, make necessary adjustments, and celebrate your successes.
Are you including dates or specific checkpoints for your goals? For example, if your goal is to gain muscle, are you tracking daily, weekly, monthly? How much muscle mass are you wanting to gain each time you stop to check?
Keep in mind that progress takes time, no matter what your goal might be. So if you’re measuring and remeasuring often, and don’t see as big of a leap, it’s not the end.
Remind yourself to be patient, as we said before, results take time. Some tools to help you stay on track is to create a schedule. If you’re measuring progress weekly, write down details in length, take photos, and color-code your notes.
Conclusion
We shared with you the four biggest core values that help will help you live a better, more successful life. Remember, it all starts with the right mindset and incorporates how you define your goals, what habits you build for consistency, and how often you measure progress.
Once implemented, these values carry over into every aspect of your life. Whether you’re working on your health, wealth, or anything in between start implementing the four core values to use in your life today.
References
- How Psychology Combats False & Self-Limiting Beliefs. (2015). Retrieved 4 August 2020, from https://positivepsychology.com/false-beliefs/
- Ng, B. (2018). The Neuroscience of Growth Mindset and Intrinsic Motivation. Brain Sciences, 8(2), 20. doi: 10.3390/brainsci8020020
- (2021). 4 August 2020, from https://sidsavara.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/researchsummary2.pdf
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