Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right!
You’ve heard the phrase. Maybe you’ve even said the phrase to someone else! Maybe it’s a little corny, or cutesy, or a little too cheerleader-ish…that doesn’t make it inaccurate!
I recently finished reading an extremely interesting and useful book, MINDSET, by Carol Dweck. The primary focus of the book is the differences between the fixed and growth mindsets, which I found useful. This morning, seeing the book on my table made me think about mindset and health.
Super short summary of the mindsets: the fixed mindset believes that who you are is essentially established and can’t be changed much; the growth mindset believes that learning and growing and changing is not only possible, but achievable and desirable. (Honestly? It’s considerably more involved and the book is exceptional and I highly recommend reading it.)
What is your mindset about your health and the current state of wellness in your life?
Where do you wish you could make changes? Where do you know you need to make changes?
What’s stopping you?
You heard me. (Well, you read me, anyway, since this is a blog post and not a podcast.)
What’s stopping you?
Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.
Think about that for a minute.
Put yourself in the growth mindset for a minute.
What could you accomplish, related to improving your health and wellness, using the growth mindset?
Let’s say your health goal is to lose ten pounds. That’s an achievable number, and it’s achievable no matter what your current weight may be. I strongly believe that! Maybe you’re in the habit of drinking three cans of pop every day. That’s a lot of calories you don’t really need. The fixed mindset might say, “I need those three cans of pop every day to be happy.” The growth mindset might say, “I can substitute a glass of water for one can of pop a day for a week and see how I feel.” Maybe you’re not in the habit of getting exercise and starting seems overwhelming. The fixed mindset might say, “I have never been active so why start now?” The growth mindset might say, “It could be a good thing to try going for a five-minute walk.”
Do you see where I’m going with this? YES! This fits in with my philosophy that anyone is capable of making one sustainable change a week to make long-term improvements in health and wellness.
Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right!
(Another way to think of it is rewording the little engine that could. “I know I can, I know I can,” or “I know I will, I know I will!”)
What growth mindset change are you going to work on today?
Cheers! Here’s to your health!