Stuck in a rut? THIS is what you’re missing…
One of the biggest motivators for creating Full Life Bliss was something that we all go through from time to time. The feeling that each day is just like the last. There was a sense of boredom, of too much routine. The sense of self was slowly slipping way (say THAT five times fast!), and there was a real need to wake back up and reclaim who I remembered being at one time! Sound familiar? I thought so. So did Nicole. Read on…
Nicole was in her forties when she realized she was unhappy with her life. She had a beautiful home, a wonderful marriage, and two teenage children that she loved. But Nicole felt stuck in a rut. Each day, she traveled the same path to work, ate the same meals, and went home to have the same conversations with her family.
When she overheard someone at work use the term “growth mindset”, she looked it up and realized that’s what she’d been missing. “I was being so careful to do everything right, to color in the lines. But when I heard about adopting a growth mindset, I knew that’s what my life was lacking—growth. I’d stopped trying new things and experimenting.”
What Is a “Growth Mindset”?
A growth mindset is the belief that even though you may not have certain qualities, you can develop them through learning and practice. If you have a growth mindset, you might start to think things like, “If I practice my writing skills, that means I could get better at writing fiction.” Or you might think, “I could learn to paint watercolors if I take a class.”
The beauty of a growth mindset is that it gives you freedom. You’re free to try new things, experiment, and grow from the results. With a growth mindset, the outcome of a situation doesn’t become your identity. You don’t shame yourself for not being an expert at something the first time you try it because you are open to the idea of…wait for it…GROWING!
How Can You Lean into a Growth Mindset?
Developing a growth mindset doesn’t mean that you have to do something drastic like sell all of your possessions and move halfway across the world. Having a growth mindset is more about staying open to new experiences and new people. It’s allowing yourself to be curious, and to accept the outcome, whatever it may be, of your effort. You try, you learn, you get better. Lather, rinse, repeat!
Adopting a growth mindset can be as simple as changing your comfortable routines to incorporate new experiences or to seek out new relationships with people who are different from you. Think along the lines of cooking a new food or going to a different restaurant. What about taking a class for something you’ve always wanted to learn? Look at different activities in your community. All of these are a great way to broaden your horizons and to show you a part of the world (and yourself!) you might never have known were there! So that begs the question…
What If You Surprise Yourself?
Nicole surprised herself by signing up for acting classes. She’d always loved musicals and she liked the idea of performing in front of a crowd. So, she gave it a try and enjoyed it a lot.
The classes had a perk she hadn’t counted on either—increased confidence. She felt bold and empowered again. This helped her lead more effective presentations at work and within a few months, her boss promoted her.
Of course, not every surprise has been wonderful. Nicole also signed up for a painting class. “I loved the people there but I quickly discovered that painting wasn’t my thing. Still, I’m glad I was willing to give the experience a try.”
A growth mindset is a wonderful way to spice up your life. It means embracing the unknown and being willing to take risks, even when it feels a little bit scary.
Here’s a tip- if your “something new to do” doesn’t at least make you a little nervous, you need to up your game! Getting out of a rut means you’re shaking things up a little. It shouldn’t feel comfortable. But it should feel exciting. So here’s a tip. We all know the term “comfort zone”. Instead of thinking you have to throw yourself over the cliff of it, why not just try sitting on the very edge of it? Join some groups online that discuss a topic you’re interested in learning about. (Facebook, for instance, has boatloads of groups for every subject you’d want to discover.) And then, when you’ve learned a few things, you could maybe join in the conversation by asking some questions for people to respond to. Then you could try a few things out for yourself to see what your beginning skill level would be. And from there, you’ve got momentum to keep learning and growing. Then, think about how awesome it’ll be once you become master of your new terrain!
