Cultivating a Success-Oriented Mindset

Developing a mindset for success is crucial in achieving your goals and reaching your full potential. As women starting businesses, we will encounter obstacles and challenges. However, we should keep them from throwing us off track. Our mindset is important in keeping us focused and motivated to persist toward our end goal. In this blog, we will explore some key strategies and techniques that you can employ to cultivate a success-oriented mindset. Let's dive in!

SET CLEAR AND SPECIFIC GOALS

Clearly defining your goals is crucial for success. Vague and general goals make it challenging to gauge your progress and determine how close you are to achieving them. This ambiguity can lead to discouragement and a lack of motivation. Instead, be specific about what you want to achieve and set realistic deadlines. Break your goals down into smaller, manageable tasks to make them more attainable. You've likely heard of SMART goals, an acronym that helps individuals create goals that are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound. This method ensures your goals are clear and achievable. Here is a breakdown of the acronym:

S - Specific: The more specific you are, the easier your goal is to start, work towards & achieve. Have you ever struggled to get started because your goal is too fuzzy? Get clear here by asking yourself these questions - What are the outcomes you're looking for? What results do you want? What exactly are you hoping to achieve?

M - Measurable: A measure lets you know you've achieved your goal, and also enables you to track your progress. How would you prove your goal is complete? This points to your measure. It could be a financial amount, a count, a percentage, or some other measure.

A - Actionable: Actionable goals are within your control. This means YOU can make it happen! For example, winning the lottery is not a "SMART" goal. Be sure you can start and complete this goal yourself. To get started, write out 3 Key Action steps you can take to achieve this goal:

R - Realistic: It's important to feel GOOD about your goals! They need to be challenging enough to inspire and you need to believe you can achieve it. What's reasonable with the commitments you have? Think about your lifestyle and adjust your goal so it's inspiring AND achievable. 

T - Time-Bound: Time-bound goals motivate us, by giving us a date to aim at and plan towards. Is there a specific date you're aiming for? If not, what might be realistic? Consider your lifestyle, other responsibilities, and life events that could get in the way. When would you like to complete your goal? 

This exercise should help you make your goals specific and achievable and give you something concrete to work toward.

DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET

Believing you can achieve your goals is crucial! Adopting a mindset that believes in continuous learning and improvement is what’s known as a growth mindset. This is the opposite of the fixed mindset which assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens that we can’t change in any meaningful way. Here are some characteristics of someone with a growth mindset:

• They replace the word “failing” with the word “learning” - when you make a mistake or fall short of a goal, you haven’t failed; you’ve learned. 

• They acknowledge and accept imperfections - and understand that hiding from their weaknesses hinders them from overcoming them. 

• They view challenges as opportunities - having a growth mindset means embracing opportunities for self-improvement.

• They try different learning tactics - there is no one-size-fits-all model for learning. Try different approaches.

• They emphasize growth over speed - Learning fast isn’t the same as learning well and learning well sometimes requires allowing time for repeating some steps.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUCCESS MENTORS

The people you surround yourself with also affect the way you think. Seek out mentors who have achieved success in areas you aspire to excel in. Learn from their experiences, seek their guidance, and apply their strategies to your journey. 

A practical way to do this is by joining groups. Consider finding local groups with like-minded people, or consider joining an online group either on a social media platform or a group created by a business person or influencer. Whatever you can do, join a community! Being in a community does wonders for keeping you motivated, focused, and encouraged. 

Remember, cultivating a mindset for success is a continuous process. It requires self-reflection, perseverance, and a commitment to personal growth. By implementing these strategies, you can cultivate a mindset that will propel you toward success.

Photo by Alex Nemo Hanse on Unsplash