The mind is a very powerful tool and many times it is not used to its maximum potential in achieving goals. As a motivational speaker, I see many people with a mindset that defeats success. As a matter of fact, the mind often acts as a deterrent for many individuals, and this leads to failure to pursue personal endeavors or it undermines any success one is trying to achieve. Mindset is defined as a fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person’s responses to and interpretations of situations.
There are two types of mindsets or ways of thinking, namely, negative and positive. Negative thinking characterizes pessimists, while positive thinking is synonymous with optimists. In understanding pessimism (negative mindsets) it is important to shed light on a condition known as the Imposter Syndrome, which is defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even when the opposite is true. It is prevalent among successful men and women, and in African Americans. It is derived from messages, attitudes, or beliefs that have been imparted on a person from early stages of life, by parents or any other important person that was present during childhood (childhood conditioning). Female celebrities with this syndrome include Jodie Foster, Rachel Weisz, and Nicole Kidman, and they have used words such as “fake”, “impostor”, “fraud”, “guilt”, “really bad job”, to describe themselves and their acting.
Today, women face significantly more barriers to development than their male counterparts. As a result of this, it is crucial that women harness positive thinking in order to overcome all the obstacles faced in today’s world.
There is a plethora of methods that can help someone adopt a more positive mindset. Some of these include:
Positivity improves your overall well-being, but focus will be placed on its contribution to creating success. Firstly, a positive mindset makes you believe that you can accomplish anything and achieve any goal that you set your sights on (failure is not an option). Positivity makes a person highly motivated, where motivation is defined as a combination of desire, values and beliefs that propels someone to take action. Motivation combined with hard work and determination creates success. A positive mindset helps you to take the right path, as you will be thinking more clearly on what you what to achieve, and you will be less hesitant to take the necessary steps in starting (or finishing) a project. A constructive frame of mind makes it easier to spot opportunities when they arise. People become more willing to help and communicate with someone who emits a positive vibe, so it becomes easier to get help or get valuable information, if it is needed. Even when problems arise, a positive mindset makes you persevere to overcome them by looking for solutions. Your mindset can even make you interpret failure (or obstacles) as a blessing in disguise.
The mind is a beautiful thing when used in a positive manner, and we need to start putting our minds to work to reach our full potential. As Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can or can’t do a thing you are probably right”.
