Mindset Matters
Why having the right attitude is essential.
“Sew an action and you reap a habit,
Sew a habit and you reap a character,
Sew a character and you reap a destiny”
- William James
Mindset Matters
Before we begin, I have to admit something. You see, I have no idea what I’m going to write about before I open this blank page.
. . . (dreaded cursor). . .
As the blinking cursor torments me, I ask myself:
“What’s on my mind?”
“What’s interesting?”
“What’s useful?”
“Do I have anything to say?”
. . . (dreaded cursor) . . .
Then suddenly, BAM!
Like a cloud producing rain, I get an idea!
MINDSET!
So, what is mindset anyway?
Plato once said that all evil is rooted in ignorance. Could we argue that not having the right mindset leads to ignorance? Or Perhaps, we could argue that not understanding the importance of mindset is the real problem.
In short, mindset can be described as how you think, behave and react to world around you.
You may have heard of the growth vs. fixed mindset.1
Having a growth mindset provides the aptitude to continue learning, experimenting, winning and losing. You have to embrace rejection and failure as part of having a growth mindset.
In contrast, having a fixed mindset creates a scarcity belief that allows fear to govern your thoughts and feelings.
As an artist, it’s important to have a growth mindset given that artists are more likely to be rejected and criticized than any other professional field. Failure and rejection is simply par for the course.
If an artist quits because of rejection, or worse -fear of rejection- they are allowing the fixed mindset to take over.
How many times have you caught yourself saying the following to yourself?
What’s the point? I’m not good enough.
If I’m getting rejected, it’s a sign I should just quit.
There’s so much competition, why even try?
I wish someone could just tell me what to do.
Maybe I’m not cut out for this after all.
If these look and feel familiar, don’t worry - I’m also guilty of having these destructive thoughts from time to time.
That’s when stop and catch yourself having a fixed mindset, and decide to turn it around!
I love creating art! I’ll get better with time, training and good habits.
Rejection is good, because I’m trying. You can’t win if you don’t play.
Competition is good! How can I improve my skills? (Master studies, classes, etc.).
I’m in control of what I do next. I don’t need someone else to tell me what to do; however, I will seek out mentors and industry-specific advice.
I have my entire life to pursue my dreams, aspirations and goals. There’s no shortcut to success.
Closing Thoughts
As promised (by way of my newsletter name), we’re only covering JUST ONE THING!
I challenge you to think about an area of your life where you’ve been afraid to embark on, try to learn a new skill, take a salsa lesson, or anything nagging at you that you’ve rejected due to potentially having a fixed mindset.
How can you turn it around by using the growth mindset principles?
Thank you for reading, JUST ONE THING! Please feel free to share or recommend to others whom you may feel might enjoy it, too.
Until next time, keep drawing, keep writing, but most importantly- keep dreaming!
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset
I love the final illustration!