How to Create a Growth Mindset and Stay Inspired

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit’’

— Aristotle

To be successful in any area of your life, especially business, you have to develop a certain mindset--a growth mindset. In short, a person who has a growth mindset is able to learn from their mistakes and use them to improve their life and business. People with a fixed mindset might dwell on failures and see setbacks as a reason to give up; they know what they want, they’re constantly trying to pursue that goal, but they never really get anywhere.

With the growth mindset, we can acknowledge our failures and find inspiration to keep improving; we can learn what it takes to create our own successes in our career and personal life. When we have a growth mindset, we believe that our intelligence, creative abilities, and character can be improved in meaningful ways. Having a growth mindset means we can always learn, get better at what we do, and stay inspired along the way.

Here is an 11-step guide on how to create a growth mindset and stay inspired in business and in life.

Seek out new challenges. Challenging yourself in business can have a profound influence on your professional and personal life. When you seek out new challenges, you’re training yourself to think out-of-the-box and approach these challenges differently. Not only will you gain experience, but you’ll also cultivate the necessary self-confidence and determination to develop new and exciting solutions to any obstacle that stands in your way.
Be persistent. When faced with obstacles, power through them. Seek support and take time to reflect on where you are and where you want to be. Don’t give up. Keep moving.
When you receive criticism, don’t just ignore it. Not all criticisms may be constructive, but you can still learn something from them. Practice different ways of thinking and behaving; look at the situation from all different angles. Experiment and try new things with purpose and knowledge. Don’t go into anything blindly but keep your mind open. You never know what can help you achieve your goals in the future.
Draw inspiration from other people’s success. When your friends succeed, offer sincere congratulations. Be motivated by their success but avoid comparing the success of others with your own path. No two paths of success look the same. Everyone has their own definitions of success, and there’s no benefit in comparing yourself to others. As you draw inspiration from others, remember others are likely to learn and draw inspiration from you, too.
Define your success. If you don’t define what success looks like to you, you won’t know what you’re striving for or how to achieve your goals. Find out what’s important for you in your personal life and your career.
Set goals based on your definition. Based on your definition of success, set actionable goals to achieve that success. Setting goals will help you map out a clear vision for yourself and will help you understand how to achieve what you’re setting out to accomplish. To start, it may be helpful to set goals in the three basic areas of life: career, relationships, and health.
Find inspiration and motivation. Setting goals isn’t enough to achieve success. The next step helps you to find a way to convince yourself to stick to that goal and get inspired about how to move ahead. One of the best ways to find motivation is through books. Choose 2-3 books that can keep you inspired and stay persistent; read them again and again. Write your favorite, most inspiring quotes on a vision board, or write them on post-its and stick them around your house or office. Face your inspiration every day.
Create habits surrounding your goals. Goal-setting works best when you have habits surrounding your goal. Your habits are directly related to your motivation so build habits that support your visions and goals. When building habits, you should always have the big picture, your vision in mind, and work on small implementations into your everyday life.
Create a routine around your habits. Successful people live their success, whether anyone notices them or not. Learn to live your success and throw yourself at the toughest tasks. Make it a routine to commit yourself to that habitual activity and demand exceptional performance from yourself.
Stop procrastinating. There are times when inspiration stops flowing and life seems dull and pointless. When you’re procrastinating, take a step back and understand why you’re feeling unmotivated. Make the necessary changes and get back on the ball. This is when motivation and inspiration count the most.
Stop looking at success like a distant achievement. Stop considering success as something you hope to attain one day. Instead of searching for some distant success, search for success in your day-to-day life—find success with the smallest bits of work that help you reach your goal. Then stay committed to those habits and strive to live them daily.

At the end of the day, it's up to you to determine what you're capable of. The Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women inspires, motivates, and supports women every day to create and maintain a growth mindset. It’s our goal to inspire and motivate women across Long Island to be the best women they can be in business and beyond. To learn more about what our organization, follow us on social media or contact us here.