Module 2

"How to Achieve a Successful Mindset"

"How to Achieve a Successful Mindset"

Aim

The purpose of this module is to introduce established practices to help dancers achieve a successful mindset. Transforming an existing mindset is not an easy task, but with the information included in this module, participants will be able to slowly implement changes in their lives.

Watch and discuss

By the end of this module, you should be able to...

Knowledge

  • Identify different kinds of mindsets and explain their influence on people
  • Eexplain how motivation works and define what success means to you

Skills

  • Abandon a fixed mindset and adapt a growth successful mindset which will allow you to advance professionally
  • Create a long-term vision and take responsibility

Attitudes

  • Stop being afraid of failure and accept that the only way to grow is to make mistakes

Key-concepts

Ssuccessful mindset

Achieving success in life is strongly connected with the right mindset. Daily decisions and actions are determined by our thinking.

Having a successful mindset is important as it allows you to be flexible and creative. People with this kind of mindset can make things happen, even in unfavourable circumstances.

Growth vs. Fixed mindset

One of the aspects of a successful mindset is a growth mindset, which means you believe that you can grow and improve.

The opposite is a fixed mindset. People with this way of thinking believe that some of their skills and abilities cannot be improved.

Motivation

Motivation is the set of reasons for doing something, it is what makes people focused on their set goals.

There are two main types of motivation:

Extrinsic – its source is the environment around a person, it can be a reward, deadline or any outside influence.

Intrinsic – it is not connected with external rewards, people are motivated because they find something enjoyable or interesting

Long-term vision

Long-term vision is connected with the ultimate goal in your career and can act as a strong motivator. It will also keep you on the right track.

To create a long-term vision for yourself, make sure you know what your goals are, what do you wish to achieve, what do you need to work on and set your priorities.

Inward-looking propensity

Successful mindset comes with self-awareness. Whatever is happening, make sure you take the time to look inward at yourself: Could you have done something differently? Did you grow as a person? What did you learn and how can you use it in the future?

Seeing possibilities

Finally, adopting a successful mindset allows you to believe in possibilities around you. That does not mean that you can do anything or that you should be too optimistic about everything – you just need to trust that good things can happen when you start to look for them.

What steps can a person take to achieve a successful mindset?

You can try…

  • Adopting an abundance mentality
  • To stop fearing failure
  • Creating a long-term vision
  • Learning from your mistakes
  • Getting to know yourself
  • Focusing on results
  • Being more flexible
  • Looking for inspiration around you

How can we describe differences between fixed and growth mindset?

Those two mindsets are very different…

Fixed mindset

People with fixed mindsets believe that their character traits and abilities, such as intelligence and talents, are fixed. This mindset is limiting as it makes people avoid challenges, give up easily and feel threatened by the success of other people. It also makes people see their failures as proof of insufficient intelligence or talent.

Growth mindset

People with growth mindset understand that their intelligence, talents and abilities can be developed further through effort, learning and persistence. It is important to keep working despite setbacks.

Of course, some abilities are innate and cannot be developed. It is important to recognize which abilities are fixed and which can be improved. This mindset allows people to embrace challenges, find inspiration in other people, accept feedback and criticism,

Happify

Happify is a fun, engaging, and highly interactive app that puts your well-being in your own hands. It is a personal growth app that gives you a wide variety of tracks, articles, meditations, and games, each of which deliberately helps you create more happiness with both your internal and external life experiences.

Happify is a research-supported program designed to help you actively take measures to improve your overall sense of well-being and mental health. The app provides a wide variety of useful tools and information and puts you in charge of using them to change your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours so you can live the quality life you envision.

Happify

  • Do you think a mobile app is a good tool to be used in order to abandon a fixed mindset? Why or why not? Do you know other apps focused on personal growth and well-being?
  • What kind of mindset do you currently have? What kind of mindset did you have as a student?
  • Human brains are wired to put more emphasis on negative experiences and interactions. How can we overcome this evolutionary setting?
  • Do you know someone with a strongly fixed mindset? Do you have a better understanding of this person after this module?
  • Can you remember a moment when you faced a challenge with a fixed mindset? How did you feel? How would you react today?

Change your mindset

Pay attention to what you say to yourself

Our thoughts hold a great power – especially when we think about ourselves. Everyone is dealing with difficult situations, the difference is in our actions – and our actions are shaped by our thoughts.

Next time you say to yourself „I can‘t do it“ or „I am not that good“, stop and say „I can do it“ ir „I can get better“ instead.

Focus on learning instead of performance

Dedicate time for yourself to learning something new something that you are interested in, not something  for keeping score or comparing yourself with others.

For example, don‘t make your goal to become fluent in Spanish, rather commit to learning Spanish every day.

Focus on the process of learning instead of the desired outcome.

Learn from your failures

Failures are important aspect of every journey to success. Review your failures, figure out what did not work for you and make a new plan.

Look at your failures as opportunities to learn. Once you are able to do so, you will not be afraid to try to new things and fail.

Continuous improvement

If you do not run regularly, there is no chance you will succeed at a marathon race. This rule applies to everything else. Your goals should not be too difficult to achieve, but also not too easy to achieve. Set your goal just right to make it challenging enough, but not so much that you would feel anxious about it.

Once you achieve your set goal, you can set a more difficult one. Improve your abilities continuously.

Be consistent

Abandoning a fixed mindset is not an easy thing to do. It requires patience and practice. Reflect on your behaviour by thinking about how you acted, which mindset did you choose and why, try to find a pattern.

Identify your fixed mindset and try to adopt new approaches.

Promote a growth mindset

If you influence other people (such as children, adult learners or colleagues at work), try to promote the growth mindset.

Don‘t focus too much on intelligence and performance, rather appreciate engagement, effort, and progress.

The best way to promote the growth mindset is to explain its advantages.

Achieving succesful mindset

Action Plan

1 – Analyze your mindset

Reflect on your current mindset.

In which areas do you show fixed mindset and in which areas do you show a growth mindset? What factors cause this and how do you recognize it?

2 – Develop a growth mindset

Think of a recent failure or disappointment and reflect on your reaction.

What did you learn from it? Can you use this experience to grow?

Now think of a success in your life and reflect on how you felt.

3 – Start something new

Think of something new that you would like to learn in the upcoming month.

Write down specific steps or tasks that you can do to achieve this goal.

Put deadlines (that seem realiastic) in your calendar.

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