Do you see the glass as half full or half empty?
Success has a lot to do with your mindset. Especially when it comes to school, a positive mindset can often mean the difference between the grade you want versus the one you don’t.
But how can you change your mindset for success? Read on to find out!
Optimism vs Pessimism
Let’s start with the most basic theory in the book. The classic optimist vs pessimist debate.
When you’re reflecting on your day, what does your mind go to first: the good stuff that happened or the not so good? Thinking about the good first, always thinking the best of people, and trying to make light of your situations makes you an optimist. However, if you are quick to point out flaws in a situation, tend to be a Debbie Downer, and have poor expectations for future events, you may be more of a pessimist.
So what do optimism and pessimism mean? Optimism and pessimism are mindsets, almost like lenses, that we use to experience our lives. No one is purely optimistic or pessimistic. Instead we are a combination of the two. Whether we feel optimistic or pessimistic at any given time depends on our thoughts, feelings, and current experiences. This is our mindset. And it is very important.
But why? Optimism is much better for you than pessimism is. When you think about your experiences in a more positive light, you set the stage for future experiences to be positive as well. Having a positive mindset sets you up for success.
Optimists view experiences as opportunities to learn from. For example, if you do poorly on a test, an optimistic approach would be to realize that just because you did bad on one test, it doesn’t mean that you are bad at the subject as a whole. Additionally, you can reflect on what you can do differently next time. Perhaps you should study using a different technique or get better sleep the night before. Maybe you didn’t get the job you wanted. An optimistic approach would be learning how to improve your interview and resume creating skills. Optimism is a mindset that can help you be more successful in the future.
Contrastingly, pessimists view setbacks as personal failings, as evidence that the world is out to get them. For example, if you didn’t make the soccer team, you may believe that the coach hates you and that everyone else who tried out was so much better than you were, even if you are a very good player. You may even begin to doubt yourself in the future, resolving to never try out for a team again. A pessimistic approach like the one above blocks room for growth and you are instead stuck in the same toxic mindset. A pessimistic view inhibits success by stopping you from trying again and learning from your mistakes.
So, how can you be more optimistic? Here are some tips!
Don’t blame yourself when things go wrong. Instead, focus on how you can change for the future.
Help yourself believe that good things are coming.
Remember that you are so much more capable than you think.
Remind yourself that setbacks are temporary.
Keep a gratitude journal or take time out of your day to think about the good things that happened. When you sit down and really think about it, you may realize that your life is much more positive than you originally thought!
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
What motivates you to study and learn? Is it working towards a certain grade and trying to meet the expectations of your parents? Or is it a love for learning and gaining knowledge?
Extrinsic motivation is motivation based on external factors. These are things that are outside of your control such as a grade, someone’s opinion of you, or trying to get into a certain school. These probably make up most, if not all, of your motivators. While they are very useful in getting us to study and work hard, external motivators are usually fear-based and not as sustainable.
Often, we will study only enough to get that certain grade or do the bare minimum required to finish an assignment. We put our entire focus on achieving something that, in the end, isn’t even decided by us. What’s worse is that if we don’t achieve that goal, we begin to think of ourselves as a failure. This is terrible for your mental health, as you begin to link your self worth with your academic success. This can cause low self esteem and cause you to lose passion for the subject you are studying.
External motivators, usually grades, motivate us to work hard. However, while this works in the short term, this kind of motivation isn’t sustainable enough for long term learning. Once you get that grade, you’ll stop studying and will quickly forget what you have learned. Extrinsic motivation can be very poor for both your mental health and your academic success.
So, what’s the alternative? Intrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from within, something you want for yourself and for your own growth. This can include wanting to learn something to gain a better understanding, for personal satisfaction, or because it’ll be of use in your future. An example of this would be dedicating yourself to learning a new language because you want to visit a different country someday. Even for subjects you really don’t like, try to find some aspect of it that makes you want to learn more.
Intrinsic motivation inspires you to learn and enjoy the process. Being able to motivate yourself internally allows you to take pride in what you do and encourages you to be happier. You are working hard to make yourself happy, not just for a grade or for approval. This is a powerful tool that can help you change your mindset for success.
Although it can be a challenging mindset to adapt to, it’s important to learn to enjoy learning for its own sake and accept the fact that you are doing the best you can. This will help you feel more intrinsic motivation instead of relying entirely on external motivators.
The Growth Mindset
I’m just not good at math.
Some people are just naturally smart. Not me.
Of course, they did well on that test. They’re a science person.
These are examples of a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is the mindset we have where we believe that our strengths (and weaknesses) are set in stone. We may believe we are naturally good at some things and naturally bad at others. We may believe that in order to excel at something, we need to already be good at it. A fixed mindset assumes that our skill levels cannot change—that we either have or don’t have any given skill.
This is problematic because when we have a fixed mindset, we stunt our growth. By providing an excuse for a weaker subject, we don’t allow ourselves the opportunity to learn and grow. This is also harmful because when you believe that you have a natural talent for a skill, suddenly doing poorly at it takes a major dig at your self esteem.
The fixed mindset has large ties to perfectionism. We cannot bear the idea of not being perfect at something, so we convince ourselves that we were never good at it anyway. And when we are good at something, we put immense pressure on ourselves to keep it that way. This fixed mindset hinders success as there is a mental block on improving and changing for the better.
The growth mindset introduces a very important word: yet. Now, when we tell ourselves we aren’t good at something, we are only telling ourselves that we are not good at it yet. The growth mindset introduces the possibility of change, improvement, and growth. With the growth mindset, you are free to try new skills, excel in previously hated subjects, and explore new areas.
The importance of the growth mindset is that it emphasizes the idea that while you may not currently be good at something, you will eventually reach your goals. Instead of submissively accepting the idea that your skills are set in stone, you will actively work to push past what you thought you could achieve. Adopting a growth mindset will encourage you to work harder, seek help, set larger goals, and keep trying. You can get higher grades in class, learn new skills, and improve your overall knowledge. Just think of all the things you could achieve with this new mindset!
Check out this video that explains the growth mindset in more detail!
Positive Self Talk
The way you think and talk about yourself can have a huge impact on your mindset, therefore impacting your success as well. Self talk is the way you talk to yourself. You can think of it as your inner voice. This inner voice is constantly commenting on your decisions, self-image, and others. You’re stuck with it all day! Your self talk has a huge impact on how you feel and what you do every day.
Positive self talk has many benefits. It improves your self esteem and well being while lowering your chances of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. A positive inner voice will help you feel more in control of your life and motivate you to overcome any setbacks. Positive self-talk will help you achieve your goals! This is why it is important to have a positive inner voice instead of a negative one that is constantly putting you down.
But what does negative self talk look like? Your negative inner voice is the pessimistic one. It tells you that you aren’t good enough and that you don’t have what it takes to achieve your goals. It takes away all your confidence and stops you from trying new things. Negative self talk is also terrible for your mental health. Thinking poorly about yourself all the time can make you feel pretty down. Depression and anxiety are often synonymous with negative self-talk. It can also lead to poor self esteem, poor body image, and an increase of stress. Those who think negatively about themselves are more likely to be perfectionists.
How can you be successful with a negative inner voice that actively works to stop you from reaching your true potential? It’s hard to succeed when your own mind is telling you that you aren’t good enough.
The road to developing a more positive inner voice can be long and confusing. So many of us have a deep rooted negative inner voice that doesn’t seem to want to go anywhere. Here are some steps you can take to improve the way you talk and think about yourself.
Recognize when you use negative self-talk. What aspects of your life are you the most self-critical of yourself in? Work to see what triggers your negative self-talk. Differentiating positive and negative self-talk is the first step in solving the problem.
Think about what you are saying to yourself. Sometimes we don’t realize just how toxic our negative inner voice is. Think about all the negative things you say about yourself. Would you ever say something like that to someone else?
Challenge your way of thinking. Ask yourself: is what I’m feeling really true? News flash: it probably isn't. The way we think about ourselves is often much more critical than how others think of us. Many of our biggest insecurities go unnoticed by those around us. Are your “failings” really so bad? Will that embarrassing thing really matter in a few years? Challenge those negative thoughts instead of accepting them.
Replace your negative self-talk. Try replacing your negative thoughts with a more neutral or positive one. Instead of focusing on the things you don’t like about yourself, try remembering all the things that make you amazing and unique. Reframe your negative thoughts by finding the positive even in setbacks. It will take time, but eventually you will be able to replace your negative thoughts with positive ones.
Conclusion
There you have it! Four ways to change the way you think for success. With these tips, you can begin working towards a more positive mindset. And with that, you will start to see success in every direction you turn!
Thank you for reading this blog post and best of luck for the rest of the school year!
By: Nevadha M