How To Change Your Worldview — The Power Of Mindset Shifts
The foundation for achieving anything you want
Mindset, beliefs, worldviews, paradigms and identities.
How important are these concepts when it comes to living a happy and successful life?
Should We Have An Identity?
If someone were to ask you “Who are you?”, what would you say?
Apart from your name, we are likely to talk about the roles that we play in society, in our family, in our job and the hobbies we have.
We might go even a little bit deeper and talk about our core personality traits, the ones that really define our character.
The problem with these definitions is that as circumstances change, our identity changes as well.
We lose our job, our hobbies change, our values change or we might ask ourselves at some point “Is that all that I am?”
Many spiritual teachings have a clear answer to that question.
You aren’t anything. The self does not exist, it is just a projection of your mind, made up of stories and labels.
Eckhart Tolle recounts in “A New Earth” that he congratulates people when they say “I don’t know who I am anymore…”
He says that once we let go of the need to define ourselves, we get a sense of peace.
“Give up defining yourself. You won’t die. You’ll come to life.
Defining yourself by thought is limiting yourself.”
Human Being vs. Human Becoming
A common thing people say at this point is:
“But I need some direction, I need to have something that I stand for, that I strive for, otherwise I have no clue what I’m doing.”
The key differentiation we have to make is that it’s not about who we are right now, but who we are living up to be.
As we choose our habits to cast votes for a certain type of identity, we are also choosing what personality traits we want to strengthen to live and be like the person we want to be.
The question really should not be “Who am I?” but “Who am I becoming?”.
Nothing in this world is static. The only constant is change.
Even our cells in our body are renewing constantly.
Not only our body but also who we are cannot be static. We cannot pin it down because it is in a constant flux of change.
What we are is work in progress.
And if you want to define yourself, don’t do it in who you are right now, but in who you are becoming.
Have a vision of a better version of yourself in five years. Take it as an inspiration. Design it and grow into it by living in line with that new version every day.
The Static Self
This is the key distinction. Instead of thinking of our selves as static and think we cannot change, we should see ourselves as ever changing and becoming new things.
The Becoming Self
It is totally fine to not know who you are now, but it is helpful to know who you want to be and who you are becoming.
We are not human beings. We are human becomings.
Fixed vs. Growth Mindset
If we have the mindset that our self is static and that our identity is fixed, that we are born with certain qualities and cannot change, then it is very unlikely that we achieve what we want in life.
We will always have a gap between our current self and our desired self.
This gap will cause us frustration and regret.
In her book “Mindset” Carol Dweck explains that people tend to have either a fixed or a growth mindset.
A fixed mindset is in line with the belief that our self is static. A growth mindset is in line with the belief that our self is everchanging, that we are able to change and become someone else.
Studies conducted on high-school students indicate that establishing a growth mindset in students might increase their performance levels and earning potential.
Regardless of genetic capabilities, having a mindset that we can change and improve our abilities seems to be the foundation to put in the work to achieve success.
How Mindset Shifts Work
James Clear gives a great analogy of what is necessary to shift from a fixed to a growth mindset.
He says that these “mindset interventions” only work when the resources are there first.
They can be compared to a light switch. It only works when the wires are there first. Then you touch the switch and the light turns on.
The same thing is true for mindset shifts.
The students in the studies first had to watch videos of other students struggling and managing to get ahead.
This allowed them to realize that there was the potential for growth and that they had the resources to achieve it as well.
This is when the mindset shift took place.
So we need to realize that change is possible.
The Scale In Our Mind
If we look at how we establish beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong as well as possible and impossible, a great analogy is the one of a scale.
Our mind tends to think in dual poles, black and white, up and down, good or bad. Everything has an opposite. This is how we categorize things and establish beliefs.
The same is true for our mindset and beliefs about ourselves.
If we think we are not good enough, it is because we accumulated (mostly irrational) evidence in the past, that give us the sign that we cannot do something.
This is basically stacking rocks on one side of the scale.
If our negative experiences outweigh our positive, we tend to have a fixed mindset or even limiting beliefs about ourselves. This is what makes us insecure.
What can we do to improve our mindset?
We need to stack rocks on the other side of the scale.
We need small wins that build up confidence and give us evidence for the beliefs we want to have.
These wins come from small habits and can thus change our identity.
Be Aware Of The Confirmation Bias
Why is it so important to go into new situations with a helpful belief system?
Because of the confirmation bias.
It states that our brain adjusts our selective perception in such a way that we only seek out evidence that supports our existing belief.
If you think you are dumb, you will only notice people that give you signals that confirm that belief and ignore all people that tell you otherwise.
This is the reason why conspiracy theories are so difficult to get rid of.
Because once you believe that the theory is true, you only react to more evidence that proofs your theory and you ignore evidence that says otherwise.
Making Reality Work In Your Favor
So in a sense, what we perceive as the truth, and thus as reality, depends on our preexisting beliefs.
Think about it. This is a powerful statement.
We don’t perceive reality as it is out there. We don’t see radiation. We don’t see particles, different spectrums of light or vibrations.
We see reality in the way our senses allow us to interpret it. And that is shaped by evolutionary psychology.
So, the human mind is an algorithm that perceives reality in a way that is best fitted for survival and in line with evolution.
Reality is not as fixed as we used to think.
Keeping in mind our confirmation bias, we could say that our reality depends on our method of questioning.
What are we assuming to be the case, influences the actual way we see reality.
The hypothesis with which we go into a situation influences the outcome of the situation and thus our reality. This is the idea of the self-fulfilling prophecy.
Sam Ovens summarizes it perfectly with the following chart:
Ask yourself:
- With what hypothesis or assumption am I going forward in life?
- What beliefs do I have about myself and about who I am becoming?
If your beliefs are not serving you, choose empowering beliefs, so that you can take action in line with these beliefs and let them come true.
Go into each situation with the right belief and a helpful hypothesis.
Then let the self-fulfilling prophecy work in your favor.
Be Open To Change
The first step to improve your mindset is to allow for the possibility that it might be possible that you can change your mindset and beliefs.
You might ask yourself:
“How can you be open to that if I currently think it is not possible?
As in the study of the high school students, you need to get evidence that it is possible because many others have done it too.
Look at people who changed their mindset and became successful.
Who despite bad circumstances and low confidence turned their life around and made it.
Of course, if you are convinced that change is not possible and that was all luck, then your confirmation bias will make you seek out evidence that supports that belief.
How To Get Started
The first thing is that you have to make a decision.
Step 1:
You have to decide that you will be open to the idea that change is possible.
That you will allow yourself to be surprised.
Step 2:
Surround yourself with people that have the helpful mindset that you want to have too.
Live with them, work with them, go to networking events, seminars, become friends with them, hire them as your mentor.
Step 3:
Take action to accumulate small wins that stack rocks as evidence on the correct side of your scale.
Keep in mind to do what’s at the edge of your current ability.
James Clear calls that the “Goldilocks” rule, to do something that is neither too easy, nor too difficult, but right at the edge of your current ability.
This is the prerequisite for the “flow state”.
It will challenge you and give you a small win without overwhelming you.
This way you are building up self-trust and your new beliefs about who you are becoming.
Move your beliefs about what is possible forward one step at a time.
The scale does not suddenly shift. You stack one new rock at a time. You accumulate one new win at a time.
This will change your mindset and beliefs about what is possible. One step at a time.
What will it be for you?
- Talk to one stranger every day?
- Reaching out to three potential clients every day?
- Recording one short vlog every day?
Implement small habits that over time will change how you see yourself and the world.
Which habit are you going to start with?
Need some inspiration?
I’ve put together my personal top three habits in a little e-book.
They will make you make you become calmer, more focused and allow you to feel more at peace.
