In the first few weeks of this year, we saw Donald Trump sworn in as President of the United States, followed by some 3 to 4 million people marching in protest, and then a swift flurry of executive orders on trade deals, oil pipelines, social policies and more. And 2017 is still just getting started. For better or worse, we as a nation are poised for a lot of change in the coming weeks, months and years. And with change inevitably comes challenges. But what happens after that is up to each of us.
I recently read an article which inspired me, not just on a personal level, but in the way I look at our country, and the world in general. The article cited the now classic learning theory by Stanford researcher Carol Dweck about how our mindset affects our outlook, and our outcomes. In her 2006 book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Dweck describes the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset:
“In a fixed mindset students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that’s that... In a growth mindset, students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence.”
In other words, our abilities - and by extension, our worldview - are all in our heads.
What does this have to do with our country, and most personally, our businesses? Only that we should try to view change, challenges and obstacles as opportunities for growth, not reasons to complain or give up. There’s something to be learned from every circumstance, as long as we’re open to it. So stop blaming and start looking at the current situation as a chance to observe, learn and improve; look at the possibilities. The result might be as much for the greater good as it is for your own benefit.
Maintaining a growth mindset about what’s happening on a personal and professional level, and even on a grand scale, can not only make the difference between business success and failure, but also between a life lived in happiness or despair.
