Getting out of a fixed mindset can be difficult. What happens over time is that people learn certain habits or patterns of beliefs that are tied into specific experiences that are often painful. These experiences compound until the person becomes convinced that life is just the way it is and you have to make the most of it.

You will find that many people have little personal mantras or ways of looking at the world. They might say that “life is a battleground” or “work hard play hard”. These idioms have little to do with the way that the world is and everything to do with the unique mindset of the individual. Either way, the person needs to adopt strategies that will help him or her out of a very fixed way of looking at the world.  

What is a fixed mindset?

 The most common example of a fixed mindset is money. People have certain ideas about what their time is worth. And what happens is that other people reflect this idea on them. So, the person who values his or her time at $15 an hour will apply for jobs that reinforce the idea that they are worth $15 an hour. And they will self-sabotage jobs that pay them $30 an hour because “they are not worth that”. 

This phenomenon was documented in a book by entrepreneur and success coach Tim Ferris called The Four-Hour Work Week. What he noticed was that competition was very difficult at the bottom and medium levels because everybody was fighting it out. But it gets very easy in the upper echelons of management because they believe that is worth every penny even though they often do very little work. It can be easier to shoot for high-end jobs once you have the appropriate psychology compared to working your way up step by step.

This is a reflection of the esoteric principle that the whole universe is a product of the mind. What we believe internally is reflected in us and we then proceed to believe that this reflection is the truth of existence. This has also been demonstrated in the scientific literature to a degree.

In advertising, people only notice marketing materials that are relevant to them. Everything else is subconsciously filtered out, as the brain can only handle a limited amount of data. If we don’t change our perspective, we are going to keep seeing the same information and believing that it is the ‘truth’. 

A fixed mindset can be loosely defined as a narrow and precise view of reality where we are sure about certain things. And they are only true because the fixed mindset person believes in them so strongly. How would somebody with a fixed mindset ever change the world with a revolutionary invention? It would not be possible. People of a fixed mindset observe the world as it is. People with a growth mindset create the world as they would like it to be. This is a huge difference.

What is a growth mindset?  

A growth mindset focuses on expansion at all times as opposed to trying to preserve the existing situation. While finances are the easiest and most obvious example to give, the concepts of both fixed and growth mindsets apply to relationships, health, creativity, spirituality, and personal happiness.

Typically, people can apply a growth mindset to one area of their lives but fail to carry over this to others. But if you grow a company, you can grow a relationship or even spiritual success. You just have to take the same principles into a different field. The details will differ, but the foundational ideas for improvement will remain the same.

People with a growth mindset are not focused on the past or even on current difficulties. It’s not even that they look for ways to solve problems as such; they are focused on creative ways to grow that can completely bypass existing issues. It comes down to the question of focusing on lack or focusing on growth.

 This does not mean that you ignore things that need to get done. You will still attend to specific obligations. But they are less weight when your focus is on where you are going instead of where you happen to be.

From a fixed to a growth-focused mindset  

Going from a fixed to a growth mindset can take some work. This is because habits and psychological tendencies can be extremely entrenched in our psyche. So, we have to adopt best practices to observe what is truly possible.

One of the best ways to gain a growth mindset is to observe how the other half live, the richest 1% of society. You will find that they do not pay any attention to what is commonly written on the internet about best financial practices. They are in the mindset of wealth and they constantly expect wealth to flow.

However, for somebody who is used to watching every penny and budgeting all the time, it can be very difficult to accept this. Additionally, these people are usually born into wealth, so they never pick up negative concepts surrounding the financial acquisition. If you can manage to spend some time with wealthy people, their high-growth mindset will rub off on you. It’s an easier way to live. 

You can still adopt this mentality even if you do not have a privileged upbringing. Habit and repetition are key to cementing a growth-oriented mindset. So, you could focus on growing your capital reserves significantly. Set a figure such as $10,000 and try to explore ways to increase your account.

This will be a combination of cutting back on certain expenses, visualizing different flows of income and the pile getting bigger, and concentrating on ways to increase revenue in general.

Either way, your focus has to be on your capital reserves getting bigger, not on being unable to afford things. Don’t try to justify your lack of growth - just focus on growth. Neither the universe nor other people care about your excuses. And you shouldn’t either.

 Tools for Dealing with Limiting Beliefs

Everybody has certain fears and limiting beliefs that keep them stuck in negativity and distress. Some people just find it impossible to attract a partner, no matter what they do. Other people find it difficult to manifest money and material items, despite applying all the online techniques and turning their attention to the problem. 

This is where meditation and mindfulness can demonstrate their effectiveness. They can serve as tools to calm down our central nervous systems when we are anxious or upset about anything. When we get into negative thought spirals about something, the situation continues to perpetuate itself.

On a larger scale, this is also what is happening when we simply cannot manifest money, relationship, wellness, or any kind of abundance. Deep down we have firm convictions based on prior experiences. And it is these deeply held beliefs that stop us from growing in a very real sense.

Mindfulness and meditation can help to observe these beliefs without having any negative reactions. They free us up to grow and expand. Of course, when using them we need to make sure to take a long-term and mature approach. They are not overnight shortcuts that we are so used to hearing about, but lifelong approaches that always work to greater or lesser degrees. 

In truth, all things that relax us such as surfing, singing, dancing, painting, writing, going for a massage, and more are useful for getting us out of our heads. We need to do things that put us in a good place and integrate them into our lives for frequent emotional and mental resets. When we are in a good place, we can then focus on our growth mindset much more efficiently. 

Remember if you are unsure of your capability of doing or achieving something this is just a belief that you happen to have. No more, no less. People pick up beliefs from their parents and wider society and go through their whole lives without replacing them with empowering ones. Don’t let this happen to you. Use all available tools to replace limiting beliefs with good ones. 

 The Morning Miracle  

Much has also been said about the significance of our morning routine. How we start the day will set the tone for the rest. It has been given special significance in many esoteric texts, especially in the Bible. If we get our mornings right, it will set us up psychologically until the night.  How you execute your morning routine is up to you.

Another very important point about the morning is the period immediately upon waking. This provides a golden opportunity as you are in a mix between the dreaming and waking state, with a better ability to manifest and program your subconscious.

Your brain waves are lower and you will be a more receptive mentality. The same applies when you are going to sleep.  If you are looking for ways to fast-track growth, then these are the best two opportunities. What you do in the external environment comes secondary.  

 Night Time Optimization

 How well you sleep will determine your performance throughout the day, as well as determining how efficiently you complete your morning routine. Your morning starts the night before in many respects. There are many ways to optimize your sleep. As above, you should try to focus on what you want when falling asleep. You need to make your room as comfortable as possible.

This is largely an individual process. You might do well in a cool environment with blue colours and a completely blacked-out room for optimal sleep (many people do well with these three components in terms of sleep quality). In the morning and evening, refocus on what you want to achieve and what makes you feel good.

'Focus on Yourself'  

If you want to focus on growth, then you need to put your needs and experience first. This even means putting yourself first before your own goals, if that makes sense. If you are stressed about your goals, then something is wrong. Use the tools above (massage, meditation, exercise, creative writing, singing, etc) to put yourself into a state of bliss and relaxation.

Then you will see how very easy it is to complete the tasks you need to get done.  Remember that you are the one that needs to achieve everything. You can’t do it if you are upset or stressed out. It sounds paradoxical, but the more at ease and relaxed you are, the more you will get done.

So, remember to put yourself first. You will see and understand different and easier ways of doing things. Otherwise, you will find yourself doing routine and mundane tasks all the time in the name of ‘progress’. These tasks will just never end.

Remember that creativity and optimism are also required to take yourself to the next level of mastery. There is no way that you can establish anything worthwhile while in a fixed mindset of lack and simply following on from the inventions of others. You need to do everything you can to expand your creativity and believe that anything is possible.

 Conclusion

 You need to shake things up to get out of a fixed mindset, which can be very much settled into your identity. Look at ways to change your beliefs about wealth and growth, in general, using a mix of creative writing, relaxation, affirmations, meditation, and self-programming.

Above all, focus on what you want to achieve as much as possible and don’t let current results get you down. The world is going to give you what you focus on—so focus on growth and expansion and leave all your problems behind.