It's Not Fluff

I’m getting ready to give a Growth Mindset presentation at work.  I believe in the concepts of growth and fixed mindsets (read “Mindset:  The New Psychology of Success” by Dr. Carol Dweck) because I have experienced the benefits of changing my own mindset throughout my life and career.

Sometimes my change in mindset was instantaneous when I heard powerful words that pierced my heart and caused me to make a decision to change my attitude and approach to something (see my “Words Matter” blogpost dated 4/29/17).  Other times I have identified a deep seated mindset by doing a personal mindset inventory, and I have planned my strategy and set goals to change my mindset in a particular area of my life (see my “Mindset” blogpost dated 6/28/16).

I’ve heard some people call growth mindset “fluff” and they ridicule the whole idea of mindset and the possibility of changing it.  They don’t want to change their mindset, yet they are the people who need it the most!  They see the “fluff” and they miss the practical side that can make a real difference in their lives.

The risk of ignoring “growth mindset” is staying in a stagnant, defeated (fixed) mindset and eventually living with regret for missed opportunities.  I believe we can be stagnant even in our success because we can become too comfortable and stop trying to improve.  In contrast, a growth mindset will help us to see possibilities instead of problems and propel us to take advantage of opportunities for improvement in our lives.  A growth mindset can take us places we never thought we would or could go!

I think sometimes we limit ourselves by dreaming dreams that are too small.  I am inspired by people who follow big dreams and goals, who overcome the impossible simply because they believed it to be possible!  My favorite movies are all true stories of people who accomplished great things.  What do they have in common?  They turned problems and challenges into possibilities!  They persevered until they achieved success!  If you want to be inspired, watch one or more of my favorite movies: (1) Apollo 13, (2) Miracle (the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team), (3) Rudy (the young man who dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame), (4) Hidden Figures, and (5) Sound of Music (yes, Maria had a growth mindset… remember “Raindrops on Roses”?).

God has given me the opportunity to talk about growth mindset.  I pray that I can help inspire people to grow their mindset the way I have been inspired.  I also pray that God will help me to make the presentation very practical and helpful, with strategies that can actually help change fixed mindsets.

A growth mindset can change your life and your career for the better, in ways that you never thought would be possible.  How do you know unless you try?  So, dream big, and implement strategies and set goals to achieve success, and you’ll see it’s not just fluff!

Devotion

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!”  Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

Prayer:

Lord, I believe you want your children to grow, and not stay stagnant and defeated.  I pray that you will help us to improve and set goals and achieve success in our lives!  Our hearts hold the dreams you have planted in us, and I pray that you will help each of us to reach beyond our limitations and achieve those dreams.  As I prepare to give the growth mindset presentation, please give me the words and the inspiration I need to speak beyond the “fluff” and get to the heart of the practical reality of achieving what you want to accomplish in our lives, which is so much more than we think we can accomplish!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2018 Linda Lijewski

Taking Chances

In my 20’s, I was very adventurous.  I loved to travel.  I wanted to learn to speak Spanish fluently, so I traveled back and forth to Mexico numerous times.  I studied in Mexico during college and returned to Mexico after graduation to spend more time there.  Later, I moved to Washington, D.C., and I got a terrific job with a trade association in the international department.  In that job, I traveled to South America, Mexico, China, Japan, and Hong Kong.  I loved traveling around the country, too, and I took every opportunity I had to travel to New York City!

The experience of working in D.C. led me to consider Law School.  During that time, I also considered becoming an English teacher in China through a missionary program.  Ultimately, I returned to Wisconsin to go to Law School.  After I graduated, I moved back to D.C. to work in a law firm.  When an opportunity arose, I volunteered to take a group of legal interns to the U.S. Supreme Court, and we had private meetings with two Supreme Court Justices!

I look back and I see that I was open to taking chances and seizing moments of opportunity.  My decision to move to D.C. in my 20’s was a spontaneous decision, and was simply an opportunity that was handed to me.  When I made the decision to move back to D.C. after Law School, it also was in response to an opportunity that was given to me.

As I’ve gotten older, I definitely am less likely to take chances.  I don’t even like flying in an airplane any more!  When I was younger, I was fearless.  Today, I am filled with fear in many instances.  Is it because I am older and wiser, and more aware of the dangers in the world?  All I know is that I just want to be home in my comfortable surroundings.  I seem to be willing to pass up opportunities just to feel safe!

In my goal-setting journey, I know that I must be willing to take chances.  If I am going to take advantage of an opportunity and “seize the moment,” I must eliminate FEAR.  Below are three strategies that I have implemented in my life to eliminate fear:

1.    Don’t feed the fear!  Instead, I thank God for the very thing I am afraid of (e.g., traveling by plane).  I thank God that I have the opportunity to take the trip!  I thank Him over and over again, and my heart of gratitude really does turn around my attitude of fear.

2.  Turn anxieties over to God.  I pray to God and ask for his Hand of protection on my spouse, children, doggy, and extended family.  Praying this way every day alleviates unnecessary anxiety and reduces my overactive imagination about bad things happening to my family.  (Note:  Praying to God will not eliminate anxiety and worry unless you TRUST God!)

3.  Prayerfully evaluate opportunities.  I am not as likely now to pick up and move somewhere as I was in my 20’s and 30’s.  However, I know that there are many ways that opportunities present themselves in our lives, especially if we are setting goals and taking steps toward achieving them.  Although I can’t (and don’t want to) be as spontaneous as I was when I was younger, I do pray and seek God’s leading, and many times I ask God to help me recognize opportunities.

At any age, taking chances is a part of life if we are going to grow and accomplish our tasks and goals.  A fearful attitude is not from the Lord.  “Seizing the moment” may be just what God wants us to do in certain instances!

Devotion

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for the opportunities you have given me in my life to live in different places and experience the wonder of traveling to different countries.  Thank you for expanding my horizons and helping me to grow and learn.  I know that you have not given me a spirit of fear, and I thank you for removing my fear when I walk closely with you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2018 Linda Lijewski