Why I Teach Mindset Training:

Why do I speak about the importance of developing a growth mindset? Here's a few reasons why I do it, and it all goes back to the same place where all of our mindsets are developed--my childhood.

Growing up I was the fourth of six children. My mother was overwhelmed with her responsibilities, and my dad was busy at work, sometimes away for weeks at a time. So, I didn't get much direction. I felt lost and small in big world where my parents poverty mindset was transfered to me. I thought my results were limited, hoping for a job with a good wage. I didn't think I was very smart, so I never tried hard things. I was always looking for an easy path to success, because I didn't think I was smart or capable of accomplishing what "rich people" could accomplish, nor was I aware that personal development was necessary.

When I was in the 7th grade, I got straight D's, and will never forget the moment one of my siblings said, "What kind of idiot gets all D's". My lack of effort in school continued until I realized I had the ability to do well IF I put in the effort. But I only put in an average effort, yielding average results.

I thought others were responible for my results. I thought it was my boss' job to give me training and a better wage. I thought it was my spouse's job to make me happy. I felt lost in my career, like I didn't fit into the mold I was putting myself in. I thought that I could never do well financially, because I was trapped in a poverty mindset--the desire for something better, obstructed by limiting beliefs.

All that changed around 2006 when I began what would become a transformational period for me. I started to learn that I could get better at anything with effort and repetition. I first learned this by writing fiction. After self-publishing (and learning the craft), I was finally published in 2016 by an Amazon imprint. This success began to snow ball into other goals that I had for myself. In the process, I learned that the most important question to ask was, "what do I want"? Once I realized what I wanted, and figured out why that was important to me, I could focus on reaching that goal one step at a time... just like what I'm doing with this website; I take simple, little steps every day to build it out, fix the SEO, update the pages, write weekly blog posts, etc.

During the "Big C" years (2020 - 2023), I started asking, "What do I want for my life"? I realized I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. When I saw the technicians and business owners that I worked with everyday, I recognized the poverty mindset playing out in their lives, and how they viewed themselves, others and the world around them. Although I didn't know it at the time, that desire to help others sparked a change in me that would transform my life once again.

Once I knew what I wanted, I started writing again, and developing myself for my next big challenge. How do I share a message with others when I'm an introvert? I don't get excited about being in a crowd. But my "Why" helped me to overcome those fears. I joined Toastmasters and began a three-year journey that transformed my communication abilities that have brought me to this point. I have spoken to thousands of people now, and I know it's just the beginning. A growth mindset believes that intelligence and abilities can improve over time with effort and repetition, so I continue to develop my talk, try new things and apply the feedback my audiences give me. And I try to practice what I preach--embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, learn from criticism and my mistakes, see effort as a path to mastery, and gain insight and inspiration from the success of others. This, and many hours of prayer, is what it takes to reach my full potential. This is my story. It's filled with struggle and pain and my own brokenness at times.

What about you? Are you trapped in a Fixed Mindset? Are your dreams obstructed by limiting beliefs? If that's not what you want for your life, take a minute and do the following exercise. Ask yourself the following:

What do I want? __________________________________________________________________

And why do I want it? _____________________________________________________________

When you've done that, agree to develop a growth mindset and start focusing your thoughts on what you want to accomplish. You may feel lost, overwhelmed, or incapable of accomplishing big things, but so did I, and so do most people who have accomplished big goals. That's why you have to learn to develop a growth mindset, by training your brain to think differently with experience and more importantly, repetition. The 30-Day Mindset Challenge is a tool I created to begin the transformational process of developing a Growth Mindset and start mastering the laws of success.

And this is why I love teaching this stuff. If it helps even one person, I feel like the work is well worth the effort. I'd love to hear what your big goal is. If you need help or a coach getting there, or if you'd like your organization to get this training, contact me at jeffsmindsetmission@gmail.com.