What separates successful entrepreneurs from unsuccessful ones? It is an intriguing question that many aspiring entrepreneurs are asking. Mindset is among the differentiators that set the boundary between the successful ones and the average ones. Perspective plays a vital role in dictating your success or failure. If you think you will be successful, you will strive to find a way. If you believe instead that you will not make it, you will give up and discontinue.
According to the groundbreaking work of Dr. Carol Dweck, there are two fundamental types of mindsets: fixed and growth. Individuals carrying a fixed mindset believe that they can no longer improve their abilities and intelligence because they are unchangeable. On the contrary, people who possess a growth mindset believe they can develop and enhance their talent and intellect since they are not constant.
Leading performance coach Jordan Montgomery, the founder of Montgomery Companies, knows the value of the growth mindset. Over the years, he credits his success to having a growth mindset and has also seen how clients strive to grow to continue to be the most successful in their fields.
Understanding the importance of mindset, we interviewed Jordan to understand a few key ways others can improve their mindset and business.
Surround Yourself with Others Focused on Growth
If someone asks where to start, Jordan recommends beginning with an assessment of those around you. Research has suggested that you become like the five people you spend the most time with. In other words, your social circle can have a tangible impact on your performance and, more specifically, your mindset. Think about the last time you went to a conference or a seminar, and you left feeling so inspired. You loved the ideas and sessions, and you felt ready to take on the world. However, the moment you left that event and went back home, putting yourself in a different environment, the feeling often dwindled quickly. Instead, what if you surround yourself with other attendees from that conference or session who were equally inspired to implement the new ideas? It would become far more likely that you’d follow through with change since so many around you are also striving for the same thing. Although this is a simple example, it illustrates the importance of the environment and surrounding yourself with people seeking growth.
If you’re trying to shift your mindset, start with your environment and look at relationships around you. Your social circle should also be striving for growth; they should be aligned with your core values and share your focus and drive.
Habits, Habits, Habits
The things you focus on daily will determine your future. It sounds simple, but habits are the heart of success. Often Jordan asks clients to assess daily routines and habits because small changes in these rhythms can make all the difference.
Focusing on what matters and creating winning habits is an essential part of a growth mindset. Jordan describes this as “simple things done well repeatedly.” He encourages clients to focus on the activities they know lead to growth and cut out the activities that don’t. He says, “don’t overestimate the result and underestimate the process.” Take daily action, realizing that what you do daily establishes who you become permanently.