The path to accomplishing your biggest dreams and goals has never been clearer thanks to the plethora of information available. Just because the price of admission to get into the game has decreased, though, doesn’t mean the journey will be a cakewalk—but it’s also not quantum physics. In fact, the difference between getting what you want and falling short is separated by a small gap: your mindset. If you’re looking to become the best version of yourself, you’ll need to implement certain mindset principles.
Related: How Bad Do You Want the Life You Want?
Start with these six mindset principles of successful people:
1. Keep your word to yourself.
When you do what you say you’re going to do, you build self-respect and a positive identity. Successful people understand that every time you break the promises you make to yourself, you feed your identity as an impostor and weaken your self-confidence as a person of action.
For example, if you commit to exercising 30 minutes each day, then do it. Regardless of the outcome, your character is being positively molded, and that will generate momentum along your journey.
2. Use envy to your advantage.
Wanting something you don’t currently have is a behavior rooted in your DNA. But just because it’s a normal feeling to have doesn’t mean you can’t control it or leverage it to your benefit. Successful people understand that beneath the layers of envy lies a core need they desire.
Ask yourself why you feel envy. If it’s money, for example, what would that money represent for you? Most often, it’s time and freedom. Once you know the root cause, you can address ways to gain the things you want, like time and freedom, right now while building your dream.
3. Have no self-pity.
One of the big differentiators between those who stay the course along the journey of personal growth compared to those who get off track lies within the ability to rebound quickly from setbacks. Successful people understand that life isn’t fair and that they’re not entitled to anything. They also understand that wallowing and making excuses for themselves only zaps their personal power.
When you blame external circumstances, you’re effectively giving your personal power away. The key in life is not what happens to you, but how you react to what happens to you.
4. Understand that ‘failure’ is feedback.
Failure is about perspective; there is no such thing unless you deem it that. Successful people understand that failure is an illusion created inside their minds, and they perform mental alchemy to construct an empowering reality instead. When successful people chase after a goal, two things can happen: They achieve their desired result or they get feedback.
Falling short of your goal isn’t a failure, it’s a lesson you can use for next time.
5. Operate with an investor’s mentality.
Just as the stock market will experience fluctuations, your personal journey will experience its peaks and valleys. Investors who stay long term with their investments despite this are often rewarded for their patience. This same logic applies to your personal development. Successful people understand that emotions and outcomes rise and fall along the way.
The key is to stay the course and view the journey as a marathon, not a sprint. Operate with an investor’s mentality and delay gratification today for something great tomorrow.
6. Fixate on the vision, but be flexible on the details.
Think of your goals as the destination and the various actions, habits and strategies as your vehicles. Numerous potential vehicles can help you arrive at your desired destination; the key lies in finding the right ones uniquely suited to you. Successful people are stubborn with what they want, but they understand that arriving at the end destination will involve detours and unexpected side roads to explore. What gets you to point A won’t necessarily get you to point B.
As you keep growing and progressing, you need to continually evolve and be open to new ideas. If you don’t or aren’t, then you could miss opportunities and further extend your timeline.
How will you implement these mindset principles in your life?
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
