Are You in a Winner’s Mindset?

Today, I'd like to encourage you to get into a winner's mindset.This is related to my last prompt about the importance of commitment.

Just like your level of commitment, your expectations make such a big difference in how you approach something. For instance, a while ago I talked to a client who was about to face a really big event in her life.

I called this event the metaphorical “dragon” she had to face on her hero’s journey. 🐉

And, because the “dragon” was so big, she was understandably rather afraid of facing him.

I explained that there are only two major differences between fear and excitement: When you’re excited (and not afraid), you continue to breathe and you expect something positive out of the experience.

We discovered that she was afraid of the dragon because she wasn’t sure she could beat him. Once she expected to walk away from the experience victoriously, her fear shifted to excitement.

In addition to changing fear into excitement, positive expectations can also help you be more successful.

After all, it’s generally easier to succeed at something you think is at least possible.

However, the Catch 22 is that you often won’t feel something is possible until you have accomplished it.

To get out of this negative cycle and change to a winner's mindset it can be helpful to hear about others who’ve already done what you're seeking to accomplish. For instance, you can expand your horizon by reading about biographies of inspiring people.

With all that being said, let’s move on to…

Grab a pen and paper. 📝Then, take a moment to go through the following process.

(If you want to get the most out of this or if you're afraid of getting stuck, get the "Taking Action Worksheets" and begin by filling those out.)

• Rank your current level of expectation
  On a scale of 1 (“That’ll never happen. Ever!”) to 10 (“Of course this will happen for me.”) , how certain are you that you can find a way to live your passion and purpose? For instance: “Well, logically I know that it should be possible for me, too. I just don’t fully believe it yet. So perhaps a 5?”
  
  
• Reflect on the result
  Would you like to change your level of expectation? For instance: “I think I would like to increase this to at least a 7. I think I would feel better if that were the case.”
  
  
• Brainstorm ways to change your level of expectations (if applicable)
  If you decided that you’d like to change your level of expectation, what are things you could do to accomplish that? For instance: “I think I could talk to some people who made the switch to a purposeful career. I could also read books by people who are living their purpose. Perhaps I could even start working with a coach?”
  
  
• Pick one of these ways and take action
  Make sure that your action step is specific. For instance: “So, I will talk to people who made the switch to a purposeful career. I will begin to reach out to my friend Clara and see if she’s open to meeting for coffee this week.”
  

Expect to succeed. If you have positive expectations in this area of you life, you will experience less fear and a much better chance of getting where you want to go.