In this episode, we take a look at why your past doesn't affect your future.
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Part 1: Presenting the Problem
We let our history of outcomes affect our behavior going forward. We worry that because we've never been good at money it means we never will be We stress that bad relationships means we will never find a good one We spend time believing that because we struggle to eat well it means we can't change that Two things that play a role here is Carol Dweck's model of mindset:
- Fixed mindset meaning you believe you are what you are and you need to work with that
- Growth mindset meaning you believe you are capable of becoming more of what you are
The truth is that your past can be one of two things:
- A historical record of who you are and will always be
- A collection of data points outlining lessons learned and outcomes to avoid
Part 2: Diving Deeper
According to an article on Brain Pickings.com about fixed and growth mindsets:
"Out of these two mindsets, which we manifest from a very early age, springs a great deal of our behavior, our relationship with success and failure in both professional and personal contexts, and ultimately our capacity for happiness."
The important part in this quote is that our mindset develops from a very early age. It's based on the results we've gained, and the things that were reinforced over time.
Part 3: The Solution
The solution is straightforward but difficult. It's to shift the way you think about your past. View your past as a collection data points, neither good nor bad, that you can refer back to. But do not make decisions about potential futures based on those data points.
You can do everything right and still not get what you want. You can do every wrong and still find massive success. The requirement for each is the same, to take action and make progress, then use those data points to inform decisions.
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Resources Used:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/