Effort is only part of the equation when it comes to achieving success. The other half of it is mindset or how one thinks and reacts given a particular situation, oftentimes a challenging one. Many successful entrepreneurs, athletes, and academics attribute their achievements partly, if not predominantly, to a steadfast mindset. Here's four tips on how you can cultivate this winning quality:
Work on Making it a Practice Rather Than a Routine
Routines are useful in establishing structure and order in your daily life. However, it tends to be too rigid to the point where even the slightest change results in one's inability to follow through with said routine. Rather than see it as a routine that you must follow everyday, consider it a practice. For instance, rather than go to the gym for half an hour every day, simply try to exercise the best way you can.
Embrace Failure as Much as You Do Success
Although it sounds counterproductive to what you are trying to do, embracing your day-to-day failures can help you achieve success in the long term. For instance, instead of dwelling on an awkward social interaction you had this morning, dissect the memory and look for ways to improve your conversation style and body language for future interactions.
Strengthen Your Body
Your physical state can affect your mental state and vice versa. A weak body can lead to disease, which can lead to inability to focus, stress and frustration, etcetera. Strengthen your body through physical exercise and a healthy diet. Get adequate rest to give your body a chance to heal itself. There are countless studies proving the link between lack of sleep and degraded memory recall and heightened stress levels.
Be Consistent
Similar to how consistency builds unbreakable habits, it also cultivates a strong mindset over time. The magnitude of goals and comprehensiveness of plans you set for yourself won't matter if you are unable to follow through. To give yourself the best chance of staying on track, start with small, easily achievable goals and habits.
Bear in mind that a successful mindset won't happen overnight. It takes years of hard work and deliberate practice to ultimately master this way of thinking. Use the aforementioned tips to help you along the way.
