10 Self-Defeating Mindsets That Hinder Your Growth and How to Overcome Them
Previously, we shared the five best mindsets to foster growth-we always start with the positive! In this article, we outline the self-defeating mindsets that can block your development and deter growth. In the spirit of '
When you know better, you do better.' Bolster your growth journey by paying attention to when these mindsets creep in and actively adopt the attitudes and behaviors that counter and overcome them.
The particular self-defeating mindsets we will review are:
Siloed
Absolute
Labeling
Overgeneralizing
Pessimistic
Magnification/Minimization
Personalization
Emotional Reasoning
Mind Reading
Catastrophizing
Let’s start the review of closed mindsets and what you can do to shift these closed thoughts towards growth.
Siloed
A siloed mindset is unwilling to consider the bigger picture or expand your thinking. Sometimes referred to as tunnel vision and akin to a fixed mindset, a siloed perspective can become so ingrained in routine that you lose sight of the overall objective. In addition, siloed thinking will limit the diversity of thought and life experiences. Lastly, a silo mindset guts your ability to compromise and collaborate. A siloed mindset should not be confused with a focused approach. You can focus on your work and goals while remaining open to outside help and feedback. A person with a siloed mindset is typically painfully task-oriented and less likely to work across organizational channels to achieve common goals. Furthermore, siloed thinkers require assistance in managing others. They generally need help with delegating and developing talent. They typically overestimate themselves in processes and the work they produce, leaving little room for input.
Break Out of Your Silo
Are you stuck in a siloed thinking rut? Do you often feel overwhelmed by the need to do everything because your way is the best? Do you feel like you constantly think or do things without making any headway? So, how do you break free from a siloed mindset and the habits it manifests? It's time to rethink. Pause, breathe, and take a step back and think about what you can do differently. It is time to activate both your growth and strategic mindset. Not your norm? Good, we are off to a good start. Here are five things you can do to promote a growth mindset and further your strategic thinking:
Actively seek new opportunities both personally and professionally.
Ask for feedback.
Offer your help to others outside your current role within your organization.
Collaborate with individuals outside your usual professional and social circle.
Host a brainstorming session that invites individuals with diverse experiences and perspectives to share.
Practice observing and reflecting before formulating a plan.
Learn a new skill to enhance your life or career.
Push yourself to showcase your capabilities outside of your current role.
Consider alternate ideas
Read and listen to the latest podcast to stay updated on trends and innovations.
Envision and embrace the possibilities to enlighten yourself with different perspectives and ideas.
2. Absolute thinking
Absolute thinking is the inability to see the space between or the belief that you either have it or don't. With absolute thinking, you assert that "it is what it is" and never consider the possibilities of life. Furthermore, individuals with this all-or-nothing mindset often take what they don't need, missing out on valuable growth opportunities.
3. Labeling
Using sweeping, negative statements to describe yourself or others. One quick way to circumvent labeling (outside of adopting a growth mindset and embracing diversity) is to remove hyperbole such as "never," "absolutely not," and "always" from your vocabulary.
4. Overgeneralizing
Interpreting a single adverse event as the norm or enduring pattern.
Embrace Growth:
For these three fixed mindsets, you want to fall back on your growth mindset, which serves as the foundation for all the mindsets that promote self-development. Because the trick is to navigate, not to stall life's journey with silos, adverse patterns, and enveloping yourself and others in stereotypes, we do so by understanding that our traits, character, and personality are free-flowing; we ebb a flow. Now, we move on to self-defeating mindsets and, more importantly, the cure for each of them.
5. Pessimistic
We are all familiar with the "glass-half-empty" mindset, which focuses on the negative aspects of a situation. A pessimistic mindset invades your life with negativity. When you experience life's challenges, pessimism keeps you in a constant state of tribulation. On the other hand, a pessimistic mindset blocks your ability to appreciate your fortune. How to change? When pessimism creeps in, invoke your positive attitude. Think of your learnings, opportunities, and next steps. Then, embrace your gratitude practice and appreciate all the good things.
6. Magnification/Minimization
This mindset, stemming from low self-esteem, is characterized by a tendency to elevate others while downplaying one's accomplishments. Its effect can manifest in both your personal and professional life, leading to an unwillingness to pursue what you want. Through magnification or minimization, one may believe that others’ accomplishments are somehow beyond their reach.
Magnifying someone else’s positives while minimizing your own is a negative mindset.
Perspective is Key
There are three ways to leave the magnification/minimization seesaw and swing to new heights:
Bolster your self-confidence by tuning out what others have and actively elevating yourself by using self-confidence-building techniques.
Adopt an abundance mindset. Remember that everyone can shine.
Change magnification to inspiration. Learn from others' success and plot your success journey with the key lessons in mind.
7. Personalization
Blaming yourself unnecessarily for external adverse events and putting unreasonable expectations on yourself. Remember, you can only control yourself and how you react to the world around you. Don't absorb the blame because you can't change others and outside forces.
8. Emotional Reasoning
"You can't reason with emotion."
Emotional reasoning is confusing how something makes you feel with the facts. You can't think with your emotions or reason with someone else's emotions. Ur feelings are based on facts as we perceive them, so when we react to situations with our feelings, we cause communication breakdowns and misaligned intentions. Lead with a rational mind t. Remember to acknowledge your feelings without interpreting others' actions and statements based on your feelings.
Our final two self-defeating mindsets to review are Mind Reading and Catastrophizing.
9. Mind Reading
Mindreading Mindsets prompt you to make assumptions about someone else's thoughts or motives. When you start guessing, you often get similar results to those of emotional reasoning; things can fall apart. More directly, mindreading can lead to a breakdown of interpersonal connections and relations. You think you know; you react as if you know; what happens when you are wrong? Don't attempt to mind read; instead, adopt a curious mindset. You will not default to "I know why;" you will default to "I wonder why" and seek out the information through a curious mindset. Ask "why" and "how" to open a dialogue that will delve into understanding instead of guessing.
10. Catastrophizing
A catastrophizing mindset involves focusing on the worst-case scenario and overestimating the severity of negative emotions or outcomes. For example, a person who catastrophizes feels a raindrop and immediately believes torrential rains are coming. The person who catastrophizes overreacts to the point that they create new problems for themselves and their community at large.
Being anxious is okay; with reason, anxiety induces preparedness.
Rationalize
The antidote to personalization, emotional reasoning, mind reading, and catastrophizing is adopting and practicing a rational mindset.
How? Know that you can prepare yourself by focusing on the facts from trusted resources before dismantling, hoarding, and disrupting your life resources. Sure, things can go wrong, but how likely is the worst-case scenario to happen? So when you catch yourself catastrophizing, be sure to stop, breathe, and complete a quick exercise in rationalizing:
How likely is this fear to manifest?
What are other likely outcomes?
When has what I envision ever come to pass?
What were the outcomes?
What were some lessons?
How can I best prepare?
When you notice that one of these self-defeating, closed, or fixed mindsets has taken hold of your thinking, shift your perspective, use the mindset shifts, and practice the details above to expand your thinking and cultivate continued growth.
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