What is mindset?
Mindset is how you view the world, how you approach opportunities and risks and what you tell yourself about your abilities and your worth.
Growth mindset
To flourish in the business world, it’s important to have a growth mindset. Entrepreneurial creatives tend to be naturally inclined to a growth mindset. They’re great at problem-solving, spotting solutions others wouldn’t think of.
• Think of problems as a positive and see them as a challenge and opportunity for growth. If something doesn’t work out, ask yourself what went right as well as what went wrong. Ask, “How will this affect my career in a positive way?” Remember, very few things go right the first time
• Own your mistakes as opposed to covering your tracks or blaming someone else. This inspires your team to do the same, so you can develop a culture where people aren’t afraid to take risks. Mistakes are a positive. They show that you have tried and they can offer rich learnings
• Be inspired by others rather than envious. Instead of coveting someone else’s life or career, be heartened and encouraged by what is possible – and let their accomplishments galvanise you to succeed
Why a growth mindset is crucial
• It makes you more likely to seek opportunities where others aren’t looking
• It enables you to come up with solutions even in times of uncertainty
Creatives often come into their own in times of challenge. Limitations can bring out your greatest talents. If you can cultivate a growth mindset in the midst of a crisis and see openings other people miss, you have a much greater chance of success than those with a fixed mindset.
Visualisation
What is visualisation?
• Tapping into your imagination
• Thinking of something you want to achieve
• Imagining the desired outcome
• Imaging in the greatest detail possible what things
look, feel, sound, and even smell like
Why visualisation is key
Research shows you have a greater chance of meeting your end goal if you imagine it has already happened. This way, when your big dream becomes a big reality, you’re ready for it.
Visualisation “tricks your brain”
If you tell yourself you’ve done something, you start to believe you have. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined experiences. For example, if you vividly imagine climbing Mount Everest, your body buys into it and new neural pathways light up in your brain, corresponding to that “experience”.
Vulnerability
How vulnerability leads to success
Vulnerability is crucial to success. We are not infallible and we can’t do everything ourselves. Sometimes we need to make ourselves vulnerable and ask others for help or insights. Sometimes we need to dig deep and question ourselves.
This takes courage, which is why the act of making ourselves vulnerable is a sign of strength.
Vulnerability allows you to have perspective
It’s important to know when to stop and reflect on what’s working and what’s not. Acknowledging a need for a change of direction can be crucial to your success.
You need to make yourself vulnerable to:
• Question whether you want to keep doing what you’re doing
• Ask yourself if you need to pivot
• Look for new opportunities
Vulnerability in your team
When you’re feeling pressure and struggling to manage things alone, that’s the moment to reach out to your team members for help. In admitting vulnerability to your team, you will inspire them to do the same, which will promote a growth culture and mindset in turn.
Freedom to be vulnerable will give your team the confidence to:
• Share their ideas
• Give feedback
• Be honest about what’s really going on
Vulnerability in networking
When you feel insecure, you may try to “big yourself up” and portray confidence. But this won’t bring you the desired results. Admitting the limits of your knowledge and asking the right questions is an opportunity to forge new connections.
Being vulnerable:
• Connects you with others and helps to spark other opportunities
• Enables you to reach out and ask for what you need with authenticity
• Can be disarming and attractive, creating an instant rapport
A key reminder…
• Don’t make yourself vulnerable to everyone all the time
• Use your instinct to choose the right moment and the right people
Developing grit and resilience Grit is the determination and stamina to keep going until you get there. When you really love something, this naturally gives you a lot of grit. But grit alone won’t get you there – you also need resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back – for example from feedback or rejection. If you can’t bounce back from setbacks (resilience) you’ll find it really hard to keep going (grit).
The best way to build grit is to build resilience, because
it is linked to:
• Self-belief
• Confidence
• Vulnerability
• Overcoming imposter syndrome
• Preventing procrastination
1. Adopt a growth mindset
Rejection or negative feedback is nearly always painful in the moment. But it’s important to adopt a growth mindset, as discussed above. Reflect on the experience, find the positives, ask, “What can I learn from this?” Then make the improvements and move forward.
2. Give yourself creative breaks
It’s important to schedule in time for creative breaks. They are serious business – put them in your calendar, or they’ll never happen. They should be fun and playful, and completely different from what you’re used to – for example, a life-drawing class, a fascinating exhibition, or a lesson in a craft or sport you’ve never tried before. Don’t mistake creative breaks for something frivolous.
Science shows they make you less likely to become stressed, burnt out and overwhelmed.
Zone of genius
Working in your zone of genius
You’re in your zone of genius when you’re doing that one thing only you can do. You love it and it comes so naturally. It’s where you should be spending most of your time.
If you find yourself spending many hours outside your zone of genius – i.e. continuously struggling to do something you’re not naturally good at – it’s important to recognise the cost that has to your overall mindset.
