Never Allow Yourself to Hyper Focus on Your Goals

Over 30 years ago, Dr. Carol Dweck coined the terms fixed and growth mindset to describe a person's underlying beliefs regarding efforts to be smarter and stronger. Learning more about fixed and growth mindsets will help you replace destructive behaviors that are keeping you from attaining your personal goals to lead a happier and more fulfilled life. An ugly side effect of relying on a fixed mindset is a sense of helplessness or an apathetic attitude toward how effort matters. American polymath Ben Franklin said, "You can choose security or freedom in life, and if you choose security, you will end up with neither."

If you are interested in changing your mindset and the way you think, review the list below for ideas on changes that can lead to effective results:

• Eliminate Self Doubt - True fulfillment comes from waking up each day with an appreciation for your own accomplishments, because the meaningless validation received from external measures is irrational and incomplete.
• Accept the Need to Get Started - It is easy to waste time thinking about how to change the world around you. Don't do it. Instead, focus on changing yourself and meeting your own expectations.
• Believe Change is Possible - You must believe that what stands between you and what you want can be changed. A growth mindset empowers you to transform those things in your life that prevent true happiness.
• Start Small and Finish Big - Wasting mental energy on things you can't do anything about will not keep bad things from happening and will not improve your life.
• Change Your Results Now - Rather than talking about change, make an effort to embrace the fact that change is often uncomfortable. Then, think about the positive effects of the most recent changes in your life.
• It's Not a Race so Self Pace - Your journey toward self improvement is not a race. If you never allow yourself to enjoy the scenery, your goal can become more myth than reality.
• Invest in a Growth Mindset - Rework your self-talk to pursue growth that is both realistic and achievable. A change in your mindset will pay off with an uptick in your success rate.

People often mistakenly think that being hyper-focused on their goals will lead to success. Obsessing over your goals is actually counterproductive. Focusing more on changing bad habits will do more to help you reach your goals. To make the best decisions when taking risks, you have to remain focused on the rewards while being less concerned about the risks. In other words, you are not worried about failing. It is easy to mistakenly think people around you are going to be supportive of your decision to make a major change in your life. Instead, accept the fact that other may be less than enthusiastic about your changes, then cherish the fact that you are the only one who has to care.