HOW TO OVERCOME THE 3 THOUGHTS THAT KILL A LEARNING MINDSET

If you are like me, negative thoughts pop up all the time in our minds. And these thoughts discourage us from getting what we really want… a successful, happy life.   These thoughts are fueled by the beliefs we have about our own abilities and potential. And these beliefs are part of our mindset. But we were designed to grow and to evolve. 

If you want to become a better learner— someone with strong and positive beliefs about self — it's entirely possible. Start replacing the negative thoughts with empowering ones little by little over an extended period of time. I'm not even close to where I want to be, but I have spent time studying what others have done to successfully learn skills at mastery level. There's more, but today I want to share 3 thoughts that prevent us from learning and how to overcome them. 

1. From "I can't do it" to "I can't do it, yet."

When thinking you can't do something, your belief is that you are not born with a particular skill or ability. Challenge this notion now. We develop skills because we put effort into learning them. It has nothing to do with genetics. Adding the word "yet" changes the sentence to a possibility and empowers you to continue learning the skill.

2. From "I should know this" to "I want to know this." 

Thinking you "should" know something means that you believe that you must already have all the knowledge, leaving you feeling that you are not enough. Thinking you should know something does not allow you to accept reality… you don't know it… yet. Focus your attention on what you want to learn by replacing the word "should" with "could" or "want to." 

3. From "I am not good at this" to "I am continually growing and evolving."

As we grow, we develop an identity, what makes us, well, us. When you believe you are not good at something, and challenge that belief, it feels that you are questioning your identity. Who you are now is different from who you were 3 months ago or 3 years ago. If you are like most people, you are constantly evolving your own identity.  Think of that time that you developed a skill from not knowing anything to mastering it. And you will realize that this was accomplished with effort and not by just wishing it. Today, it is part of who you are, your identity. Embrace the process of evolution to better yourself every day.

There are no magic tricks for developing a learning mindset. It takes time, effort, and kindness (to yourself). But when you start replacing these negative thoughts with empowering ones, there is no telling what you will learn next.  

There is no better time to start shifting to a learning mindset. Whether your goal is to improve your spoken English, or to learn yoga, replace your negative thoughts with empowering ones — your future self will be glad you did.