Setting up a Mindset For Success

By: Innovative Results Coach, Dane Fernandez

Do you remember getting ready for your first day of work at a new job, or your first day at a new school or new gym?

Can you recall the feeling you felt the night before the big day?

How did you feel?

Did you feel excited, motivated, and ready?

What kind of mindset did you possess at the time?

Was it a mindset that was willing to accomplish and achieve goals?

Were you able to feel the passion to succeed?

If you answered “yes” to any of the preceding questions you may have felt motivation and maybe even possessed motivation for a period of time.

Motivation is a powerful force which is distinctive to each and every individual. Motivation is also experienced and expressed differently from individual to individual, that’s the beauty of it.

If you ever felt motivation can you recall how long it lasted?

How did your mindset affect your motivational will to succeed?

Were you able to keep your mindset strong day in and day out?

Or, was your mindset lacking positive reinforcement?

It turns out that maintenance of your Mindset is the key component towards achieving your goals.

By keeping a consistent positive Mindset, you’ll be sure to achieve and keep achieving your present and future goals.

This article will be able to help you if you are someone who is searching for ideas to help maintain a positive mindset in order to keep you motivated in the gym, or someone who is always looking for ways of improving your daily habits.

Mindset can be broken down into three components. These three components are split up into Attitude, Motivation, and Support. I will talk about these three components of Mindset individually, and then talk about how they are interconnected with each other before finally relating them all back to Mindset. In order for one to accomplish a long term goal, they will need to execute a well thought out plan. By focusing on building a strong Mindset, you will be able to strategically plan out your goals. The first component that addresses one’s Mindset is Attitude.

Attitude is everything and starts within yourself. Finding the right attitude is easy, keeping the right attitude is where the work gets hard. If your attitude is lacking then chances are other aspects of your life are lacking as well. Your attitude sets up your behavior in any given task. When you are able to  apply a positive attitude towards everything you do, success will be inevitable. Attitude has the ability to set up other attributes or components to a positive Mindset.

In order to establish a great attitude self reflection is necessary. At the beginning and ending of each day, it’s important to take 2-5 minutes in order  to do some self-reflection. This time can be used constructively to plan out your upcoming day’s tasks and goals. This time can also be used to reflect and look back on your completed day’s work in order to gauge your successes and failures. By doing five minutes of self reflection you are able to establish a means of personal accountability.

After you complete your reflection you will have a better idea of what works for you and what doesn’t. You will be better situated to put your action into motion for the following days, weeks, and months to come. This type of self reflection will help you to create and establish a positive feedback loop to success. Once this positive feedback loop is created you will need help keeping it functioning. This is where the next component to Mindset comes into play; Motivation.

Motivation is more than a cool video or meme. It’s a feeling, it’s a desire, it’s a want. When dealing with motivation it’s important to look at the different types of motivation and how they set up consistent behavior which creates positive habits.

In general there are two types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation deals with behavior driven by internal rewards. Extrinsic motivation tends to deal with performing a behavior or engaging in an activity that will earn a reward or to avoid punishment.

Usually, extrinsic motivation will be hard to sustain due to the reward system. With extrinsic motivation you are looking for a means to an end. Somewhere down the line you’ll get burnt out and tired of this motivational feed. In order to be successful you must find a good intrinsic motivator. By establishing an internal reward system you are able to build up your confidence and ability to complete tasks. By conducting a slow and steady approach, your motivation will be better situated to last in the long run.

This all goes back to the kind of attitude you are able to construct. Without the right attitude you’ll have a hard time finding the right kind of motivation to seek out. With your attitude set and your motivation found, you are ready to get started at achieving your goals. After the initial burst of energy burns off, you will need to dig deep in order to keep things rolling. For this you will need to establish and develop a great support system. This leads us to the last component of Mindset; Support.

Support or Support System(s) is the last peace to the Mindset puzzle. Support is a necessary component for a foundation to hold strong. It’s difficult to build a strong Mindset if the Support System is lacking to hold everything together. A Support System can be held together by looking a one’s environment, friends, and family. By having a great environment with positive contributing friends and family, you are surrounding yourself for success. You will need someone to lean on when the going gets tough. Surrounding yourself with the right friends and family can make all the difference in the world. Your friends and family are some of the most influential people in your life and they can be a great positive Support System. You have to be able to turn to your family and friends when you feel or experience self doubt. It is their support that will make all the difference in your succession of your goals. If you are able to surround yourself with positive people that keep you motivated and are able to keep you on track, you will have set up another means of accountability for your actions.  

A Support System is not complete until you have found a coach that is willing to help you along the way. Look for a fitness coach that will discuss goals and ideas with you. By finding a fitness coach, you will be able to connect to your goals on a deeper level making it more meaningful and concrete. Your coach can help you fine tune your fitness goals and make them more realistic for your desired time-frame. With the right tools and intentions, you can administer the ultimate plan for success.

Only when you are able to implement all three of these components of Mindset into your daily life, you’ll be able to start making positive progress towards your lifestyle goals. Once you are able to believe in your plan of action, your Attitude, Motivation, and Support will be the pillars upholding your Mindset.

Now it’s time to go out and set up your Mindset for success.