Value Effort over Results (Growth Mindset Hacks Series)

This article is one in a series of Growth Mindset Hacks. Today the first growth mindset hack: Value Effort over Results.

As said in this article having a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset, has numerous benefits for you. And the good news is that you too can develop a growth mindset. Here is the first hack to develop a growth mindset: Value Effort over Results.

We all have learned that you need to set targets for yourself. Otherwise, you would look like a ship without a captain or a car without a driver. And you don’t want that, do you? Of course not, because how would you otherwise know that you are going in the right direction? And how could you otherwise evaluate the effectiveness of your day?
So, setting targets is good, but it can also limit you. It can force you into a fixed mindset which has all kinds of disadvantages for you, as you can read here (??).

So, yes it is good to set targets for yourself upfront and make a plan to accomplish your goals. But immediately after that, you must manage yourself on doing the work. So, for example, if your goal is to lose 10 pounds in the next 30 days and your plan is to workout 10 minutes every day to accomplish that, then this daily exercise should become your primary focus. Don’t stand every day on the scale to check how many pounds you have lost! This will make you crazy and demotivate you from doing the work. Instead only focus on your daily effort of doing your workout in the knowledge that every workout will bring you nearer to your goal. And if you have achieved to work out for 30 days in a row then you may be very proud of yourself! This is a considerable achievement no matter what your scale “says”.

It is all a matter of having the right focus. Do you like to focus on something you can’t control directly, like “the number on the scale”? Or do you focus on something which you can control, like the number of minutes you work out every day? Which of the two, do you think, will be more motivating on a consistent basis so that you keep going?

Conclusion

Setting targets is a good practice before you start your journey. But as soon as it comes to motivating yourself day after day to keep going on your journey, it is better to focus on the effort you have to make. The same applies when it comes to evaluating every day to see if you have done well or not.

Next Growth Mindset Hack:

 Results are only a Measure for your Effectiveness