Hey there,
Let’s cut through the BS. Right now, you’re probably feeling stuck. Like you’re watching everyone else sprint ahead while you’re trudging through mud. I get it. But here’s the thing – that feeling isn’t reality. It’s just the story you’re telling yourself.
The Tale of Two Mindsets
There are two ways to view your abilities: fixed or growing. The fixed mindset is like a prison cell you voluntarily walk into. “This is just who I am.” “I’m not good at [insert thing here].” “Some people are born with it, and I’m not one of them.”
The growth mindset? It’s the key that unlocks that cell. It’s understanding that your brain is like a muscle – it gets stronger when you push it. Your abilities aren’t set in stone; they’re more like clay waiting – no, wanting – to be shaped.
The Ripple Effect
Let me break down how these mindsets shape literally everything in your life:
Financial Impact
Fixed mindset people often plateau early in their careers. They avoid challenges that could lead to growth because they’re terrified of failure. They stay in their “safe” zone, watching inflation eat away at their stagnant salary.
Growth mindset folks? They’re the ones taking calculated risks, learning new skills when their industry shifts, and generally making bank because they see every setback as a setup for a comeback.
Emotional Landscape
The fixed mindset is an emotional rollercoaster – and not the fun kind. Every failure feels like a personal attack. Every criticism is a judgment of your worth. It’s exhausting.
With a growth mindset, failures become learning lessons. Criticism becomes feedback. You develop emotional resilience because you understand that struggling with something doesn’t define you – it refines you.
Physical Reality
Here’s where it gets personal. Six years ago, I couldn’t run a mile without wheezing like a broken accordion. Today? I crush ultramarathons. Not because I’m special, but because I refused to accept “I’m not a runner” as my reality. and it wasn’t without effort. I’ve run over 10,000 miles and climbed over 500,000 feet. That’s over 1,700 HOURS of running, more then 71 DAYS. I wasn’t a runner, but I turned into one through effort.
The fixed mindset says, “I’m not athletic.” The growth mindset says, “I’m not athletic… yet.”
Spiritual Growth
Fixed mindset thinking creates a brittle spiritual life, where questions feel threatening and doubt feels fatal. But embracing growth allows for a deeper, more authentic spiritual journey. It’s understanding that wrestling with big questions is part of the process, not a sign of failure.
The Transformation Process
Ever hear of Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Here’s a guy who started as a skinny kid in post-war Austria, speaking German with a heavy rural accent. Most people would look at him and see limitations: wrong country, wrong language, wrong background.
But Arnold? He saw potential. He didn’t just become the greatest bodybuilder in history – that would’ve been impressive enough. He then decided to become a Hollywood star, at a time when his accent was so thick people could barely understand him. Everyone said it was impossible. Action stars didn’t have accents. They didn’t have names people couldn’t pronounce.
So what did he do? He took accent reduction classes, worked with acting coaches, and started with smaller roles. He turned what everyone saw as a weakness – his accent – into his trademark. “I’ll be back” became iconic not despite his accent, but because of it.
Then, just when everyone thought they had him figured out, he decided to enter politics and became freaking Governor of California. Each transformation required him to develop entirely new skillsets, face new criticisms, and push through new barriers.
The key wasn’t that Arnold was special – it’s that he never accepted self imposed limitations. (and yes, all limitations are self imposed)
Every time someone said “that’s impossible,” he heard “that’s never been done before.” Each transformation built on the lessons of the previous one: discipline from bodybuilding, performance skills from acting, public speaking from his movie promotion tours.
This is what real transformation looks like. It’s not about waiting for motivation or inspiration. It’s about deciding who you want to become and then systematically building the skills to get there, one small victory at a time, over the course of time.
Why Change Happens (Or Doesn’t)
Change happens when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the fear of change. But here’s the secret sauce – it’s not about motivation. Motivation is fickle. It’s about systems and identity, who do you want to be?.
When you start viewing yourself as someone who can grow, who can learn, who can adapt – that’s when the magic happens. It’s not about “trying harder” – it’s about trying differently.
The Path Forward
- Start noticing your fixed mindset triggers. When do you tell yourself “I can’t”?
- Challenge those thoughts. Add “yet” to the end of them.
- Focus on the process, not the outcome. Celebrate the attempt, not just the achievement.
- Document your progress. Keep a “proof of growth” journal.
Remember this: Your current abilities are a snapshot, not your destiny. The only person you need to be better than is who you were a second ago.
Now, get out there and prove yourself wrong about what you can’t do.
Keep pushing,
Jodi
P.S. The next time your brain tells you “I can’t do this,” remember – that’s just your fixed mindset talking smack. Tell it to shut the fuck up and get to work.
Joe DiAndrea 