Changing my mindset allowed me to succeed. Many people think they need to have a particular skill set or talent to be successful, but that’s not always the case.
Success comes down to your mindset, and if you’re willing to change your perspective and take massive action, then anything is possible.
God wants you to do new things with your life. As He presents His plans to you, He will give you dreams that may overwhelm you. They will force you to trust in Him rather than your own strength. If you are not ready to launch yourself with a leap of faith, you’ll stay on the launchpad, not achieving your moonshot.
To live the life God wants to give you—and the one you are longing for—you need to adopt the right mindset. To quote the experts on health and human performance and authors of Peak Performance, Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness, “Mindset matters! The lens through which we analyze the world influences everything.”
When Peter received his visions from God, he felt overwhelmed, but he was ready to embrace the change. He did not hold on to his usual customs.
You, too, must be willing to let go of your routine and get ready for the new things God has planned for you. It all comes down to adopting a growth mindset.
In the words of the world-renowned Stanford University psychologist, Carol S. Dweck, “People with a fixed mindset — those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset.”
Simon Sinek, the British-American author and inspirational speaker, believes in the importance of adopting a winning mindset, too. He writes, “Leading with an infinite mindset in an infinite game really does move us in a better direction. Groups that adopt an infinite mindset enjoy vastly higher levels of trust, cooperation and innovation and all the subsequent benefits.”
Because of maintaining an open mind, Peter flourished. When the conservatives of the church criticized him for eating with Cornelius, he said, “If God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” Peter’s growth mindset enabled him to see what other people couldn’t and allowed him to help them to understand God’s plan.
Alinka Rutkowska, the CEO of Leaders Press, publisher of best-selling books about business, concludes, “The greatest weapon in any entrepreneurial arsenal is not money—it’s mindset.”
If you think as Christians, we shouldn’t pursue earthly riches and recognition, you are right. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
There is nothing wrong with being humble. After all, Jesus became the ultimate example of humility when He took the form of a servant. What we must carefully distinguish is the difference between humility — which Merriam-Webster defines as “the freedom from pride or arrogance” — and false modesty — merely pretending not to want wealth or recognition. Being humble means seeing yourself rightly — not lowly — and surrendering your rights for the sake of others.
But there is nothing wrong with success, either. The Bible mentions success many times. In the Book of Joshua, it says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
And in the Book of Proverbs we find, “In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”
So, God does want us to be successful. Therefore, we must ask ourselves, “How does God define success?”
After reading the Gospels and the Book of Acts, I get the feeling that God wants His mission here on Earth to take off. He painstakingly prepared the disciples and then sent them the Helper to provide them with optimal conditions to excel. There is no hint of Him playing it safe or avoiding success. Instead, He wanted to ‘restore everything’ and ‘all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.’
In the same way, God wants your life to have the most significant impact possible. As Paul said, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul dedicated his life to winning the prize of truly answering God’s call.
I have competed in many long-distance races in my life, and I can tell that you must seek success to do well. Likewise, in our walk with Christ, we must strive to follow His lead with excellence.
I encourage you to adopt a Godly view of success. What would this type of success look like in your business? How could you achieve it?
If we truly follow Jesus’s formula for success, we forego personal recognition and focus instead on saving people and restoring Creation. As Paul concludes, “To him be glory forever.” If our success gives all the glory to God, it is healthy. If we pursue personal recognition, we mistakenly adopt this world’s values.
Stop for a minute and jot down what you are saying to yourself right now. Are your thoughts kind and encouraging or harsh and demeaning? I invite you to take an honest assessment of your self-talk because doing so can change your trajectory.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.” If you continually tell yourself, “I don’t have what it takes,” you can almost be certain that you will not succeed. If you believe you don’t deserve a great life, you will probably sabotage any attempts you make to improve your situation. You must improve your inner narrative to experience a positive outcome.
But how do you do this? As Benjamin Hardy, psychologist, author, and expert on the application of the Future Self science suggests, “First, you want to change your environment to change your mindset. Begin visualizing and imagining your desired future. Affirm powerfully to yourself that you are going to achieve that future.”
This means you sometimes have to fake it before you feel it.
When God promoted Joshua to lead the Hebrews, the once bold man panicked and told himself that he wasn’t qualified to take on such a big responsibility. God not only encouraged Joshua, but He also told him how to overcome his negative thoughts. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.”
As Joshua meditated on God’s words day in and day out, his thoughts became more positive. He realized that God was with him. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” And, as a consequence, he became confident and bold. He lived a spectacular life, beating 31 kings for the glory of God.
Joshua’s daily meditation practice altered his inner dialog and, eventually, his trajectory. Instead of listening to his doubts and giving in when he was afraid, he conquered his negative thoughts with God’s help.
Having the correct vision for your life is vital to achieving it. As self-help guru and author Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
And this is what the latest science of Future Self concludes. “Research shows that the more connected you are to your own Future Self, the wiser decisions you make here and now,” highlighted Benjamin Hardy.
Hence, here’s the challenge. You must be clear about what God has planned for you to accomplish it.
