The Founder’s Mindset by Talentedly

Last week I attended The Founder’s Mindset: Why a Strong Mind Equals a Successful Business hosted by Talentedly at Wix Lounge. Usually, the idea of going into New York City on a weekday — after work — seems pretty daunting to me. But, after thinking about the event for a couple of days, I found myself intrigued and excited to hear what Lydia, the founder of Talentedly, had to say.

If you are unfamiliar with Talentedly, they are an online service designed to help people in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and beyond make professional progress. They combine online tools and one-on-one professional training to fit your budget. Their goal is to make work feel amazing. I don’t know about you, but that’s a goal I support!

The event was everything I had hoped it would be…and more. From the minute I arrived at Wix Lounge I instantly felt inspired by all of the people in the room. Lydia began by delivering a series of slides detailing the foundation of the “growth mindset” and how mind, body and soul play into it. It was a concept that was new to me, but that I needed to adopt in my own life. The growth mindset is the brainchild of psychologist Carol Dweck and asserts that people can develop their abilities through hard work and dedication. Unlike the fixed mindset, in which people believe that their talent alone equates to success, irrespective of personal drive and determination, the growth mindset creates a love of learning and a desire to be successful, despite setbacks.

I found this idea of retraining your mindset to be fascinating. Lydia went on to ask a series of questions and had us keep track of how many times we answered “Yes.”

The questions included:

Did I avoid a challenge today?

Did I give up easily?

Did I believe or say that an effort was useless or wasteful?

I found my own answers to these questions revealing. I had never given much thought to questions like these before — questions that made me think about my day in a reflective manner and reevaluate some of my feelings. I admit that I don’t always have the most positive mindset. I tend to be anxious about things that may never happen, dwell on mistakes from the past and be blind to my present needs. These are things that I need to work on to have a successful professional career, and Lydia’s questions, combined with her upbeat, positive personality made me take what she was saying to heart.

Some of the takeaways from the evening included:

If you declare openly that you are working towards a goal, you are 75% more likely to achieve it: Tell a friend or a colleague if you have a goal that you would like to accomplish. Once you say it out loud, and to another person, it forces you to be accountable for that objective.

Invest in yourself: I think often people get so absorbed in their everyday lives that they forget to do things for themselves. Whether it’s going to the gym, learning to meditate, or taking an online class, you are worth the time and you should never be too busy for yourself!

Before the event ended, Lydia talked about the Growth Mindset Challenge, which involves a commitment to answering eight questions for 67 days (the amount of time it takes to foster a habit).

A sample of the questions posed were:

Did I sleep well and wake refreshed this morning?

Did I avoid something/someone because I couldn’t guarantee my success?

Did I ignore someone’s comments or perspective?

The benefit of this exercise is that it builds mental strength, allows you to keep track of your mind, body and soul and can help you implement changes so you can be more productive and successful.

I strongly urge anyone who is in the early stages of their career or looking to change careers to visit Talentedly’s site. I got so much out of this event, and I can’t wait for the next one!

*Photo courtesy of Talentedly