How to change your Mindset

I know of a way to change your mindset but it is hard and difficult. I have done it myself. I was young and I had a tiger’s drive. I did something that may be thought of as completely impossible – I changed my nature.

This is not something that I can do now at age 60. To do the impossible you need to be very young or very foolish or both. Not for me. And that is one of the main reasons I am not venturing into business.

The science of psychology tells us that all of us are the product of our genes and the upbringing we received in the first seven years of our lives. From a Google search:

Psychology posits that who we are is shaped by a complex interplay of innate predispositions, learned behaviors, and environmental influences.

Another Google search gave me the following few sentences:

Yes, psychology suggests that people can indeed change aspects of themselves, though complete personality transplants are unlikely. While core personality traits tend to be relatively stable, research indicates that individuals can modify behaviors, thought patterns, and emotional responses through conscious effort and intentional strategies.

Having the right mindset is necessary for being a successful businessman or doing anything challenging and difficult.

So how do you change aspects of yourself that are required for a mindset change:

The basic process is something I have written about before. It is something you can do to not just be a successful businessman but also a successful scientist or professional or anything else. The process is as under:

1. Free yourself of the impulses that are holding you back through Buddhist mindfulness methods. Practice awareness of those impulses. Observe without reacting. They will pass away in due course and you can choose a response that is positive and constructive.
2. Expose yourself to the right role models. I have trained as a Chartered Accountant that has a three year apprenticeship or internship period. Spending time in the company of mature and successful people changed me from the inside.
   Basically you learn (through the role models) new ways of responding to challenges and to life. This is in addition to the technical skills that you learn through example.

I also did a lot of reading and came across many constructive role models through these books. In fact I have written a blog on how you can learn to think like Sherlock Holmes. Link is below:

Learn to Think like Sherlock Holmes

So if you want the mindset of a successful businessman, practice Buddhist mindfulness and expose yourself through reading to the examples of how successful businessmen behave. You will change naturally as a person. No need for willpower and grasping.

There are many biographies of successful businessmen that you can buy and read.

The same is true of learning to be a successful scientist or politician or professional or whatever else you have set your mind upon.

This is simple but not easy. Not something I would attempt when I am 60 years old. It is reading heavy and Buddhist mindfulness requires moment to moment awareness which is also not easy. But it works.

You need to be young and foolish to even make the attempt as I said earlier.

Good luck and enjoy the journey.

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