It's easy for me to wish away the winter. It's dark days, cold windy temperatures, and lack of busy-ness or fulfillment. I feel stuck in that season, like nothing is moving forward, growing, or happening. Progress isn't being made in many aspects. It happens every year, and is obviously a common occurrence for many Canadians, as we've given it names like "winter blues" "seasonal affected disorder" and so on. In a dream world, I'd go away for a month every winter. Reflect on my past year in a warm location, where I can relax and not worry about the stagnant nature of home at that time. I could re-charge and get inspired and have great ideas, to take with me upon my return.
In reality, I think it's the stillness of the winter season that teaches us that it's okay to not always be progressing, growing, going somewhere. Just like nature, everything becomes still and waits for the next season to bring with it new light and new growth. It makes us appreciate the seasons that much more when they come and go so quickly.
Spring is my ultimate dive into moving forward! It feels like I've woken up from hibernation, and am ready to get on with it. I look for new possibilities, new connections, new collaborations, new ideas, and new things to plant in my surroundings.
I have recently been listening to "Mindset" by Carol S. Dweck on audible as I sew baskets in the studio, and it has been the perfect listen for me for this season. I would say that in general I am a fairly positive person. I've always had a glass half-full view of the world, for which I am grateful for. But, the realities of life, and life as an entrepreneur can sometimes lead you down a bit of a negative loop in terms of mindset.
"I don't have what it takes. My product isn't good enough. I'm not keeping up with the newest trends. My audience isn't growing. I don't make enough money. No one will hire me. Should I quit? "...and these thoughts can go on and on and on. Fellow entrepreneurs I know you hear me.
Listening to this book "Mindset") has prompted me to dig down and pull up that sunny disposition I know and love. I LOVE what I do, how I connect with people, how I create daily, and ultimately that I get to do something that I am passionate about. I am passionate about bringing beautifully created things into this world, with good intentions, in hopes that my customers feel like they are adding something beautiful and useful to their lives and their surroundings. And all while supporting other female entrepreneurs in our beautiful country.
Carol's book, Mindset, has many useful chapters for personal and professional reflection, but one thing that stuck with me is that anyone who has ever been exceptional at something in their life has a.) had a serious passion for it, and b.) backed up that passion with an intense work ethic that not everyone is willing to have. It comes back to the point of anything worth having is worth working for. A growth mindset believes that anyone can become more intelligent, and gain knowledge and skills in anything they desire - they just need to put in the effort.
It's easy sometimes to sit back and compare yourself to others on the internet, but we don't get to see what kind of work is happening behind these little images or videos. What looks easy may have an incredible amount of effort behind it. So, this is my reminder to myself that with my positive growth mindset, I can, and will and do, have a wonderful business and products to share with the world. And I'm going to show up in more ways to promote them, to reach more people, and to ultimately create the life I want to live.
The book also has some great chapters on parenting and teaching our children too. Instead of always praising them on their outcomes (tests, sports wins, etc. etc.) what we need to be doing is praising the effort and improvement we see, and asking questions about their interests and efforts. This was a great reminder for me, as it's all too easy to try and uplift our little people by telling them how great something they have done is, even though it might not be that great at all. (Hello, ten million pieces of scribbly marker drawings that come home from school every single day). Effort is where we need to send our focus.
With effort in mind, I've signed up to partake in a mastermind this spring! It's a group of women like myself who have product based businesses and are looking for a circle of like-minded individuals to chat with, bounce ideas off of, and bring our minds together to create a supportive circle that we can grow within. Our meetings started this week and I'm so excited to see what bubbles up over the next few months!
Cheers to your growth mindset!