Mindset in Motion: How Our Thoughts Shape our Actions

A mindfulness blog for noticing inner patterns, choosing intentional responses, and building aligned actions this fall.

I can hike more miles than I thought in one day! Last spring my friend asked if I’d like to accompany her on a 2-day hiking trip in the Shenandoah National Park sometime over the summer. I had a twofold reaction—doubt that I could hike for two days, and excitement about a potential new challenge and adventure.  Previously, I hadn’t ever hiked that far and never two days in a row. When I paused to explore these emotions, I realized that I had some automatic thoughts about myself and assumptions about engaging with others. My mindset was fixed on “I’ve never hiked that far before”; “My body can’t take 2 days of hiking” and “I won’t be able to keep up with her”. My mindfulness practice allowed me to observe my thoughts, emotions and patterns. Knowing that I don’t necessarily have to obey everything that enters the mind, I was able to use authentic self-reflection (i.e. conversation with myself) and then an exploratory conversation with my friend. The mindfulness practices of ongoing and frequent slowing down, checking in with my mindset, creating space around what’s possible and then setting reasonable intentions allowed me to successfully have a fun and growth-oriented experience this summer in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of the Shenandoah National Park.

Mindset is that lens through which we interpret ourselves, other people, and circumstances. mindfulness takes a flexible approach about mindset and sees it as a habit, if you will, not a fixed set of beliefs or how we make sense of the world, rather our mindset has the ability to be an ever-changing entity that we can observe, question, and loosen. Carol Dweck— a well-known researcher on mindset, coined the terms fixed and growth mindset.

Fixed mindset is when a person believes that their talents and abilities are fixed traits; we have a certain amount and that’s all one gets. Stress, worry and anxiety narrow our mindset and can keep us in a fixed mindset when; perhaps that isn’t what’s serving us best. If I gave into the story I initially told myself about my hiking abilities, I would have missed a great hiking trip this summer. Mindfulness practices allowed me to shift into a growth mindset by creating space for additional responses; consider options and explore potential possibilities.

Growth mindset is when a person believes that talents and abilities can continue to be developed throughout our lives through hard work, good strategies and good mentoring from others. I explored and created a manageable training program and took input from my friend around ways to prepare.

Mindful awareness practices help us to identify our emotional and physical reactions to events, as well as the meaning we assign to these events. Through mindfulness and meditation, we identify and recognize impulses, urges and automatic reactions. Regular practice gives us opportunity to shift out of fixed and into growth mindset:

1. Pause: Stop before reacting or giving into automatic thoughts and beliefs and assumptions.

2. Notice: Identify the thought(s), emotion(s), and body sensations present.

3. Name: Use neutral language, such as, “I am having the thought that…”; “emotions don’t have to be right or wrong, rather, they’re informing me...”.

4. Question: Ask whether the thought is accurate, useful, and aligned with your values.

5. Choose: Take one intentional action rather than following the strongest impulse.

Try these practices to turn awareness into intentional action that supports your values and intentions:

1. The One-Minute Check In can assist you in identifying your present moment mindset, how it influences your immediate reactions and creates space to discern what will serve you best in the next moments.

2. Try Thought-to-Action journaling. Record one event, the meaning you assigned to it, the action that followed, and one alternative interpretation you could try next time.

3. Take the Smallest Aligned Step when a mindset shift seems too large. Self-Compassion practices can help to identify barriers as well as one action that is both manageable and consistent with the person you want to be.

I am grateful for my mindfulness and meditation practices. I am grateful for friends and community who live life fully and encourage others to do the same. Working with mindset isn’t necessarily always easy; however, the research and my personal experiences show that it is worth the effort. If you are interested in exploring mindset further, consider one of the opportunities I am involved with below and participate in ways that work for you:

• Mindfulness Mentoring tailored to your specific needs. Through Mindfulness and Motion, LLC, I offer individual, group and workplace mentoring sessions that focus on one’s own internal resources and exploration into ways mindfulness can assist with goals and intentions.   

• Mindfulness at Emmanuel:  Free community-based mindfulness practices in a group setting. Next meetings are Oct 4^th and Oct 18^th.

• LEADING FROM WITHIN: Sustaining the Leaders Who Sustain Our Community: The Meditation4Leadership Nonprofit Cohort offers a donor-subsidized experience for senior nonprofit leaders seeking practical decision-making tools, sustainable leadership habits, and a high-trust peer community. It begins soon—October 2^nd. This is a 6-Week Hybrid Program: 1 Full-Day Onsite Retreat + 5 Virtual Sessions

May you find moments of awareness this fall that positively impact your mindset.

Karen