The Mindset Series: Intro

Friend, Happy New Year 2024! I hope you had a joyful Christmas and holiday with loved ones as you exchanged meaningful gifts.

I had a lovely Christmas celebration with my family! In recent years, Christmas celebrations have been very entertaining because my niece and nephew are teenagers, and the tone of our celebrations is drastically different from what they were five or ten years ago. Unlike when they were little when I would spend Christmas day playing with them, these days, I feel preoccupied with maintaining a relevant status in their eyes, and now, I think I made some inroads!

This year, a few days before Christmas, my sister informed me that my niece said I was the coolest person in my generation. I was thrilled by her statement but could not help mentioning to my sister that my niece is honest because she did not say Aunty is the coolest person ever! Instead, she said Aunty is the coolest person – in her generation. Essentially, she qualified the coolness factor and status she ascribed to me. But I will take it! 😊

Amazingly, I also received an enchanting gift!

Mystery Santa and the Enchanting Gift

Last week, I shared my earnest wish for a white Christmas and noted that as the weather forecast did not predict snow, I might have to settle for a cup of creamy hot cocoa to warm my heart. Friend, with a heavy heart, I must report that snow-covered hills were out of sight in my neck of the woods. However, my disappointment was short-lived because I received an even more charming gift from a mystery Santa, for whom I am deploying the fascinating armoire of Wonder Woman’s intuitive abilities and Sherlock Holmes detective skills to identify so I may receive gracefully and thank abundantly!! 😊
Now, you might be thinking, Aké, what is this captivating gift you speak of so fondly?

The delectable gift was the opportunity to discuss my book Adversity Brings Balance with Emmy award winner Logan Crawford! You may check out the candid interview! 

It was an alluring experience that made my heart skip a beat and got me wondering what goodies lie ahead in 2024!

Clear Intentions Lead to Intentional Steps

As we all experience, on January 1, as the clock ticks to midnight, we start a new year. Each twelve-month cycle represents new prospects, new beginnings, and the opportunity to decide the direction of travel we want to go with our lives.

This year, I am embarking on a path of gratitude: Gratitude is the attitude that will define my mindset as I traverse the pathways of 2024. I choose to set my mind on being grateful for:
– those I love and for those who love me.
– doors that open and that shut.
– what is here and for what is yet to come.

Friend, how about you? What will define your journey this year?
Unstoppable ambition, fierce determination, relentless drive, pure love, bottomless generosity, or something else? Experience teaches us that what we set our minds on is critical, and a prime factor determining our ability to reach our desired destination is our mindset. 

The concept of Mindset

Like dough needs suitable conditions to become a confection, we must dwell in the right frame of mind to become all we can be.

Today, an oft-used word is mindset. Everywhere we turn, it seems someone is talking about this delicate and intricate concept. In academia and business, many institutions and organizations invest time in educating and setting the expectation that a successful student or employee displays a growth mindset, not a fixed mindset. – As Carol Dweck espoused in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
Also, in personal relationships between friends, family members, or romantic partners, one might admonish another for displaying a fixed mindset and preventing the relationship from blossoming. As many would attest, mindset matters, but why?

Kicking off the new year that I reckon holds a lot of promise, it is worth exploring this buzzword to understand why it intrigues so many. We will do just that in our new series called The Mindset Series. – Not to be confused with the Mindset Tour, associated with a specific debonair person. 😊

The Mindset Series!

Mindset precedes action, and the right mindset enables a fresh start.

Naturally, the first thought that might be gnawing on our minds is: what is a mindset? Fortunately, many have studied and articulated perspectives on the meaning of a mindset, and in psychology, many have reached a uniform understanding. As we all know, distilling the meaning of a thing to the bare essence while retaining the crux is critical for understanding. One definition of a mindset that accomplishes this end was articulated in a Psychology Today article. It states: a mindset is a belief that orients the way we handle situations—the way we sort out what is going on and what we should do.
Did you catch the pearl? Mindset precedes and determines action.

Mindset Precedes Action

Undoubtedly, our mindset impacts the decisions we make throughout our lives. For this reason, what we do is heavily determined by how we think, and our feelings are inseparable from our thoughts. Therefore, it is vital to learn what a mindset is and how it affects us.

Over the next few weeks, I will provide a peek into my exploration of this subject matter. In so doing, I will narrate stories that have brought the concept to life and broadened my understanding. Additionally, to better illustrate, I will share some ways I strive to embody a mindset that aids me in realizing my worthwhile dreams. As always, the intention will be to share learnings so that we may all benefit. I hope this Mindset Series is thought-provoking and inspiring to all of us.

Until next time, be safe and stay well.

For you and to you,
Aké

Image credit: Pexels | Montsera Production