mindset

How You Can Write with the Right Mindset to Fuel Sustainable Growth

June 23, 2022 by Eva Keiffenheim

And create a solid base for your online writing journey

Credits: Salzburg Global Seminar/Katrin Kerschbaumer

When I started writing in March 2020, I felt like quitting all the time.

I had no idea how to write stuff people want to read. I didn’t know how to write articles on a consistent basis, and I tried and tested a lot before I got into a solid writing habit. It was a real roller-coaster ride.

The reason why I still pushed through when nothing seemed to work was my mindset. In the following lines, I’ll share every thought that can help you stick through on your creative journey.

Since March 2020, more than 2M people have read my work and I’ve supported more than 40 people in my learner-centric, cohort-based writing courses, the Writing Online Accelerator.

This is how my mindset created a solid base for my writing journey. And how to make it work for you as well.

Why do you write?

To build a consistent writing habit you want to know your why. What’s the reason for your becoming a writer?

Do you write to make more money? To learn something new every day? To have a hobby you enjoy? For growing an audience and building an online business? Is it making an impact on people’s lives by sharing what you know?

While there are no wrong answers, knowing your why can be your fuel.

When I started, I had several whys. I wanted to learn a new skill. I wanted to clarify my thinking. And I wanted to have a voice. My whys changed during the years. Now I write because I love to learn. I love the fuzzy feeling I get when I enter the writing flow states. I love the freedom to work from anywhere. And I love the opportunities writing has created for me.

Now you

What are your best answers to the questions below?

Why do you write?
What’s the underlying reason for your journey?
How does writing fit into your life?
What’s your long-term goal with writing?

Your why will likely change. But knowing the reason why you want to take the time to write can be your biggest asset.

Success in writing isn’t linear

I worked with Sinem Günel as a writing coach and one of the most helpful lessons she shared with me was the following: Success in writing isn’t linear but exponential. You have to write up to 100 articles without expecting anything in return.

Most writers give up too early before they experience exponential growth.

Don’t expect to go viral after your third article. It took me 40 pieces to reach 100,000 people. Exponential growth will surprise you when you keep improving. Writing isn’t a sprint: it’s a marathon. Don’t expect overnight success, but build a solid habit you can stick with.

I feel you.

It’s soul-draining to write in the void until you experience exponential growth.

You’ll feel lonesome in the vastness of the online world. You won’t get any external feedback because no one will care about your writing. For a while, no one will even click on your work. You’ll be one more person who creates noise in the already crowded parts of the internet.

Then very slowly, people will start to come. They’ll comment and reach out to you and actually read your words.

But until then, writing online is damn difficult.

Hang in there. If you’re committed to writing consistently, readers will notice you.

Source: Screenshot from the Writing Online Accelerator Module 1

Now you

A specific, measurable, time-bound, and realistic plan can help you stick through.

To create a plan, answer the following questions:

How many articles will you publish in the next 6 weeks?
When and where will you write?
When do you enjoy writing the most?
When are you most productive? What might prevent you from publishing consistently?
What are your strategies to overcome your barriers?
If you stop publishing consistently, what will you do to get back to the habit quickly?

Prepare for an emotional roller-coaster ride

The journey of writing can feel like riding an emotional roller coaster.

Sometimes your writing flows; sometimes it flops. Sometimes your best articles won’t get any traction, and your worst pieces will be read by thousands of people. Sometimes you’ll be able to finish an article in one sit, while other times, you’ll struggle to put a single paragraph onto your screen.

You’ll feel your ideas are great. Then you’ll think they’re terrible. It’s all part of the journey. Your feelings are valid.

Make peace with the hard times and have a clear goal that keeps you on track when writing doesn’t feel easy.

What to Keep in Mind

90% of the people don’t stick to writing. They give up too early and expect overnight success when in reality, writing isn’t a sprint but a marathon.

To stick through until you’ve achieved your personal “why”, these are the four mindset snippets that can keep you on track

Know your why
Make a plan to stick through until you’ve reached exponential success
Know that all creators go through a shared emotional roller-coaster ride

Ready to accelerate your writing journey and build an online audience?

Subscribe for a free 5-day course on how you can set up the single most important thing writers usually forget to attract a large audience online. With a total time investment of only 20 minutes.

4 Growth Mindset Quotes That Will Change the Way You Learn

August 22, 2020 by Eva Keiffenheim

Pearls of wisdom from Carol Dweck.

Carol Dweck is America’s most influential researcher on motivation and mindset. She coined the term growth mindset — something all lifelong learners have in common.

She is a Psychology professor at Standford and also taught at Columbia and Harvard. Yet, you don’t need a Ph.D. to understand her work. She uses relatable language and basic logic to change the way we learn.

Dweck’s book shattered my wrong learning beliefs and changed my life for the better. People aren’t born smart. They become smart as a result of learning.

These quotes transform your life for the better by inviting more challenges and growth. Here are four curated mindset quotes that will open your heart and mind to the concept of a growth mindset and, in doing so, change the way you learn.

“When you make your best effort, you may be outscored, but you will never lose.”

Formal education teaches us to focus on the outcome. That’s why most of us judge our performance based on results: a grade, a score, a certificate.

Yet, what is far more important than achieving any result, is whether you made your best effort during the process.

Often, the outcome is influenced by factors you can’t control. You can’t control the end.

Instead, what you can always control is whether you did your best. As long as you focus on the effort, you’ll live your best self. And by giving your best, you’ll never lose — despite the outcome.

Derive your happiness and value from your effort. Focus on the process instead of the result.

How to do it:

Instead of asking whether you won, ask yourself whether you did your best. Have no fear of losing. If you lose but give your best effort, you’ll have nothing to regret.

Let go of controlling the outcome. Instead, focus on what you can control: your intention, your attitude, and your actions.

By doing the work, day in and day out, you’ll become better. And by focusing on one step at a time, you’ll win in life.

“Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better?”

Let’s imagine you could choose to play tennis against two different players. If you pick the first player, you’ll win 3:0. If you select the second, you’ll lose 1:3.

Would you choose the game you win or the one where you learn?

Sure bets won’t make you better. Risk-free wins won’t add to your learning curve.

Babies never decide it’s too hard or not worth the effort. They don’t worry about making mistakes. They walk, they fall, they get up, and they learn.

Instead of seeking validation, seek challenges that make you fall. If you pick winning, you’ll inflate your ego. If you choose learning, you’ll learn for life. Only the later will steer you towards the path for success.

How to do it:

Ignore games and tasks. You can win quickly and perfectly. You won’t form new connections in your brain.

You don’t need to prove yourself that you’re perfect at something. Instead, get your shit together and try something new.

Seek learning opportunities. Look for challenges that make you grow. And while you’ll be struggling, remember the best learning happens outside of your comfort zone.

“When you already know you’re deficient, you have nothing to lose by trying.”

I wish I could read this quote to my younger self. As a teenager, I loved our piano. Yet, I never played it. I feared to destroy my illusion of being a perfect player.

Perfectionism hinders learning. The fear of making mistakes prevents you from trying.

When you know you’re not perfect, you’re humble enough to go ahead and try. You don’t fear to destroy your ideal self. Instead, you’re open to making mistakes and learning.

The geniuses, the world-class performers, became world-class because they weren’t afraid to fail. Instead of thinking they already knew it all, they were aware of their deficiency.

How to do it:

Know that you’ll never be perfect. When you know, there’s still so much to learn you don’t fear to try.

Once you accept that you’re deficient, you’ll get out of your way. You’ll start practicing and getting better.

“Real self-confidence is not reflected in a title, an expensive suit, a fancy car, or a series of acquisitions. It is reflected in your mindset: your readiness to grow.”

True intelligence means changing your opinion based on new insights. It’s staying open to new learning.

This is easier said than done. We grow up with a set of beliefs and values and surround ourselves with people who share our opinion.

The deeper we are on our island of knowledge, the more difficult it is to change your opinion when you’re faced with new ideas.

Yet, by having the courage to be open, we invite learning opportunities. Ultimately, this open-mindedness will accelerate our learning.

How to do it:

Beware of the four horsemen of a fixed mindset. Every time you find yourself in some of these thought patterns remind yourself to be open:

– I know it all.
– You’re wrong, I rule.
– Oh, I’ve heard of this concept before.
– Nothing new for me.

The effort to think openly and embrace new ideas will be worth it when you’re able to take part in the benefits that come from opening your mind.

Final Thoughts

Most of the time, we make learning harder than it needs to be. Small shifts in our mindset can lead to happiness and fulfillment.

And while each of these mindset shifts can change the way you learn, you certainly don’t need to integrate all of them.

At the end of the day, your lifelong learning journey is defined by you.

Use these ideas as a source of inspiration and brainstorm what might help you to live a happier, healthier, and more fulfilled life.

And always keep Dweck’s words in mind who said

“When Do You Feel Smart: When You’re Flawless or When You’re Learning?”

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To Transform Your Life, Start Changing Your Thoughts

May 24, 2020 by Eva Keiffenheim

Record your voice with this four-part strategy and live the life of your wildest imagination.

Many people want to change something in their life, but they continuously fail and find themselves in the same pattern over and over again.

Did you know that 90% of your thoughts today follow the same pattern as yesterday’s thoughts? By thinking in yesterday’s corridor, you’ll repeat past behaviors. Your mind, actions, and body stay the way they are.

You can’t expect things or circumstances to change. Nothing changes unless you change.

Yet, many people fail to apply this advice. I didn’t feel comfortable in my body for years, and still, I felt unable to change until I stumbled upon one tool that changed the way I think, look, feel, and act: Affirmations.

Affirmations are inspiring self-talk. When repeated regularly, affirmations affect your subconscious and strengthen you mentally.

By repeating affirmations, you wire your brain to your future instead of repeating your past all over again. Once you change your thoughts, you’ll make new choices that ultimately lead to new behaviors and experiences, thereby creating your new self.

“The latest science in neuroscience says that when you close your eyes and rehearse an activity mentally, you begin to install the neurological hardware in your brain to look like you already did it.”

— Joe Dispenza

Follow these four-step morning affirmations and direct your attention to what you want in your life. You will gain more clarity, focus, vitality, and implementation power for your days ahead.

To apply this method with maximum effect, record your voice (more on that later). Before, select your favorite prompts for mindfulness, posture, vision, and mindset.

#1 Mindfulness Prompts to Get You Started

First, slow down your busy mind with prompts for awareness. These reminders help you find focus and calmness.

Take ten deep breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Close your eyes. Feel your body touching the surface beneath you.
Breathe in fresh energy and exhale all worries and concerns.
Scan through your body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
How does your ___________ (stomach, hand, head, foot) feel today?
Listen to the sounds around you.

Once you’re grounded in the present moment and notice physical sensations, you’re good to go to the second step:

#2 Questions to Set Your Inner Posture

Before visualizations and actionable prompts, you want to ensure you plant your ideas into fertile ground.

Entering a state of gratitude, abundance, and appreciation sets the tone for winning your day. The deeper you allow yourself to experience these feelings, the more powerful your vision manifestation will be.

What three things are you thankful for today? Feel the gratitude in your belly, expand gratefulness to your entire body, and let it flow beyond your body.
How much gratitude do you allow yourself to feel today?
Who helped you get where you are now? Send a mental note of appreciation to this person.
You are enough. No matter what you are doing today. You are enough the way you are. You are right the way you are. You are right the way you look. At this moment, you are enough, no matter what you are doing.
You can achieve whatever you’re striving for.
You are in control of the decisions you make. You determine your speed of life. Your life is in your hands. You already have everything you need to create the life you want to live.
Focus on your strengths. Remember, when you ______ (produced something you are proud). How did you feel?

Feeling gratitude and abundance takes practice. Try this six days in a row before you conclude, “I don’t feel any gratitude.” On somedays feelings are stronger, on some, they’re subtler. There’s no right or wrong about it. Both spectra are fine as long as you don’t judge yourself.

Soon you’re in a state of open-hearted mindfulness and ready for vision manifestation.

#3 Powerful Affirmations for Manifesting Your Vision

Now you created the fertile ground to plant your visionary ideas.

Pick the questions that feel out of your comfort zone. You aim to dream and think as big as you can.

Imagine you achieved everything you aimed for in your life. How do you look? How do you feel? How do people around you react to your _______ (wisdom, power, drive, courage)?
Picture yourself as vividly as possible. Feel your new self.
Where do you focus on to bring more _____ (love, gratitude, laughter) to your life?
What are the three most important steps today, you can take to move towards your vision? Where do you have leverage for change?
If your day goes perfectly, what does it look like? What’s your posture?
How do you feel at the end of the day?
What will you be most proud of this evening?
Which three steps you can take today that bring you closer to your vision.

#4 Inspiring Assertions for Your Winner Mindset

Lastly, you want to finish strong with inspirational prompts for manifestation.

Pick five or come up with a sentence that has more meaning to you personally.

Courage means to speak up for yourself. You are courageous.
Focus on practice instead of performance.
Compare yourself to nobody but your yesterday’s self.
Treat yourself as someone you’re responsible for helping.
You attract everything you want into your life, including money, relationships, and opportunity.
You are free, and you inspire freedom in others. You are calm and confident. You are fulfilled, and you are loved. You focus on the things you can control in your life. You are healthy, and you are strong. You are living your dream while being balanced.
Whom can you help today through your actions? How can people win with and through you today? You rise by lifting others.
You are compassionate. You listen to your feelings and sense the apprehensions of others. You do not react. Instead, you act intentionally.
Be uncompromising with your time and with the things that you let into your consciousness. Everything you consume, media or food, affects you and your energy level.
You only get what you dare to ask.

How to Apply It: Ready, Set, Record!

By recording your favorite affirmations for mindfulness, posture, vision, and mindset, you will win any day that you listen to your recording.

Highlight your favorites, grab your phone, and press record. The most powerful affirmations are the ones you record and speak to yourself.

Make sure to leave enough pauses behind every prompt so you can think and feel. For example, when you give yourself the prompt to take ten deep breaths, literally breath into the microphone ten times.

Ignore your ego, who’s probably telling you recording your voice is ridiculous. Just do it and start winning every single day.

You might not see it at first, but if you stick with it, there is no other habit that can bring a bigger transformation than listening to your self-recorded affirmations.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

— Marcus Aurelius

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