Learn, Share, Grow - The Mindset Gap

May 9, 2022

Below is a lesson from Farnam Street on the mindset of focusing on what's within our control vs. what isn't, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

The Mindset Gap

Tiny Thought

One of the biggest things working in the background over the past two years is the mindset gap.*

At the onset of COVID, one group of people, became paralyzed and waited. They waited for someone else to take the lead and tell them what to do. They waited for schools to go online and figure out how to educate their kids. They waited for the government to tell them what was safe and what wasn’t. They waited for clarity. They waited for certainty. And they waited for other people to solve problems so they could continue with life.

Another group of people refused to stop. While they might have slowed down, they kept adapting. Inch by inch they did what they could and moved forward. They hired teachers or turned to Khan academy for their kids. They kept the expectations of themselves and their kids high. They pushed forward at work and home. They solved problems. And they learned new skills.

The difference between these two groups comes down to mindset.

Continue Reading Here.

Key Learnings:

• All the energy you put into things you can’t control comes at the expense of things you can control.
• By focusing on what you can control, this mindset is far more resilient and adaptable than becoming paralyzed and waiting for someone else to take the lead and to tell you what to do or for things to change. 
• Having resources readily available, such as wealth or financial riches, can be something out of your control. This does not negate the fact that you can still figure out ways to focus on the things within your control. 
• Your mindset is applied to a life thousand times a day. It’s at work in every interaction and every circumstance.
• Having the mindset to focus on the things you can control may not be a big difference at the end of a single day from having the mindset of focusing on the things you cannot control. However, the gap between the two mindsets grow wider with time.
• When you focus on what you can’t control there are always actions you can take to put yourself in a better position.
• When you focus on things beyond your control, you tend to freeze, feel unsure and wait.
• Rather than be mastered by circumstances beyond control, master the circumstances.