Chapter 3: The Assessment
In order to figure out how to move forward, it is necessary to take a look at your current situation to find out what is working and what isn't. By breaking down your life into smaller, manageable pieces, it's much easier to see where you succeed and what is holding you back. In his book Essentialism, Greg McKeown wrote, “Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done... It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential (McKeown, 2022)”. By focusing on what is essential and eliminating the things that don't serve you, it becomes much easier to set achievable goals, create systems that work, and find success to keep you motivated. As you work through the questions in this chapter, take time to reflect on each of your answers before moving forward. At the end of the assessment, you will have all of the pieces needed to move through the rest of the workbook as you create a healthy mindset and a system that serves you in focusing your time and energy on accomplishing your goals.
Reflect and Celebrate List three things you are currently thankful for.
1.
2.
3.
List three things you have accomplished that you are proud of.
1. 2.
3.
List three things that you have overcome in the past. 1. 2. 3.
What lessons did you learn about yourself through achieving those accomplishments and overcoming challenges?
What lessons did you learn about others as you worked to achieve those accomplishments overcoming challenges?
Part of having a healthy mindset is not only thinking about actions but thinking about your thoughts and feelings.
How did you feel when you reached those accomplishments?
How did you feel when facing obstacles and challenges?
Did you allow yourself to experience those feelings? Why or why not?
Which of those feelings do you want to hold onto, and which do you want to let go of?
Set Intentions Think of three words that can be your guideposts as you move forward. Some examples that people have used in the past include healthy, intentional, confident, peaceful, bold, compassionate, and strong.
Reframe and Master Mindsets
In order to change your mindset to a healthy mindset, you must first identify what your current mindsets are.
There are two types of mindsets: fixed mindsets and growth mindsets. People with fixed mindsets believe that their talents and abilities are set in stone, whereas people with growth mindsets believe that they can develop their talents and abilities through hard work, good teaching, and persistence (Dweck, 2022).
Which mindset do you have?
Fixed mindset: I have a certain amount of talent and ability, and I can't really do much to change it.
Growth mindset: I can develop my talents and abilities through hard work, good teaching, and persistence.
Which of the following best describes your current situation?
I am in a rut, and I don't see a way out.
I have some goals that I would like to achieve, but I'm not sure how to go about them.
I am pretty happy with where I am in life, but there are always areas that could use improvement.
If you are in a rut and don't see a way out, it is essential to take a look at your current situation to find out what is working and what isn't. Once you have a better understanding of your current situation, you can begin to set goals and create a plan to achieve them.
It is possible to have a fixed mindset in some areas of life and a growth mindset in others. Let’s take a look at what your mindsets currently are.
Here are some examples of fixed mindsets: When facing - My inner voice says... Challenges - There is no way I can do that.
Failures - I stink at sports.
Conflicts - I’m just a terrible person.
Criticism - I’ll never be good enough.
Mistakes - I can’t do anything right.
Take some time to think about your mindsets for each situation.
You have a choice with what your inner voice says. As you look at your answers, are you happy with the way you talk to yourself? Is the way you talk to yourself healthy? Would you talk to someone else that way? It is possible to shift your mindset. It just takes training. It's no different than drills in practice; only you are focusing on the mental instead of the physical. Let’s take those fixed mindsets and change them to growth mindsets. Look back at your answers above and think about how you can reframe each mindset. Here is an example.
When facing - I can reframe my mindset to say
Challenges - I can learn to do that. Go for it. Make it happen!
Failures - Everyone fails. Time spent learning is never wasted time. How can I approach this from a different angle?
Conflicts - I don’t always need to be right or included. Disagreements will happen, and that doesn’t mean I am unloved or unwanted. I can listen and communicate better.
Criticism - I am good enough, but there is always room for improvement.
Mistakes - You can’t grow without trying new things, and it’s ok to mess up. What can I learn, and who can I ask for help?
Now it’s your turn. Take your mindsets from above, which are fixed mindsets and think about how you can change those mindsets to growth mindsets.
Trying to tackle all of your fixed mindsets at one time will not serve you well. You will be trying to tackle too many challenges at once, so pick the one mindset you want to start working on and write it here.
What actionable steps can you take to start changing your mindset? For example, if you’ve chosen to work on your mindset when faced with challenges, you may decide to stop, realize that you can do it, and break the challenge into smaller steps.
Identify and Prioritize Your Values The next step is to identify and prioritize your values. Some examples of values include family, relationships, personal growth, health, spirituality, creativity, mental health, loyalty, honesty, toughness, determination, courage, and generosity. List up to five values that are important to you.
1. 2. 3. 4.
5.
Now let’s rank those values in order of importance and reflect on how you currently act on those values.
Now take some time to set some intentions to prioritize those values going forward.
You may want to bookmark this assessment section, as we will refer back to it throughout the rest of the workbook.
As I have gone further in my career, talent between the best and worst players really doesnt differ by much. The separator is the mindset of each player. it’s no coincidence that the best players are always trying to improve (growth). While the bottom of the barrel players are not always, but often times the complainers (fixed mindset).