Feeling Stuck?

Maybe your career feels stuck. Or your relationships with your partner, family, or friends. Whatever it is, I don’t think I’m alone in feeling like I never seem to make progress in one area or another.

My nutrition was stuck. For years, my diet has vacillated between “college freshman” and “dabbling in paleo,” never really crossing into “I’ve got this figured out” territory. I’ve been so frustrated with myself, feeling like I fail over and over again at improving my nutrition. I’ve thought, “I have the best reasons in the world to do this (setting an example of health for my soon-to-be two kids)! WHY can’t I do this?” Which of course is a self-defeating line of reasoning.

It has been six years since I first read Carol Dweck’s work on Growth vs. Fixed Mindset. We even teach this framework in our Prenatal and Postpartum Series. For some reason, it didn’t occur to me until a few weeks ago that I had a fixed mindset about my nutrition.

*lightbulb moment!*

*smacks forehead*

As soon as I realized what the issue was–I needed to embrace a growth mindset–I have started making progress. If I make an ineffective food choice for breakfast, it doesn’t mean my whole day is ruined. I can give myself credit for eating more protein and fat, regardless of whether my carb intake was higher than I’d like. Even one more meal eaten at home rather than fast food feels like a big win. I no longer feel the self-imposed pressure to be “perfect.” I am able to stumble and make mistakes without throwing in the towel. I take pride in progress, not perfection. And most importantly, I’m no longer stuck.

I invite you to consider whether a growth mindset might help you break free in your life sticking point. Could it be a growth mindset blindspot? What does it feel like to believe in the possibility of growth in that area?

Image by: Amy Thornton of Amy Kelly Thornton Photography.