How a Positive Mindset Can Transform Your Life

The opinions expressed by entrepreneurs contributors are their own.

Do you ever find yourself saying, "My situation has always been the same: I'm stuck and just need to play the cards I'm given"? If you've done that, you're dragging yourself down with a fixed mindset. Alternatively, a growth mindset means you thrive despite challenges and obstacles because you see them as catalysts for change and don't see failure as a way to describe yourself.

Events or actions that don't work out as expected or desired are learning experiences, ways to grow in all aspects of your life, and a way to further develop your abilities. Your intelligence, your talents and, above all, your wisdom require setbacks to stimulate fundamental transformation and growth.

We all know the saying: "No pain, no gain". However, Arnold Schwarzenegger took this comparison to a new level when he compared the pain of working out to the feelings that come from sex. What if we took the pain and hardships of life as training to help us improve, with all the positive results? We would like to embrace pain as today's challenge and remember the feeling we have when they are overcome. We would not be discouraged or give up in the face of problems; we would expect obstacles and challenges as usual.

Why not give up? Because anything is possible with the right mindset, determination and action. Earlier in his career, Arnold had difficulty finding work because of his heavy accent. His voice was replaced by a voice-over in one of his first films, "Hercules in"! He could have been discouraged and gave up his acting career. Instead, he took vocal coaching classes and improved, became famous and successful, and extended that success to almost every aspect of his life.

Related: Want to Succeed? Turn your fixed mindset into a growth mindset

Sometimes when people are unhappy with where they are in life, they think changing places will make things better. Maybe they say, “If I lived here and not there, everything would be fine. However, they often find that their initial problems, difficulties and challenges have moved with them after moving. If they have a fixed mindset before moving and have one afterwards, they may be happy for a short while, but soon the reality of the struggles in their minds will return. Regardless of the circumstances, a growth mindset trumps all.

Have you ever been stuck alone in a lonely place for a long time? I know someone who developed important skills, lost 70 pounds, recovered and built two startups while facing a localization challenge; they have been alone for nearly a year during the Covid-19 pandemic. For them, the "pain" of loneliness was ultimately a gift, and they put it to good use.

The key to real change is usually elusive: changing your mindset, being content with everything you already have, and being grateful to wake up another day. Sound simple? Often this is not the case. When multiple challenges arise, it's human nature to feel overwhelmed. After a while, we can feel like boxers in a match, taking one punch after another, especially if we're caught up in the negativity and sensationalism that is often pervasive in the news. It can make us think that the next blow is near.

Related: 5 Ways to Maintain a Positive Mindset (No Matter What Challenge You're Facing)

Instead, we need to fight these thoughts and emotions on a daily basis and assume and wish that the next thing that happens to us is positive. Being surprised and delighted when something good happens, and treating it as something undeserved, will completely change our lives. Internalized, chased daily, and pursued through critical periods of meditation and reflection, it will change outcomes for us. It is essential to take time for yourself for this kind of reset.

For example, if we change our minds to be in a growth mindset before the day starts, as needed during the day, and at night before bed, we will live a much better life. It takes