Our mind is the maker or breaker of what we can have in our life. We can live in riches or live in shambles, and the outcome is 100% up to us. Our mindset is the start and the finish for all we do and all we can have in life. The problem with the mind is that it can get stuck sometimes. The mind becomes fixed in its ways of thinking/understanding, and that can be a problem if you need to focus outside of the box. In order to change from a fixed and foolish mindset, a person must be willing to give up their ideals.

The fixed mind is one that believes what it believes. A fixed-minded person is difficult to change because they are so entwined by their current beliefs that they are not open to other ideas or solutions. Their current beliefs are all they think they have and will ever need. However, having a limited supply of tools in the toolbox will only leave you without the correct tool for a job one day. Making sure you are equipped for everything that can come your way is an important step in relinquishing your fixed mindset.

People who operate with a fixed mind are people who are also not in control of the big three. The big three are your thoughts, feelings, and action. The big three are 100% under your control, but if you are a fixed mindset person, then this is not true for you. You actually have something I like to call a foolish mindset at this point. This is where you believe your view is correct and every other view is wrong. You may surely be correct, but if you are unable to see the opinions of others, then you are setting up your mindset to seize up.

Being able to view the other side of the equation helps you to develop key skills that can be detrimental to your success. I remember reading a book about leadership and what effective leaders say and do. The reason why I wanted to learn from this book was that I wanted to know what attributes a leader maintained. A former company I worked for had a leader who had all the correct traits to be an effective leader, but the end result of that company was shut down. I became curious about what made a good leader after this, and the biggest takeaway I learned from the book was someone who was open and caring. We know that if someone is caring, then there is a high probability we can put our trust in this individual. This is currently what is lacking in our society. We have a bunch of followers with a fixed mindset and not enough leaders with flexible minds.

To transform our fixed minds into flexible minds, we must be willing to be a leader through adversity. Things will not always go the way we want. We might want to give up, run away, or argue/shout at all the bad that are going on around us. However, if we can use what we have within and learn to mold our mindset around the situation, then we will have better success at reaching our desired outcome. We have to learn how to let go of our ego/pride and understand that there will always be two sides to a coin. Sometimes the coin will not land on the side we want, but it does not mean we should revolt and become fixed-minded. It means we should remain flexible/aware without becoming toxic.

There are not many things in the world that stay the same, and that includes the mind. Having a fixed mindset is the same as believing that there is only one way to teach a class or live life. There are so many ways to reach success in life. If you stay in a mindset that inhibits growth, then how can you ever evolve into the person you want to be? How can you refuse to grow and learn from others so that their ideas can be heard just like you want yours to be heard? We have a community with too many followers and not enough leaders. We have a community where the fixed mind is prominent and halting our future progress. So how can we alleviate the animosity of our fixed mindset, brothers and sisters? How can we show the world that our idea is not the only idea that needs to be heard? I believe we do this by learning to be flexible.

In order to reach a flexible mindset, we must first understand our point of view. If you believe in a movement or a cause, then that is your step. Now the challenging part is to understand the other side of the coin. You must understand the opinions and ideas of others. I am not telling you to accept them, but you must understand them at least. Many people are filled with rage and hate because others have an opinion that is different than their own. The first side of the coin would be that people believe in working hard in life and getting what is theirs while maintaining a structured life. The second(other) side of that coin can be someone that lives a haphazard life and takes each day as it comes without a goal or plan. Who is right, and who is wrong? There is no wrong way to live life. What matters the most is what you want out of life. If you do not want to reach great heights in life, then you can feel free to move where life moves you, and you will be fine. However, if you want to reach great heights in life, you must create habits and not allow the foolish mind to select the life you end up with.

Achieving and maintaining your flexible mindset is as simple as yes and no. If I say “yes” and you say “no” to something, it is not my job to make you say yes and change your answer. I can lay out some facts to strengthen my opinion, but it does not mean at the end of the conversation, you will see my opinion as your new truth. There is nothing wrong with someone disagreeing with you or traversing through life differently. That is what makes us human. We are all unique, and we must embrace each other as individuals. The hate formed by the current mass of fixed-minded individuals has come to the point where the two sides of the coin are yelling at each other to no unveil. You cannot move an immovable mind. However, you can train that fixed mind to loosen up and become flexible.

In closing, our fixed and foolish minds are keeping us from understanding others. It is about respect and care at the end of the day. People will not always do or say what you wish for them to do, so you have two options. Option one is to remain fixed in your beliefs and disown the person. To hate the person for their beliefs and ideas, or you can learn to be flexible. Having a flexible mind allows you to see their side of the story and to accept their truth as their own. You do not have to agree with their opinion, but you should at least respect it. Having a fixed mindset will keep you in one place and unable to reach your fullest potential. I have learned that what makes a great leader is not their own beliefs but the beliefs of others. Care for each other and let the foolishness dissipate. Once we can allow that to happen, then we can start to shift our fixed-minded society towards a society that can learn to be flexible.

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts