The Ultimate Guide to Mindset Coaching

What is mindset coaching and do you really need it? 

Two very good questions indeed.
 
We’ll explore this current trend in detail, but considering that most successful people, from Warren Buffet to Robert Kiyosaki, have benefited from mindset coaching, I feel pretty confident in saying yes, you need it.
 
But to help you come to your own conclusions and to help you find a coach best suited for you, I’ve put together this Ultimate Guide to Mindset Coaching.

So let’s get into it.

What Is Mindset?

Simply put, mindset is the way your mind works.  Not your brain, but your mind. 

So this means how you think, your beliefs, and your inner self-talk.

And here’s the important part:  Your mindset influences your behaviour and the actions that you take… or fail to take.

Said another way, how you think directly affects the outcomes you produce.

Types of Mindset

I’m sure you’ve heard of the ol’ glass that’s either half full or half empty. 
 
This is one of the oldest illustrations of mindset and highlights the differences between an optimist and a pessimist.
 
Optimists tend to look for the positive in any given situation versus the pessimists who focus on the negative. 
 
Why does this matter?

Because an optimist is far more likely to summon the energy to overcome a challenge, is happier in general and is often much more productive.
 
And it’s a choice. 

You get to choose to be an optimist or a pessimist and that choice is going to influence how you live your life.
 
A good mindset coach will notice if you have pessimistic tendencies and they will encourage you to see the positives in any given situation versus focusing on the negatives.

Fixed Mindset Versus Growth Mindset

In her book,  “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” Carol Dweck discusses the difference between two types of mindset:  Fixed and growth.

Someone with a fixed mindset believes that talent and abilities are fixed traits and can’t be changed.

Someone with a growth mindset, however, believes that talents and abilities can be developed over time through effort and persistence.

If you adopt a growth mindset, for example, you’ll choose to believe that anyone can get smarter or more talented if they work at it. 

And so you will do just that.

Your mindset choice will drive you towards constant self-improvement, and this will accelerate you towards achieving your goals.
 
Your mindset coach will pay attention to how you speak about yourself and your goals to determine where you fall into this paradigm and help you replace fixed ways of thinking with growth ways of thinking.

What is Mindset Coaching?

The goal of any coach is to help you get from where you are now, to where you want to be. 

And so, a mindset coach will help you focus on improving the way you think, so that your self-talk and beliefs are aligned with your goals.

This will help you actually accomplish them, and get there faster.

Do I Need a Specialized Mindset Coach?

A coach who focuses only on mindset coaching will have sessions specifically designed to improve your mental game, whereas business coaches and accountability coaches will almost certainly include mindset coaching as part of their overall coaching strategy.

What this means to you, is that you don’t have to hire a mindset coach to improve your mindset. 

Any coach worth their salt will invariably understand the importance of mindset and so it will be embedded in their sessions.
 
Just make sure that when you’re qualifying a potential coach, through their content or through a free consultation, you ask them about mindset and how important it is in their coaching strategies.

Examples of Mindset Coaching

During your coaching sessions, your mindset coach will be paying close attention to what you say and how you phrase things.

Because how you speak is a glimpse into how you think.

Remember the glass half full example?  Well, if your mindset coach notices you’re more inclined to a negative mindset, they might encourage you to include a gratitude practice as part of your morning routine. 

This type of practice trains your mind to look for the things that are beneficial in your life so that you’ll become the gatekeeper of your own mind and continually plant seeds of positivity and inspiration rather than criticism and doubt.

“I Can’t” Versus “How Can I?”

Your mindset coach should also be triggered when they hear you express a self-limiting belief. 

They should stop you in the moment and draw your attention to it.

For example, if they hear you say, “I can’t afford to purchase a productivity manual to increase how much I get done every day.” (shameless plug), they’ll encourage you to notice how this way of thinking immediately closes the door to possibilities and solutions.

They should encourage you to adopt the type of thinking and language that opens your mind to solving the issue instead.  For example, “How can I afford it?”

Do you see the difference here?

One mindset accepts instant defeat and goes no further.

And the other mindset is open to exploring possibilities. Because of this, your mind will begin to work behind the scenes to come up with solutions.

Mindset Coaching: A Powerful Force

Another great example comes down to us from a cinematic legend, everybody’s favorite little green Jedi Master, Yoda.

While training young Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force, Luke uttered that he would try to accomplish his goal. 
 
Yoda responded with, “Do or do not.  There is no try.”

Because trying is half-assed.  When you try, you don’t commit.  You don’t schedule the task and you don’t give it your all.

Your mindset coach will notice these limiting beliefs and encourage you to adopt a more proactive and committed way of behaving.
 
This leads to more action, and more action means more results.

The Importance of Mindset for Success

Life is beset with challenges.  It’s just the way it is. 
 
Whether in business or pursuing any other goal… there will be challenges.

You can’t control that, but what you can control, is how you respond to the challenges. 

Some people give up and others persevere.  And the difference between the two is almost always their mindset.
 
A good mindset coach knows that your mindset plays a critical role in how you cope with life’s challenges. 

And so, they will help you see that with every obstacle, every challenge, you’re given an opportunity to learn, and the quicker you look for the lesson, the faster you will get back into a positive growth-oriented mindset and continue on towards your goals.

The reality is, either you win or you learn.  There really are no failures unless you choose to give up

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all.” — Dale Carnegie

“Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.” — Samuel Johnson

Benefits of Mindset Coaching

Let’s boil it all down into point form so you can easily digest the benefits of using a mindset coach.

• Accomplish your goals faster
• Enjoy life more heartily
• Overcome challenges with more resilience
• Adopt a solution-oriented mentality
• Grow a heightened sense of self-awareness
• Increase your self-confidence

Mindset and Accountability Coaching

In my accountability coaching practice, I’ve seen that improving mindset has been an integral part of my clients’ success.
 
Mindset strengthening combined with accountability has proven to be a powerful one-two punch for taking consistent action towards one’s goals.

And one of the best ways to try this out for yourself without any commitment is with a free consultation. 
 
You might be pleasantly surprised at how much can get done in a 30-minute call.

So if you want to start getting your mind working for you and not against you, sign up here for your free call or click the button below.

Final Word

I’ll leave you with an old quote from Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, that really illustrates the chain of causation:

Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
And your habits become your destiny.

To your success!

Nigel Cook
Accountability Coach