What is mindset and why does it matter?

Mindset can be defined as a perspective on a certain opinion; more often than not your mindset can determine your success and failure rates. A mindset can influence how you think and how you look at any problem. It also goes hand in hand on how you handle different situations in life. Mindset can be quite flexible, can change over a period of time and be influenced by different perspectives over the years. Here are a few things that can influence someone’s mindset:

Upbringing – The way a child is brought up is quite crucial. Instilling morals and values at a certain age can mold a person’s characters over the years. This can be compared to table manners and other small traits that people take for granted. When you teach your child table manners such as not chewing with your mouth open, washing your hands after visiting the toilet and saying “please” and “thank you” at a certain age, the traits carry on in life. I am sure you have met a few people who do not have simple table manners. It’s not entirely their fault their upbringing was done a certain way.

Mindsets are also instilled in children’s upbringing in this same way. A child brought up in morally upright home will have a certain mindset on how to look at certain things in life. Although their perspectives may change after being exposed to different views and scenarios along the years but it is not the easiest mindset to change.

Religion – Just like upbringing, religion also plays a great role in the mindset of a person. The belief that there is a superior being and life after death makes people’s mindsets differ. The fear of pleasing the superior being and ensuring that you always stay on the right side of life greatly impacts the thought process of different people. While there are different religions all over the world, a man walking and believing in his faith cannot be compared to a man walking faithless. Religion gives people hope, channels pain into hope and encourages healing along the way. It is a well-known fact that people who are strict on religion are more optimistic in life.

Education – Education can easily go hand in hand with exposure. Education does not only grow a person’s IQ but also a person’s way of thinking and perception of life. It’s through this same education that some people have chosen to become atheists. Where they do not believe in a supreme God and instead highly believe in science. Either way, education also exposes you to different opinions. it might be contradictory to religion but broadens a man’s line of thought and helps to accommodate different people along with their beliefs.

Importance of Mindset

Regardless of what influences your mindset, a positive mindset will keep you afloat, rejuvenate your self-esteem and will help you deal with failures in a better way. Whereas a negative mindset will slow down your thinking process, give way to depression, low self-esteem and at the end very slow progress.