Self-Assessment: Do You Need to Change Your Mindset and Outlook on Life?

Answer the following questions to determine if you need to make some positive changes that will affect your business mindset and outlook on life.

1. Do you wake up eager to start your day?

• Yes, I love my job/business/career!
• Sometimes, it depends on what’s on my to-do list.
• No. I’d rather hit the snooze button.

2. Do you have work goals and/or personal goals that you’re working on?

• Yes, it helps my motivation if I have something I’m working toward.
• Kind of…I wrote them out 5 years ago but forgot what they were.
• No, I don’t understand the point of setting goals.

3. Do you make time for fun or relaxation during the week?

• Yes, my calendar is full every weekend!
• Sometimes but it’s not a habit for me.
• No, there’s too much to do and my brain is always thinking about work.

4. Do you practice any self-relaxation techniques, such as meditation, yoga, or journaling, on a regular basis?

• Yes, can’t start my day without them.
• Sometimes, when I think of it.
• No, who has time?

5. What is your definition of success? Write your answer down.

6. Do you feel that you’re on your way to reaching that success?

• Yes, I monitor my progress monthly/quarterly/annually.
• Sometimes but I get hung up on the twists and turns my business takes.
• No, I’m just living life on the hamster wheel, not really making any progress.

7. Which mindset do you believe best describes you:

• A growth mindset describes a set of underlying beliefs that anyone can work hard to change their circumstances or improve their intelligence.
• A fixed mindset describes a set of underlying beliefs that change is not possible and one can only get so far in life.

• Growth mindset describes me.
• I’m not sure.
• Fixed mindset describes me.

8. List some things, activities, or people that would bring joy and relaxation into your life.

9. Who is an inspiration to you?

10. Which resources do you look at most frequently to get motivation, inspiration, or to improve your knowledge base? 

Now that you’ve answered each question honestly, go back through your answers and jot down ways you can make changes to your current mindset.  Look at Questions 9 and 10; are those the best choices or should you make changes to find the “best of the best” to learn from? You don’t need to make big, sweeping changes; start small and when that one thing becomes a habit, add in a new positive action.

There aren’t any point values involved and no one will come back to check on whether you’ve made changes; but improving each of these answers toward the YES column will greatly help you change your mindset for the better. If you’ve already answered YES to questions 1-7, continue what you’re doing because you’re on the right path!