I have had two identities in life that speak to my soul - mother and soldier. They're two core identities that I hold dear. I'll always be a mother but my career as a soldier was taken away from me and when it was, I was shaken to the core. After all, being a soldier wasn't a "job" I held, it was an identity I embraced.
Life landed me in a place where there was a title assigned to me - "disabled person living on a pension who had no purpose and who would never again find joy". Circumstances in life landed me in this place but I could not embrace the identity the way that I did with mother and soldier. After all, those roles brought me profound joy, the latter brought me anger and depression.
I'm getting excited here.....
I now wear a new title that is quickly becoming "who I am" as opposed to "what I do". I am an entrepreneur. I am in the business of educating people and more particularly I help people change their minds. After all, I have a bit of experience changing minds - I have changed my own.
I have read thousands of books since I started school at age 40. In each book, I had an ah ha moment that was core shattering. Literally, I could see the world open up with each new lesson.
Dozen's of books have had an impact on my life but Carol Dweck's book called Mindset has become a staple. The reason I was able to move from the defeatist attitude I had in my late thirties to the attitude I hold today has to do with a change in mindset.
When the student is ready, the teacher will come.
I do wish I had known sooner the distinction between growth and fixed mindset but the teacher really does show up when you are ready. The knowledge found in this book brings hope and provides the explanation I needed for why I had made many of the choices I had made along the way; why I believed what I believed.
In the early days, I was sceptic that I would find a purpose in life but over time I came to believe that we have so much control over our lives and it all starts with our beliefs. People with growth mindsets live productive lives in spite of what happens to them.
If you're sitting there disgruntled with life - pick up this book and see if it helps you to look at things differently. I never would have believed that Entrepreneurship was for me - BUT I DO NOW!!!
Join me in Cape Breton on Nov 21 where I will be delivering my Reluctant Entrepreneur; Life Made Me Do It
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