Book Recommendation for personal growth

The mind is such a powerful tool that many of us are not fully aware of its real potential. We have often come across the word “mindset”, but few understand how to rewire their mindset to unlock true growth. Today, I would like us to pause and reflect on it more deeply.   I define “mindset” in this post as a person’s way of thinking, perspectives, or beliefs they hold about themselves. Our minds have the potential to either build us up or hold us back. We need to start thinking of new ways to rewire our mindset.   Personal Reflection:  I remember growing up, how some of the teachers we had during our early education made us feel ashamed for not excelling in a subject.  Many of us were flogged or publicly shamed. We held onto the belief that failing an exam meant we were dull. Some dropped out of school, while others continued in fear of their fate. We grew up to become people who were afraid to try new things, who see failure as the end.   More Mindset Examples: An example I am sure many of us will relate to is how we were raised to be perfect. Oh, I am still struggling with this myself. We unknowingly expect the same of our children today. Imagine expecting a seven-year-old child to behave like an adult. Why? It’s our programming…. There is a need to rewire our mindset in this regard.   On Money Mindset: Our attitude towards money is another example that comes to mind. Those of us who were exposed to African magic movies during our formative years will agree with me that some of those movies shaped our mindsets about money and how it should be acquired.  We held on to the belief that if you haven’t done something evil, you won’t make money. What a disservice this mindset has done to some of us.    Call to Action; It’s time to knock off these limiting beliefs to rewire our mindsets. Growth will not happen if we don’t believe in it.  Whatever you focus on grows.  What you believe in is what you will make happen.  The purpose of this post is to help us take a mental tour of our beliefs and perspectives and rewire our mindsets.   Three books that helped me to question some of my beliefs are:  Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck For a long time, I struggled with consistency. I would start a task, lose interest, and move on to something else. My mindset about creativity and leadership was fixed, and I avoided change. This book helped me recognise my struggles and see effort as a path to mastery, not as a sign of inadequacy. I learnt to ask for feedback instead of being afraid of them. What it taught me: Before reading Mindset, I used to believe that those who succeed professionally are naturally gifted. I equated it to luck and talent. How it rewired my mindset: This book changed all that illusion. I learnt from the book the concept of a growth mindset, which is the belief that you can develop your abilities through effort and learning.  A takeaway you can apply today: The fact that you haven’t mastered a skill doesn’t make you a failure. You are simply a work in progress; let that be your mantra.   2. Atomic Habits by James Clear(My favourite book on habits) What it taught me: I learnt from this book about the power of change. We all have goals, but the system we create to achieve them matters more. This perspective about habits completely changed my mindset. It says that, “Your habits are a reflection of your identity”. To become someone new, you must start acting like that person in small ways every day. How it rewired my mindset” Instead of focusing on outcomes (I want to learn a new skill).  I have started focusing on identity, like telling myself, “I can learn this skill.” I now build small habits with that identity. This is affecting who I am becoming.  A takeaway you can apply today: Ask yourself: “What kind of person would achieve the result I want?” Start building tiny habits that a person would have. Change starts when you acknowledge the identity you want.    3. The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday What it taught me: This book redefined hardship for me as an opportunity. The author explains how every obstacle carries potential for growth and clarity. Obstacles help us understand what we need to work on to succeed. How it rewired my mindset: Before reading this book, I used to believe setbacks were interruptions to success. This book opened my mind to start believing that obstacles are part of the process to success. A takeaway you can apply today: When things don’t go as planned, don’t give up. Pause to know “why” and what needs attention. I am training my mind to see beyond my present struggles and focus on what I am doing to grow.   Let the Mindset Shift Begin Our mindsets are often shaped long before we understand their true power. But the beauty of growth is that we are not bound by the beliefs we inherited. We can question and even unlearn them. And we can decide to choose better ones. These three books were not just informative, they helped me rewrite my mindset.   Have you ever felt stuck or held back by fear? Start with your mindset. This will affect every other aspect of your life.