mridula singh Archives - Mridula Singh

Awareness November 14, 2023

What is a Growth Mindset and how to cultivate it?

The word Growth Mindset has finally made its way from the lanes of personal development to mainstream corporate life. You may have heard it recently buzz in your organization comms. However, whenever such a word is popularized, its meaning gets distorted.

For a lot of people Growth Mindset can mean that they have a positive outlook towards life and are open and flexible with their approach towards change. While these maybe be good things to adapt this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a growth mindset.

Definition of Growth Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck

The growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments, everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

In brief, Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a Growth Mindset. Whereas, a person with fixed mindset believes that their Intelligence and Talents are innate gifts.

Most of us have a mix of these two mindsets, we may embrace ‘Growth Mindset’ in few areas of lives and ‘Fixed Mindset’ in other.

How it changes your approach towards life is where one mindset is based on Proving yourself the other encourages Learning. If you believe that you are naturally talented and cannot cultivate new talents, then you will simply keep looking for challenges only to label them as Failure or Victory. Whereas in Growth Mindset, you see these ‘Failures’ as ‘Room for Improvement’.

How to Develop a Growth Mindset

Self-Reflect

Assess your current state in life. Do you view yourself as an individual with a growth mindset? Figure out which mindset currently rules your life and which areas of your life can benefit from a growth mindset.

Seek Feedback not Validation

Do not seek validation for your skills and accomplishments from others, instead focus on people who can provide you constructive feedback. It will help you in improving consistently. When we look for validation, we end up taking up things or indulging in activities which we do not enjoy.

Embrace Challenges

When we are in our comfort zone, we see each challenge as setbacks.

Start seeing these challenges as opportunities, to learn and grow more. Enjoy these challenges as a problem-solving activity. Try things which you have never done before, take up activities that are new to you. It will help you in developing more trust and resilience in yourself.

Add ‘yet’ to your vocabulary

When discussing your achievements or growth, learn to use the word ‘yet’. Cultivating a growth mindset means understanding that your weaknesses and strengths are not fully developed yet. There will be areas where you lack not because you are inherently bad at them, but because you have not mastered them yet. It’s about believing that with enough practice and perseverance, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

Focus on Efforts, not Outcomes

Measure your success by the efforts that you put in. It is the process that matters more than the final product. The process teaches us, gives us an opportunity to self-reflect and work on our mistakes and improve ourselves. It is important to know that defeat is not everlasting and every time you try to reach for something beyond your current state, you enhance your capabilities and knowledge.

Embracing a growth mindset can be a life changing decision. You can try implementing it in different areas of your life be it personal or professional. However, we can only know if something works for us when we try it. Personally, it has been useful for me as it helped me take risks and attempt the activities that I was never confident about.

Do experiment with the tips mentioned above, and feel free to share if you find them applicable in any specific area of your life.

Lifestyle August 21, 2020

3 Common health mistakes you are making

Hi! It has been a long time since my last blog. Here is my explanation. In the month of July, we started providing Online Yoga Classes through Città Space. Ater personal consultations of clients we observed that most of the diseases are aggravated or created by the three common health mistakes we make.

These slip-ups are okay if they are happening sporadically, but if these behaviors persists for long, they result into bad health and can also create diseases in our body.

These common mistakes are ,

1. Not getting a good sleep

A girl sleeping - common health mistakes

We take a good sleep for granted as if it is forceful break that we have to take from our daily routine. However, if you are sleeping for less than 6 hours, you are preparing your body for a long-term damage. In rare cases, 4 to 5 hours of sleep can also yield great results, but they are rare. Most of us require minimum six hours of uninterrupted sleep to re-energize our bodies. An eight hour sleep makes our bodies more efficient and improves our immunity.

A good sleep not only makes our bodies well rested, our mood also improves as we are less irritable. Creating a ritual around your bedtime helps in getting a better sleep. You can try few tips mentioned in my previous post.

2. Normalizing Stress

Time and again, I hear people say ‘How can I not be stressed? It is a part of life’. Well, it is not. If you are stressed out most of the time, then you are pushing your body towards diseases and ill health. Stress is not just mental, it creates changes in or physical body too.

Quick Science: Stress creates ‘fight or flight’ response. In your brain, the hypothalamus tells your adrenal glands to release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones increase your heartbeat and send blood rushing to the areas that need it most in an emergency, such as your muscles, heart, and other important organs. When the perceived fear is gone, the hypothalamus should tell all systems to go back to normal. If the brain activity fails to return to normal, or if the stressor doesn’t go away, the response will continue

Stress makes you overwork your organ systems. There is more to risk than just your mood, when you are under stress consistently. (Caution: Please don’t stress about getting stressed.)

3. Not drinking enough water

We take hydrating ourselves for granted too, another one of the common health mistakes that can create diseases and interrupt the proper functioning of our body. Dehydration reduces the oxygen level in our body, which lowers our stamina and energy. One should consume a minimum of 2-litre of water each day. Drinking water also helps in removing toxins from your body and makes your body and skin healthy.

While there are many mistakes which we make with our bodies but these three are the most overlooked. These are the observations that I made while attending the personal consultations of our clients with their Yoga trainers. Though, I would love to write about all the things one can do to create a healthy body, let us start with these three items first.

Lifestyle June 8, 2020

All about gratitude lists and why you need one?

Gratitude Lists can bring noticeable changes to your days and emotional well-being in the longer run. Especially, in times like this, when we are lacking the will to look forward to the day with zest.
As the name suggests, the gratitude list consists of the things that you are grateful for in your life. It could be a person, a special moment of your day, or the littlest things that can bring a smile on your face.

It is one of the most effective habits that is helping me to get through the day with enthusiasm. When the lockdown first began, it was tough for me to gather my thought and adjust to this new routine, but this simple practice helps to put things in perspective.

How to create a gratitude list?

You can begin by writing 3-10 things that you are grateful for each day. Do not simply write, pause, and feel the emotion of being thankful, while writing down. It accomplishes more when you classify the list into three different sections.

People that you are grateful for: it could be your family, friend, or any stranger who helped you along the way.
Circumstances that you are grateful for: the place that you are living at, the services you can leverage, etc.
One the little thing that brings a smile to your face, it could be your favorite pillow, your beloved chair, or your favorite mug.

When is the right time to create it?

Gratitude lists could be a part of your daily habit. The best time to fill it in would be right after waking up or before going to bed. I prefer to write it after waking up, it helps to build the momentum for the whole day.

How does it help?

Most of us carry an unseen amount of pressure and criticism for ourselves during our day. We tend to ignore the things we are blessed with and focus on what we lack. We go to bed and wake up with a task to work on our shortcomings and mistakes.

How many times are we unable to sleep at night because of being haunted by a random memory of a silly thing we did in school?

When you will start filling in the gratitude list every day. You will notice more things to be thankful for because you will be looking ahead to make an entry on your list.

Lifestyle February 18, 2020

How to be happier at work

We spend a major part of lives at our workplace and if it is not the work we really love then it is difficult to be motivated or enjoy it each day.

So here are few tips to make those work hours happier than usual.

Most of the people that I work with are not usually the happiest in office. For those of you working in a corporate environment you know what I am referring to, people are mechanical and disconnected and it is hard to stay cheerful and happy in such an environment. Whether you have your own business, or work for a company; we can’t let happiness get away from us for 8 hours straight, can we?

1. Give Thanks

If you have the opportunity to work and contribute towards a business, be grateful. Even if you hate your job, there is a reason you are still working there, be it for money or to learn new work ethics. Pay your thanks right before you start working each day. It keeps you motivated for a few hours.

2. Avoid office gossips

It is a big ‘No’ if you want to keep your happiness intact. It is easy to fall into the trap of criticising a coworker behind their back. But, it can soon turn in to an exaggerated rumour you never expected to hear. Few people or colleagues, will only bond over gossiping, avoid such a company at all costs, being alone is better than being unhappy.

3. Practice mindfulness

mindfulness among the trees, how to be happier at work — This pic is to make you feel relaxed, it has nothing to do with mindfulness

No matter how hard you try some days will still be hard to handle. Work towards resolving such issues rather than letting it build up into something bigger. If your tough work day has no remedy, then,
– Check if your office has a quiet room or space where you can be alone.
– Leave your phone behind for 5 mins and practice deep breathing.
– If you can’t find a place alone, then take ten mindful breaths at your desk.
This takes away your attachment from the current scenario and makes you feel indifferent towards the situation. You can also practice conscious breathing while sipping your favourite beverage at work.

4. Make a to-do list

checklist to increase productivity and happiness

Make a list of activities that you are required to perform. It helps in keeping your mind from wandering here and there and focus on the tasks at hand. You get more done during the day and with more clarity. I prefer having handwritten list but you can choose according to your convenience.

5. Do not stay seated for more than 30 Minutes

If you have a desk job, you would be required to stay in one place for long hours, but to maintain your health and refresh yourself. Walk for a few minutes after you have spent 30 minutes sitting. You can have some water at this time, get some energy flowing through your body.

6. Do not say ‘Yes’ when you don’t want to

Sometimes, your colleagues might ask you to take up more tasks as a favour or help. While it is good to help others, it must never come at the expense of your balanced work schedule. Say yes only when you mean it. Learn to refuse politely to maintain a healthy balance of work. Many of the time, we take additional work and then complain about it in front of others. Creating healthy boundaries helps in maintaining peace of mind.

7. Use your support system

When nothing else works, that wonderful support system you have as a friend, family, or partner, get in touch with them.
My first corporate coach conducted one whole session on creating a strong support system that we can lean on in times of distress, and that advice has worked well in creating happiness at work hours too. On not so happy days instead of being upset about things and keeping them in. Make plans with your family or friends, have a nice dinner (home-cooked or dine out) together. If you live alone, call that one person whose name has just popped in your head. If you have a happy life outside of work, the work pressure is likely to reduce and you are going to show up happier at work.

8. Do not work when you are not at work

work only in the working hours to be happier at work

Many of us have a bad habit of checking our emails, even when we are not working. This leads to additional stress, and over time you will not be able to enjoy the hours when you are not working, because you have cultivated a habit of being available on emails on weekends too. Overworking is also an addiction.

9. Go out for a walk

Walks are so underrated, go out, and walk for at least 20 minutes, each day. It not only helps you physically it is also helpful in bringing in more peace. A 30 minute is good enough to start with,to be happier at work.

Hope this tips help you let me know below what are your hack to be happier at your work.

Meditation February 13, 2020

The most effective technique for Deep Breathing

Though there are many ways to practice deep breathing but the mentioned exercise bring out the best results and makes us more mindful. Here is the most effective Deep Breathing technique, which is also the easiest way to centre yourself.

Let’s begin

Sit comfortably on a chair

Roll your shoulders back

Relax your face

Keep your palms on your thighs facing upwards

Inhale while counting 1…2…3

Hold for 1…2…3

Exhale for 1…2…3

Repeat this for five times.

You can use this technique at the beginning of your meditation or to simply relax your mind.

Life September 29, 2019

My Journey to my first book: Live More

It is a different experience, but it feels the same as it felt after standing for the first time in front of the Eiffel or getting married to the person I love. I never thought that I would make it, at least not this early.

Yes, I wanted to publish a book for a long time. I wrote a few chapters for a few days and then didn’t write anything for months. However, in my darkest times, writing became a beautiful escape. I thought maybe this is the time I am going to write a book, but after a few days, the idea seemed crazy and too big to execute.

This on and off relationship with writing went on for the first 2 years. After a while, I started my own blog, and after a few blog posts, I began receiving messages from complete strangers who found my writing relatable. After those few articles, I decided to take writing seriously.

In 2016’s Christmas holidays, I was traveling from Rome to Brussels in an airplane; let us say it wasn’t exactly a bad landing but, it was bad enough to scare me, and the first thought that came to my mind was, ‘but, the book is not out yet’. This brought my attention to the place this book held at the back of my mind.

And for the past 2 years, I have been writing every day to complete ‘Live More’. I could not wait to send my book out there, and for people to read it. Now, it feels the same but different (I don’t know if you can relate to this part).

You can buy the buy the eBook at Live More – Kindle Edition

or

You can purchase the Paperback from Amazon or Notionpress.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/dp/1684662443

Notion Press: https://notionpress.com/read/live-more

I do not know how it will go from here, or how many people are going to read it. Maybe, at times the work you create is itself the prize.