Dan Strutzel - The Growth Mindset

ALSO BY DAN STRUTZEL AND TRACI SHOBLOM

The Power of Charisma

The Power of Positive Selling

USE THE POWER OF YOUR MIND TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE NOW

DAN STRUTZEL

& TRACI SHOBLOM

Published 2022 by Gildan Media LLC
aka G&D Media
www.GandDmedia.com

Copyright 2022 by Dan Strutzel and Traci Shoblom

No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained within. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

First Edition: 2022

Front cover design by David Rheinhardt of Pyrographx

Interior design by Meghan Day Healey of Story Horse, LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available upon request

eISBN: 978-1-7225-2176-9

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1. INTRODUCTION
   You Have the Power to Change Your Life
2. CHAPTER ONE
   Tap into Your Power
3. CHAPTER TWO
   Are You Ready to Grow?
4. CHAPTER THREE
   The Comfort Zone
5. CHAPTER FOUR
   The Growth Cycle
6. CHAPTER FIVE
   The Four Keys to Lasting Change
7. CHAPTER SIX
   G: Goals
8. CHAPTER SEVEN
   R: Realign
9. CHAPTER EIGHT
   O: Overcome Obstacles
10. CHAPTER NINE
    W: Work

Two brothers, Stan and Barry, grew up in a regular middle class family. Like many brothers, they were polar opposites.

When Stan was a little boy, he would often tell his brother, When I am bigger, I am going to be so happy. Ill be able to set my own bedtime, and eat whatever I want.

Then, as he grew, hed say, When I get into high school, I am going to be so happy. Ill have a car and can stay out later. Ill have a girlfriend. Yeah, Ill be happy in high school.

But, in high school, Stan said, I am going to be so happy when I go off to college. My time will be my own. I can pick the classes I want, and stay out as late as I want.

By his senior year in college, Stan told his brother, Oh man. I am going to be so happy to graduate. Carol and I are going to get married, and start a family, and Ill have a career. Thats what I have been working for.

Unfortunately, the trend continued. For his whole life, Stan waited for some future point to be happy. When the baby gets out of diapers When I get that promotion at work. When the kids are older and in school. When I retire

On the last day of his life, Stan realized that he had waited too long to be happy. His life progressed, but he kept waiting for some point on the horizon when things would be perfect enough to be happy. He never felt empowered enough to make the changes he needed to be happy all along. And because of that, he didnt have a happy life.

Contrast that to Stans brother Barry. From the get-go, his mother said he was a happy baby. He was content playing with whatever toy he had in his hands even if it was a wrapping paper tube. While his brother was waiting to be able to set his own bedtime, Barry sat under the covers with a flashlight, happy to have the quiet time to read. While Stan couldnt wait to get to high school so that he could have a car and a girlfriend, Barry enjoyed his neighbor friends and making cars out of things laying around the garage. In college, Barry got the most out of the experience, by playing in a band, studying hard for good grades, and exploring the campus. When it came time to graduate and get a job, Barry was excited to choose between two options. As soon as he walked in the front door of his new workplace, he found things to be happy about. Growth opportunities were everywhere! Soon, Barry met a woman, got married, and had kids. He enjoyed every single moment of fatherhood.

When his own son started to grow up and become impatient for the future, Barry told him, Son, a happy life is nothing more than a series of happy moments strung together. If you cant be happy now, youll never be happy in the future. All we have is now.

A happy life is just a series of happy moments strung together.

Of course, this book is called The Growth Mindset and not The Happy Mindset. But, what is the purpose of growth, other than to obtain the knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and things that will make us happy? After all, no one is completely happy with their current state. Theres always some area that could be improved. Maybe its that twenty pounds youve been meaning to lose, or that beautiful home you want to buy. We all have growth goals. Some of us just have a higher growth need than others. Some of us dont care as much about changing and growing, and others are in constant search of something to learn, improve, or change.

Does that mean that a person with low growth needs is necessarily happier than a person with higher growth needs? Not at all. Its a matter of balancing out the desire for growth (whether its a strong desire or a mild one) with the ability to be happy in the current state.

Part of that involves a persons belief in their ability to change. Well call that efficacy. A person with a high growth needs but a feeling that they dont have the power to change their circumstances is going to be less happy than a person with low growth needs who believes that he or she can change things if they want to. Similarly, a person with high growth needs and the confidence that they can achieve their goals is likely to be happy. And the person with low growth needs but doesnt feel that they can change things anyway is likely to be neutral.

So, how do we balance out having goals for the future with being happy in the moment? Thats what this book is about. The Growth Mindset: Use the Power of Your Mind to Change Your Life NOW isnt only about changing the things that need changing in your life. Its also about being happy every day, while youre growing. And, sometimes the growth comes in changing the way you see your current situation. After all, there are some things we can change in life, and some things we cant. Its the old Serenity Prayer, written by Reinhold Niebuhr in the mid 1900s:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.

If you cant change something about your life, you can change the way you feel about it.

Heres how The Growth Mindset (which, for the sake of simplicity, well refer to as GROW!) will help you do just that. First, well tap into the power of your mind and make sure that the timing is right for growth. Then, in Part One, well lay the foundation for growth by looking at your comfort zone and how it might be keeping you stuck. Well explore the growth cycle, and identify the four keys to lasting change. To use a garden metaphor, its about preparing the soil and choosing the right time to plant.