“Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a shovel.” ― Aldo Leopold
Do you ever ask yourself, "What the hell am I doing?" Ever have that feeling in the pit of your stomach like you are walking on a high wire without a net? Even something simple, like how to make a 45 degree angle cut, can make you feel like you have forgotten everything you have ever learned?
But feelings aren't facts, right? So, we take a deep breath, clear our minds and come up with a different approach. We come at the problem from a different angle.
How many times in your life have you pivoted from one solution to another? And how many times did you try something once and then give up? We, every single person on the planet, have done both - tackled a challenge strategically and decided that we weren't enough to handle a problem. The real difference in these opposite responses is all in our perspective, or angle...or mindset.
The Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has created a whole new concept that is being taught everywhere, from schools to Fortune 500 companies - growth versus fixed mindset.
From her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she says, "In one world - the world of fixed traits - success is about proving you're smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other - the world of changing qualities - it's about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself.
In one world, failure is about having a setback...It means you are not smart or talented. In the other world, failure is about not growing...It means you're not fulfilling your potential.
In one world, effort is a bad thing. It, like failure, means you're not smart or talented. If you were, you wouldn't need the effort. In the other world, effort is what makes you smart or talented." (MIC DROP)
A growth mindset opens up the world, your brain, your heart. A fixed mindset limits you, sets boundaries on your abilities and stifles your imagination and creativity. It is not possible, as beautifully imperfect people, to keep a growth mindset 100% of the time. We are constantly going back and forth between the two. And that's okay. Remember, much like trees, we human beings don't pop into this world fully grown like Athena. No, no. It takes years of effort, experience, exposure and education to become the wonderfully complicated people we are. But the more we are aware of our mindsets, the more opportunity we have to choose growth over fixed. Carol Dweck says, "You have a choice. Mindsets are just beliefs. They're powerful beliefs, but they're just something in your mind, and you can change your mind."
This is much easier said than done, of course. I have been struggling a bit to keep an open mind and not tell myself that this is too much for me to do. I mean, it's really simple stuff, right? So why am I shrinking away from the challenge?
I could list a whole bunch of reasons, or excuses. The truth is I am so hesitant because I don't think I can do it "right." It just seems so silly now that I have said it out loud. (What does "right" mean, anyway?) It is a good time to remind myself that I didn't choose to do this as a quick creative project. I decided to do this to memorialize and create a medium in which to share all of the lessons and education I was lucky enough to receive. This is more about the process than the product.
So while I am changing my approach to the Miniphany Tree, I am rethinking how to do a proper angled cut. My new approach is posing the question, "What would Doug say if I called him?" This is when the miniphany happens. I remember that Doug used a tool to make angled measurements. It's called a t-bevel and it is what I will use to measure out the angles before I make the cuts.
Cutting angles is tricky. Changing your angle on life is even trickier. Mindfulness is key, of course. (Isn't it always?) And some sort of tool to keep at hand helps. When I am asking myself if I am coming from a place of growth, I like to think of a quote that a contestant on Chopped once said, (I know, I know, it's a food-based reality television show, but this little nugget has stuck with me), "Winning is moment. Better is forever."
Let that one marinate for a little while.
xoxo
Follow theminiphanytree on Instagram to see when new posts are up!
