Your Ultimate Self

Wealth | Health | Wellness

Tag: Self development

  • AI and Human Mindset

    In a world where information and technology has become the great equalizer, how can we differentiate ourselves from others? Tools such as AI have leveled the playing field in terms of obtaining knowledge and information. No longer does one need to spend hours perusing the library and engaging in punctilious research to find the answer they are looking for. 

    So then, it would seem as though everyone should easily reach their goals in greater numbers than ever before. But a quick survey of those close to us would illustrate the contrary. Of course there are more technological resources now than in the past, yet it seems like human achievement is relegated to only a select few in spite of our abundance. 

    Clearly, there are other factors at play. While many different forces can be attributed to this observation, I’d like to emphasize the invisible role that mindset plays and how its role will grow in importance as the sands of time sink in the hourglass of our lives. As technology continues to even out the playing field in life, what will be more and more important is the way humans are able to play the game. Hence, our ability to overcome our inner circumstances and challenges will prove to be just as crucial if not greater than our external environment. 

    Dr. Carol Dweck makes an interesting point about the difference between Fixed and Growth mindsets that we can take with us as we navigate our own lives. Having a fixed mindset is a means for our egos to avoid failure at all costs; mainly at the cost of our own self development and evolution. “Whatever talents I have (intelligence, gifts, abilities) are all that I will ever have” is the story that those with a fixed mindset tell themselves.

    On the other hand, someone with a growth mindset embraces failure and challenges and sees taking risks as an essential part of the process towards success. The stories told by people with growth mindsets sound like this, “I will only reach my highest potential by taking risks and accepting uncertainty as part of the growth process”. Failure for them is something to be learned from instead of shrunk away from. 

    Thankfully, the way we make meaning and the stories we tell ourselves are mutable. We can shift towards growth or we can fall into a fixed mindset; for most of us this is a dynamic process that ebbs and flows from one to the other. When we become aware of these stories and thoughts is when the magic happens and we can start crafting the meanings for the challenges of life in a way that lead us to our highest potential. 

    Dr. Shaikh M.D

  • Cognitive Reappraisal

    Imagine a scenario where you are dealing with a stressor. This includes handling an unruly family member, facing disputes at work, or even having an argument with your spouse. The way we view that stress and characterize it has serious implications on the effect that it has on us. In most circumstances the narrative we create around the stressor is more harmful than the stressor itself.

    For example, when we lose our job, there are multiple meanings we can create around the situation. When we don’t get something we want, we can also create various interpretations. For the former incident, most people frame it negatively. They focus on their perceived lack of abilities, talents, and worthiness. This mindset leads to the formation of limiting beliefs which are carried with us as we navigate our professional, personal, and spiritual endeavors. 

    However, if we take that same incident (losing a job or not getting the object of our desire), we can look at it from another perspective: that this experience is motivating me to become a better version of myself, or that it is a learning event that will fuel my growth and allow me to be more successful in the future. Can you see how when we take a step back and objectively look at the scenario we can consciously ascribe meaning to a difficult or challenging situation? 

    Indeed, this is the essence of cognitive reappraisal. We take a step back from the challenging situation that we are dealing with and use an objective lens to see the meaning that we are making of it. We can then dissect the meaning that we are making of the challenge and see how that meaning limits or expands the future actions we will take as a result.

    In brief, we can alter our realities and outcomes based on our own perception and mind. Since one of the constants in life are challenges and stress which usually can not be changed immediately, one would be wise to shift the perception and narratives we create alongside them so that we can create the best outcomes for our lives and the lives of those around us. 

    Dr. Shaikh M.D