Mindsets: The Perspective Towards Life

By Pragun Sharma

chanchalam hi manah krishna pramathi balavad dridham

tasyaham nigraham manye vayor iva su-dushkaram

Arjuna was in the middle of the battleground of Kurukshetra, where he was supposed to kill his own family members to get his realm back. Wretched and muddled, he resorts to the bases of lord Krishna, his chariot in the war, for perceptivity. That’s when Lord Krishna presents him with an informational converse about his constancy and the right way to persist in life. The teachings calm his mind and ease all his anxieties.

MINDSET is the dictator of an individual, who influences a person into how they think, feel, believe, speak, and act in a situation consciously or subconsciously. Just like a dictator, mindsets keep power over a person and control them. Mindset is scientific evidence that shows both the possibility of the brain to grow or change. It is a speculation about reactions to obstacles hitches in life. It is not a theory about academic accomplishment in general and doesn’t aim to explain the lion’s share of the dissimilarity in grades or exam results.

Like Arjuna, if we understand and apply the teachings, therefore have a good Mindset. It is restless because it keeps fluttering in different directions, from subject to subject. It is chaotic because it creates disruption in one’s consciousness, in the form of abomination, lust, cupidity, cruelty, anxiety, fright, bond, rage, etc. It is strong because it overpowers the intellect with its intense currents and smashups the faculty of discrimination.

Mindsets lure a person into thinking negatively or lead a person into thinking positively. A person with a negative mindset tends to have a ‘Fixed Mindset’ and a ‘Pessimistic Attitude’. They don’t believe in themselves, and they believe that if something in their life is not in order it cannot be set, and they live with the difficulties it, which ever so often leads them to feel hopeless or worthless, they do not pay attention to their health sustaining problems like obesity, insomnia, poor appetite, and exhaustion. If people with negative minds fail to meet their goals, they may feel inadequate.

On the other hand, people with a positive mindset have a ‘Growth Mindset’ and an ‘Optimistic Attitude’. They have a productive lifestyle and believe things that are not in order can be worked on; they focus on gratitude and good things in life. They are believed to have long and happy life. People with positive mindsets see problems as challenges and always open their minds to drink suggestions and viewpoints. They think that talents and abilities can be developed overtime through persistence. 

People with fixed mindsets avoid challenges while people with growth mindsets embrace challenges. For People with fixed mindsets failures mean you are a failure and blame others for seat backs .For people with growth mindsets failures are opportunities to learn more and reflect on setbacks and use them as a lesson.

Mindsets also play a major role in work places such as companies, cafes, restaurants, shopping centers etc. Mindsets significantly amend the way individuals and work places operate. Presence of Growth mindsets in work places increase faith, innovation and courage of the workers employed there. People in places like these are more collaborative, adventures and easy going. 

Dr. Fiona Boylan a lecturer from Edith Cowan University has been researching mindsets in children. The Development of mindsets in growing children is a really important part of their life. Children start developing their mindsets at the age of three which influences children’s motivation, external control and accomplishments. Adults play an important role in the development of the mindsets of children. Parents should help children realize that it’s normal to make mistakes and they should learn from their mistakes. Teachers, parents, and caregivers should help children not to get degraded when the outcome of their work doesn’t come out well and should tell them to focus more on the learning than the outcomes. Children with growth mindsets tend to learn from their mistakes and work on them. 

On a final note a verse from Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji by Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji would be apt “Man jeetai jag jeet”. This verse from Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji says that if someone gets a hold of the desires of their mind they can win the whole world. From these teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji we can simply say that one should attain power over their minds in spite of letting their minds control them. 

By Pragun Sharma