Strategic Coach Dan Sullivan stated recently that, “The biggest mistake anyone can make is that there is something else more important than mindset.” Every decision we make, every action we take is a function of our mindset. He defines it as “the way you set your mind to look at the world.” Sullivan defines two types of mindset: the entitlement mindset and the responsibility mindset.

The entitlement mindset says, “Nothing which happens to me is my own fault. Others are responsible for those things that don’t go right in my life.” This individual thinks that success is a right, or entitlement, owed to them. Excuses and blaming others are their two main tools for dealing with their failures. Their mantra is, “I am not responsible for anything that happens to me…it’s someone else’s fault!”

The responsibility mindset says, “Everything that happens to me happens because of what I do. How I perceive life and the events happening around me is important. I am 100% responsible for my own success — no one else!”

Consider how easy it would have been for Bill Alexander to say, “I grew up in poverty. I had no opportunities. A fascist state caused me to be a failure right from the start! I will be nothing but a starving artist for the rest of my days!”

Bill recognized that he was in control of his life. He was the one who had the power (he would later call it “creative power”) to change things. Bill recognized that griping, complaining and lamenting the past would not help him achieve his goal of becoming a great artist.

The biggest mistake you can make in your life is thinking that “mindset” is not important! Everything you do…everything you will become…starts with the right mindset!

According to Sullivan, there are two statements that those with a successful mindset make.

Successful individuals understand that they are in control of their future. They, also, understand that they must learn from their failures. They learn how to change their attitudes and their behaviors when they meet this problem again. They turn a potential failure into a success. They understand that mistakes are their responsibility and no one else’s!

It is not a useful activity to try and change another person’s mindset. A better use of your time is to identify the other person’s mindset and then decide if you want to let that person into your life. Usually, you can identify another person’s mindset with just a few minutes of conversation.

You gain your mindsets, at first, from those around you. That’s why parenting is so important. We have to learn mindsets from others until we have the ability to create our own.

Developing a mindset is a continuing process. The only way you can develop your mindset is to experience life and make decisions about how you are going to deal with the events that happen to you.

Alexander Art’s goal is to assemble people with like-minded mindsets and facilitate their interaction with each other. That’s what our website, forums and our Silver Membership are all about.

In our next article we are going to discuss creating value, responding to change and how, along with mindset, we can become better artists.​