New Year, New Opportunities: Source Inspiration, Not Envy
In any walk of life, it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others and feeling envious of their achievements. But what if we could turn envy into inspiration? By adopting a growth mindset and focusing on our own goals, we can use the success of others as motivation to achieve our own dreams.
Each new year brings with it a host of new opportunities, a reset button, a chance to start over or commit to those goals we never quite got off the ground last year. So, as we start our latest trip around the sun, it seems the perfect time to break out those resolutions and start with a clean slate, right?
To me, it’s not about creating another raft of potentially unfulfilled resolutions. It’s about remaining resolute, and the key to this is adopting a Growth Mindset.
Last year, like many before it, finished with Awards season. Like me, your social media feeds were undoubtedly jam packed with images of award winners celebrating the successes they worked so hard to achieve. But for all those who didn’t end the year tightly clutching their very own glitterball, what next?
Put simply – there are two choices:
Source Inspiration (Growth Mindset), or Source Envy (Fixed Mindset).
Such a simple frame and it could be so important to how each of us approach 2025.
Envy often comes from a fixed mindset – the belief that our abilities are limited, unchanging, or that success is out of reach.
The truth is, we have a huge capacity to be incredibly adaptable. To embrace change and learn new things means we are capable of learning and growing at any age. When we embrace a growth mindset, we recognise that our abilities can be developed through dedication and effort.
So how do we source inspiration instead of giving in to envy? Here are a few simple steps:
Shift your focus: Instead of dwelling on what others have, concentrate on your own goals. What excites you? What skills do you want to develop?
Identify your triggers: What situations or people tend to make you feel envious? Once you’re aware of your triggers, you can choose a different response.
Study those you admire: Instead of being envious of their successes, understand what they’ve done to achieve them. What strategies have they used? What lessons can you learn?
Celebrate others’ achievements: Being genuinely happy for others’ success creates positivity and support, creating your very own springboard to achievement and growth.
This January, join me in making a commitment to cultivate a growth mindset and to view others’ achievements not as a threat, but as proof positive that we can achieve our dreams too.
Source inspiration, not envy.
Now that’s a 2025 we can all look forward to.
russ.thompson@director-on-demand.co.uk and www.director-on-demand.co.uk
