Now it is time to take some steps into growing practical autonomous mindset. We shall achieve this through practical exercises and examples. We had demystified how an autonomous mindset looks like in this chat: Cultivating Autonomous Mindset for the Humanity Highest Good. Moreover, we came to understand why it is more important to invest time, effort and even capital in developing humanity with entrenched autonomous mindset in this chat: Risks of Autonomous systems shooting us in the foot.
In this chat, we shall enrich those practical steps into autonomous mindset with Extended Examples that you can see yourself in this new version of you while applying and practicing. This encourage our imagination to build this new reality within us. Then, after a short while while being attentive, we shall see this image unfolding in the physical realm. You can reach the complete set of mindsets that you can easily tune with practical illustration via the book: Mindset Manifesto, Blueprint for Life, Tech & Success
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Below, each exercise is expanded to include a brief real-world example to provide clarity and guidance and quicker adoption:
1. Build Self-Awareness
Daily Reflection Journal on any medium: Write about your day’s highlights, focusing on the decisions you made, the challenges you encountered, and what you learned. This habit fosters introspection and helps identify patterns in your thinking and actions. For example, if you notice you hesitate when making decisions, reflect on what fears might be holding you back. Then think do I still want this hesitation to be here with me in every decision? And finally brainstorm ways to overcome them. Brainstorming starts by seeking alternative ideas from other humans or virtual assistance. You don’t need to follow what you found exactly but at least it will spark your own version of it.
Practical Example of an Autonomous Mindset: An aspiring entrepreneur, writes in her journal, “Today, I struggled to delegate tasks to my team because I feared they wouldn’t meet my standards. I’ll experiment tomorrow by assigning one small task and observing the outcome.”. They key word here is “small task” i.e. dividing what fears me into small pieces to handle each one individually so it fear me less.
Strengths and Weaknesses Audit: Identify areas where you excel and those where you need improvement or fear. For strengths, brainstorm ways to use them more effectively. For weaknesses, list potential solutions.
Another Practical Example: A student, discovers his strength in public speaking and decides to volunteer for more presentations. He is strong in public talk. However he acknowledges his struggle with time management and starts using a scheduling app to divide and prioritize tasks. They key word here is “acknowledges his struggle” i.e. realized the fearing element in presenting. So, he can treat the root cause not take the presenting issue as a fearful process altogether.
2. Set Clear Goals to practically reach autonomous mindset
SMART Goal Setting: Set the tone of your goals to be specific. Instead of vague aims like “Get fit,” specify “Exercise for 30 minutes, 4 times a week.” By measuring progress, you’ll build momentum. Also, Instead of a vague goal like “Get a technical certificate,” specify “Complete the CompTIA A+ certification course by December 31st 202x.” They key takeaway here is to make sure that your goal is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic & time bound.
Example: A new coder, sets the goal: “Complete 3 Python tutorials by Sunday evening and apply the concepts in a mini-project.” They track progress daily to stay on course and retune not got lost.
Break Goals into Milestones: Divide large goals into smaller, time-bound steps. This prevents overwhelm and makes progress tangible. This is a great tool to easily digest big targets through small digestible steps. Moreover, you will be able to tune each step to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic & time bound. This will make every step to the goal clear. Hence the final goal itself will be too much clear.
Practical Example for an Autonomous Mindset: Identify the specific certification that aligns with your career goals and interests, Enroll in a course, Commit to a study schedule: Allocate specific time slots for studying course material and practice exams. Gather alternative study materials, Complete course modules, Practice regularly, Take practice exams, review areas where you need improvement. Finally Schedule and take the certification exam.
Another Example: To plan a career shift, break goal of becoming a data analyst into milestones: 1) Complete a free course in data analytics, 2) Practice with 3 projects, 3) Build a portfolio, and 4) Apply for 5 relevant jobs.
3. Open a space for Self-Motivation
Self-motivation can be particularly challenging when navigating discouraging environments. Whether it’s a consistently negative workplace or a broader societal climate that feels limiting, it’s easy to feel drained and lose sight of your own goals. However, even in the most challenging circumstances, there are always glimmers of positivity. By actively seeking out these “light spots” – moments of joy, acts of kindness, or signs of progress – we can cultivate a more resilient and optimistic mindset.
Furthermore, it’s crucial to recognize that even in seemingly supportive environments, negative individuals or systemic issues can cast long shadows. These discouraging elements can easily dominate our attention, making it difficult to perceive the larger picture. However, it’s important to remember that these are often temporary distractions. By acknowledging their existence without allowing them to define our entire experience, we can refocus our attention on the broader opportunities and possibilities that surround us.
So, let’s now jump into the practical steps and examples that help us envision ourselves as self motivated aka autonomous beings. As we said before, you create yourself the way you envision yourself.
The “Silver Lining” Practice:
That expression “every cloud has a silver lining” means that even the bad events or situations have some positive aspect. he origin of the phrase seems to be John Milton’s 1634 poem “Comus,” which includes the line, “Was I deceived? or did a sable cloud/Turn forth her silver lining on the night?” I’d like to share this part of the poem with you here:
I see ye visibly, and now believe
That he, the Supreme Good, to whom all things ill
Are but as slavish officers of vengeance,
Would send a glistering guardian, if need were
To keep my life and honor unassailed.
Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud
Turn forth her silver lining on the night?
I did not err; there does a sable cloud
Turn forth her silver lining on the night,
And casts a gleam over this tufted grove
The bottom line: The ecosystem we dwell on can be negative with silver lining or silver with dark lining. Anyhow we need to look at the bright side or even little bright spots to propel the good vibes. So, train yourself to actively search for the positive aspects within challenging situations.
Practical Example: If a project -whether business or personal or even a task- faces unexpected setbacks, instead of dwelling on the frustrations, ask yourself: “What can I learn from this obstacle?” , “How it will add to my experience and growth?” or “What new opportunities might arise from this unexpected turn of events?”
The “Three Good Things” Journal:
Each evening, write down three positive things that happened during the day. These can be small victories, acts of kindness, or moments of joy. That’s the first block towards cultivating gratitude which arises from regularly listing things you appreciate in your life.
To create opportunities for the good things, you can engage in acts of kindness that can boost your mood and provide a sense of purpose. By the way the realization or the correct labeling of acts of kindness that come out naturally -even the subtle one- will help as we shall see next.
Practical Example: “I helped a colleague with a problem and they expressed their gratitude,” “I enjoyed a delicious meal and thanked the cook,” or “I finally finished reading that chapter I’ve been struggling with.”.
Then we can move forward to bigger things that we can be grateful for as “I am grateful for my health,” “I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow,” or “I am grateful for the support of my friends and family.”
Or, we can appreciate the acts of kindness that we receive or give daily as: Helping a neighbor or even a stranger in a small thing, simply offering a helping hand to a colleague or even actually helping him or, volunteering at a local charity – if available-.
Morning Motivation Routine:
Now that we had planted some seeds of hope and started to see some silver lining, we can initiate a positive act from within. Create a morning habit that energizes you for the day.
Practical Example: Recite affirmations like “I am capable of achieving my goals” or visualize yourself succeeding. This primes your mind for positive action. You can start the day by visualizing yourself delivering a successful presentation or solving a problem that irritates you or, received something that you long waited for. These boosts sparks confidence and possibilities and direct our focus to a better day where we can go forward.
Reward System:
Pair tasks with rewards to sustain motivation. For example, enjoy a favorite restaurant after completing a difficult project. You can start small by enjoying a cup of coffee or a chocolate bar or even a gorgeous pasta plate. Moreover, you can start by realizing what pleases you in the personal life or at work and consider them as rewards from the universe.
Practical Example for autonomous mindset: Pay attention to the small joys in everyday life: The beauty of a sunrise, the taste of your favorite food, the feeling of accomplishment after completing a task. Then promises yourself a movie night only if she finishes the assignment or task by 6 p.m. or even by today. Be strict in the accomplishment and the reward. This incentive keeps you focused throughout the day on achieving your goals and shield you from distraction to achieve the reward.
In Conclusion,
We had delved deep into only 3 of the many practical steps to practically create an autonomous mindset, we are going to continue in following chats so be here. For now, just remember that these practices require consistent effort. Start with one or two and gradually incorporate them into your daily routine. Even small, consistent efforts can have a significant impact on your overall motivation, autonomy and well-being.
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