56: Does Mindset Really Matter?

Kimberly Beer 0:00 The Business Animal podcast is proudly sponsored by WP Engine your resource for managed WordPress hosting. And KEAP the premier CRM software for small business, head over to thebusinessanimal.com for the best deals on these two amazing products Jaz 0:19 Welcome to The Business Animal podcast. Saddle up for a gallop to the top of the animal industry, where you’ll learn how to tame your wild business beast with tips, techniques, and tools that will take overwhelm to obedience school, and have you wagging your tail with joy. And now your hosts, Kim Beer, and Cara Taylor Swift. Kimberly Beer 0:41 Hey there business animals, it’s Kim with Be More Business Cara Taylor Swift 0:44 and Cara with Fast Horse photography. Kimberly Beer 0:47 Welcome to The Business Animal. So I know all of you out there because you’re listening to a podcast. I know you appreciate information and inspiration and knowledge, I know that it’s a value for you. Or you probably wouldn’t be tuning into a podcast, I would love to think that Cara and I are that entertaining that we could carry that whole conversation. But I’m sure you’re here for more reason than just to listen to the two of us banter back and forth. And for the occasional weird thing that we do all of that aside for entertainment value, the fact that you appreciate that means that at some point in time, in your podcast, listening, in your experience, I’m sure you’ve run across coaches or influencers or people who talk about mindset. And I think this conversation gets really heavily put into a lot of the things that we are offered as far as self improvement as far as business development and business building. And today, what Cara and I want to do is we want to have a really candid conversation within the scope of our big three, around mindset and around does it really matter and why it matters if it does, and why it doesn’t matter, in some instances why this topic gets talked about a lot and and some things that that concern both of us about all of the shifts that happened around influencers, telling people to focus on their mindset, and some things that can happen in that direction. Because as entrepreneurs, we’ve listened to all of those podcasts as well. And we’ve read those books, and we’ve followed those influencers. And frankly, I think we both have a little bit of our own two cents to put into this conversation. So that’s what we’re up to today. Cara do you have anything to add to that? Cara Taylor Swift 2:38 Yeah, that’s it’s interesting, Kim, because when we broach the idea of having this conversation and talking about mindset on the show, we both came at it from a perspective of, you know, mindset matters. And we were going to talk through it. And then when we started, like really having a real conversation about it between the two of us, something just didn’t sit right with us. And so we went back, and we thought through it again, and I think that this is going to be probably more of a conversation a little bit for us today. What do you think, Kim? Kimberly Beer 3:06 I do I do, I still think we need to talk about the big three, because we did come up with three things that we feel are very important around this conversation. So let me just get those introduced. And then we’re going to go back and talk about the definition of what mindset means. But first of all, let’s dive down those big three mindset does affect you. And everything around you. That just is part of the equation mindset is energy creation, and energy creation is all around us. right mindset. And number two is mindset can either be a benefit or a barrier. And we’re going to talk a little bit more in depth about that. And that fact that barriers aren’t always a bad thing. And the third thing is that shifting your mindset, when you really want to do it, it needs to be done with some mindful consideration of you can’t just flip the switch and change your mindset. So let’s start by talking about mindset. So for me, I’m going to define it and then Kara can define it for her. For me mindset is a lot about the attitude that you bring into what you’re doing in your work. And it’s also about the underlying belief that you have in yourself in what it is that you’re selling in your business, in your service and in what you provide as a value to the world at large to the community as a whole or the entire universe or whatever you want to think about that mindset is what you’re focused on and and what your belief system is around that. How do you define it, Kara? Cara Taylor Swift 4:39 I have always been one of those people that cringed when people would say you just need to be more positive about this or you know, you just need to flip the way you’re thinking about that. I tend to be pretty skeptical about stuff like that. I mean, you know me and I think the folks that listen to this show know me well enough to know that I get really just kind of queasy when people start talking about stuff that feels kind of woowoo. To me, I mean, I wake up, and I’ve typically am in a mindset already. And I do have to. And I do believe there is some power in thinking about your mindset and putting effort into creating a mindset that works for your day. And for the folks that are around you. There is absolute power in that. But I also think that mindset, and your general attitude as a whole and how you feel about certain projects, your business, your life, that will drive the things that you do the things that you accomplish, and that you put your effort into. So that for me makes sense. But I don’t you know, there are certain there are certain things about the whole mindset, like you said earlier, the idea that there’s coaches out there, and there’s people out there pushing this idea of mindset. And if you’ve done any work on this at all, you’ve heard probably the talk about growth mindset versus fixed mindset. And I will tell you in my son’s class, I have gotten reports back from his teachers saying that one of the things they’re really working on him right now is increasing his growth mindset. And I find that really interesting, because before we started doing research on this topic, and on this episode, I hadn’t put a whole lot of thought into it other than thinking maybe negatively, like, Oh, my goodness, why doesn’t my child already have this mindset where he’s growing and learning, right? And so there was that feeling. So when I started doing the research on it, I realized that the theory is out there. And it’s something that’s been picked up and pushed a lot. But there’s not a lot of well, there’s nothing that I saw scientifically proving the theory of growth mindset versus fixed mindset. So anyway, I just thought for folks that are familiar with those terms, and what they mean, I thought that was really interesting. And I think what Kim and I want to talk about today is how how does your mindset affect your day to day and operation of your business? Kimberly Beer 6:52 Yeah, absolutely. And as you’re talking about that, it almost feels like as we’re teaching kids, this, it’s almost coming up as a skill set, right? It’s almost coming up like mindset is now a skill, it’s like learning how to use a computer, or how to use a wrench or how to groom a dog or how to ride a horse. It’s a skill that you learn, and you develop over time. And and I think that really aligns with how I feel about mindset is that it is something that you do develop, and it is a skill that you can learn how to use. But like all skills, there’s one a learning curve. And, and two one skill is often not a solution to every single thing. That’s where I think I rub up against some of the current trend out there is that people say that it you know, well, it, you just need to fix your mindset, and then everything else will fall into place. I don’t think that’s true. I think there’s still a lot of work to do beyond that is just one tool. One skill in your bailiwick. One thing I do want to say and I know Cara, this is going to be important to Cara is we don’t want to link mindset and mental health. Those are two different topics and two very separate discussions. So you cannot manage your mental health by mindset alone. I wholeheartedly agree with that. And I think you do as well. Right, Cara? Cara Taylor Swift 8:21 Well, yeah, that’s what I think the big thing for me is that where I rub up against all of this is that, you know, in the work that I’ve done in the past, working with survivors of domestic violence, and people that have had mental health issues, and folks that are struggling with depression, if I hear another person, say, I’m sorry, that you feel that you’re going through this period of feeling so down, and that you’re depressed, and you know, try to be positive and try to think positively about things. And it can be really frustrating. And I think the struggle for me is I never want to give somebody another reason to fail at something in their life, right. And that’s what it comes down to is if you set this expectation that having a positive mindset and just flipping that switch, and you know, changing that conversation in your brain is going to heal you or it’s going to make you a super successful person, just by flipping your mindset to a more positive mindset, then I feel like we’re setting people up to have another area that they’re not being successful. So I love that you and I are able to have this conversation and be realistic about it. And at the same time, hopefully give people some tips that that are really positive that will help grow their animal business. Kimberly Beer 9:23 Absolutely. And I think that brings us really well into our first of our big three, which mindset does affect everything around you. And this is true, and I don’t think anyone that is listening to this podcast, that’s any kind of a big Newsflash, but the fact that you may not have mindfully thought about it is important. So I am a proponent of systems theory, which basically states that you in of yourself and your world around you like we all are parts of all of these moving and growing systems and if any part of that system has energy that is slowed down or is negative or conversely is overly positive, it can affect the entire system, right, there’s a nice little balance in there, that keeps the whole system running really smoothly. And if you’re seeing problems either in your own system being your physical body, or your emotional body, or your business, or your community or your family, if you notice that something feels out of balance or isn’t running quite right, or you know, mean, isn’t humming along like it should, then checking mindset is a good place to start. Because it’s a good first line of defense in being able to clean that up and fix it to the point that the system as a whole runs better. And I think that’s just tuning into the fact that you do not live in a vacuum, your business is not in a vacuum, we all interact with each other, we all have energy that we trade and give and share and and suck away from other people. And we just need to be really aware of that. And our mindset, what our attitude is what our belief system is, brings that to the table for everyone. Every small business owner wants to gain traction in their marketing. After three decades of working with small business owners just like you, I have developed what I call my four by four marketing method. In just one 90 minute session, you’ll discover the four major focus areas of a successful marketing plan. And together we’ll uncover where your business is getting stuck, you’ll leave the session with an action plan of next steps that engage your revenue engine drop by bemorebusiness.com To request your session today. That’s B-E-M-O-R-Ebusiness.com. See you there. Cara Taylor Swift 11:43 I mean, that really makes sense. And I think that when you think about it that way, and you think about that in terms of your business and your interactions on a daily basis, and how successful you are some days at maybe booking clients or answering leads and how successful that is, and then days where it just doesn’t seem like anything’s working well, it makes sense that that energy is transferable. And it makes sense to stop for a second and say, you know, where am I at right now physically and mentally? And how is that affecting the way that I’m responding and reacting, and we all have to be on some time. You know, we all have to have days where we’re out. And we’re about and we’re have to be on with our clients. Some of us it’s every day. And some of us are more fortunate that when we have days where our energy is just in the dumps, we can work by ourselves. We don’t have to be on phone calls. And we don’t have to be meeting with clients and out in the field. Some of us are lucky. So thinking about it that way makes a lot of sense to me. Kimberly Beer 12:36 Yeah. And like when you do discover something in the system that isn’t working, and you look around you and say there’s something in the energy here, that’s not working, that’s not working? Well. A lot of times if you just sit for a moment and are really quiet and check in with yourself, check in with your environment, check in with the people around you, it becomes really apparent really quickly what is going on. And if it is something that is you and you need a mindset shift, maybe take a moment to see if you can make that shift all on your own. Or if it’s something deeper that is driving you I think which brings us to the second point of this conversation is that mindset can be a benefit or it can be a barrier. So one of the things I want to mention with this is that I took the Clifton Strengths Finder in addition to some, some many other typology and temperament assessment tools. But one of the things I learned from the Clifton Strengths Finder is that one of my strengths is positivity. And I actually worked with a Clifton Strengths Finder coach to understand what I brought to the table a little bit better and positivity is in my top five. And it’s not my number one. So that’s a different subject. But the positivity, what the coach told me is, she said to me, that can be both a good thing and a bad thing. So on the good side is that you tend to see everything in a super positive way you slip into a really positive mindset quickly, which means you can recover from a lot of things. The other side of that is it’s sometimes a barrier for you to see things that need to be fixed, or things that aren’t working correctly, or things that possibly are really set up for failure and you just don’t recognize it. Or another thing that that positivity does is it makes people around you feel uncomfortable, because they aren’t always in congruence with your positive focus. And so it’s both a blessing and a curse, so to speak. It’s both a benefit and a barrier. And it’s an interesting thing to think that about yourself because we’ve all been told and taught that positivity is going to win the day right that if you just believe it, you can do it. You No, but but the truth is Cara Taylor Swift 15:02 don’t make me throw up. Kimberly Beer 15:05 The truth is that that positivity sometimes gets in the way of a bigger conversation, and it gets in the way of progress. So that’s for me. That’s how it works. Cara Taylor Swift 15:17 I feel like your positivity problem is, like that question on the job interview application where they ask um, you know, how could you improve? That would be like your answer, that’s really not a negative answer. Kimberly Beer 15:29 Yeah. Cara Taylor Swift 15:30 You know what I’m talking about? That question? Kimberly Beer 15:33 Oh yeah, that awkward question Cara Taylor Swift 15:35 List, list your best strength and list your your biggest weakness, and you’re like, I’m just too positive, it’s sometimes really gets in the way Kimberly Beer 15:44 Well I do. Cara Taylor Swift 15:45 There’s people out there right now that want to slap you probably Kimberly Beer 15:48 If there are, and trust me on this, they’re not alone. There’s a lot of people in my life sometimes that are like, your positivity sometimes is just really overwhelming. And I have to I have learned how to how to suck it in a little bit. But I can also tell you, the positivity is what has carried me through some of the darkest moments in my life. And so it is a benefit. And it is a barrier. It is both of those things and understanding how again, just understanding being aware, cognizant of how my mindset goes back to the first thing we said, it affects everyone around you. And I think if you work with animals, that is a very clear thing for you. Because if you show up to the barn, or the kennel, or to work with an animal of any kind in any kind of a situation, whether it’s just handling or training or taking care of your mindset is very apparent to them, they’re they’re far better at understanding it than we ever could be. That means that you you’ve got to keep your mind set a little bit more on track, so to speak, you need to be aware it to the appropriate to the setting, and being aware of it is important. Cara Taylor Swift 17:05 I’ve definitely been at photoshoots were my energy was just too high, because maybe I was anxious, or I was trying to remember everything that needed to be done. And I would approach the horses with too much energy. And they would let me know and I’d be like, and I would be like apologize, I’m so sorry, I came at you with way too much energy and excitement and you know, just that whole energy. So that makes so much sense Kimberly Beer 17:28 It does. So obviously I want to talk about benefits of a mindset. Mindset benefits can mean that you are more supportive of the people around you, if you are carrying a mindset and you are incongruence you have faith in what you believe in, you understand your value system, you have some confidence around those areas, I think that that frees you up, to be supportive to be uplifting and to really focus on abundance instead of lack. For those of you who’ve read it, there’s a book called The Secret. And it’s like a lot of other books that kind of, I’m even in Cara’s boat here with sometimes they make my stomach kind of turn because of the heaviness that they put on us around how our attitude affects our success. And I think that that can sometimes be as derogatory, but I also have worked in a lot of projects with a team where we’ve had one or more team members that really focuses on lack or competition, or you know, I mean, they they’re not focused on the positive, but they’re focused on the negative or whatever the situation is. And I always feel like that slows the team down. It’s kind of like a stone in their shoes, so to speak. They’re limping along with this little bit of pullback, or a big bit of fullback that can cause a problem. So again, both benefit and barrier there. Have you ever been on a team like that? Cara? Cara Taylor Swift 19:02 I’m thinking about that. Now, I was listening here like times that that comes up. I mean, I think anytime I’m in like a work group situation, and there’s competition, and you’re just trying to, I don’t know, create something that’s better for everyone. But there’s folks in the group that are really worried about the competition aspect of it, especially in business, you know, that can be really challenging if you have that. That mindset that there’s not enough business out there for all of us. It can be limiting for everyone I think in the group. Are you looking to bring awareness to your equine based product or service or create a unique way for your audience to feel connected to your brand? Quality horse photos tell your story and breathe life into your marketing. They draw your customers in and create an emotional connection powerful images, communicate your core values and highlight the benefits your product offers. Ultimately proving your business is a voice your customers can trust. It’s time to use dynamic images that define your small business and separate you from there rest of the herd. Fast Horse photography’s professional photo library features 1000s of searchable images available for businesses just like yours. And guess what? 100% of those images are horse related. Now finding the right horse images for your website, social media and marketing needs is easier than ever help your audience see that your brand offers the answers they are looking for search for the perfect images for your equine business right now spur your customers into action with Fasthorsephotography.com. That’s fasthorsephotography.com. Kimberly Beer 20:35 It can it can and and again, it’s just understanding mindset. And I will tell you a great thing to do is if you have a team member like that, ask them why? Ask them how, how is that affecting them? And what’s the scoop behind that? What’s their viewpoint because sometimes again, it’s a good barrier, it may show up as a boundary, or it may show up as a really healthy strategy to make sure that you’re not like me, I run around with my head in the clouds all the time, I occasionally need somebody to yank my string and go, Hey, come back down here to earth a little bit. Because you’re out there way too much. On the flip side of that in the the barriers, sometimes the barriers around mindset, they are rooted in trauma that we have experienced. And that trauma can come out as a limiting belief or negative self talk or an unhealthy strategy. We did an episode a long time ago about setting on your but. And that was that that’s the kind of things that I’m talking about here. The things that when you go to look at something you you always have to say a but, which negates everything that got before it in that way. It’s not a healthy barrier. It’s an unhealthy barrier. And in that case, it’s again, you can’t just flip a switch, and for some some way just change your mind. And all of a sudden you’re you’re good with things you you need help possibly or assistance in getting that boundary moved. Cara, do you have anything to add? Cara Taylor Swift 22:09 Yeah, I was just thinking about the episode that we had with Melisa Pearce on banishing the troll, and then also limiting beliefs, especially around money, and what you’re able to accomplish that sort of thing. And I would definitely recommend for folks that are thinking about mindset barriers, to take some time to go back to those two episodes, the one Kim mentioned “Sitting on your but”, but also, I can’t think of the name of it off the top of my head one of our early episodes around limiting beliefs, especially around money and that sort of thing. And then of course, the episode on banishing your troll, because I think you know, when you talk about that negative self talk, and those unhealthy strategies, like a lot of that comes from somewhere, and it will affect your mindset. So in like you said, this whole issue of trauma as part of a trauma response, that all is cycled together sometimes. So that makes a lot of sense. Kimberly Beer 22:58 Yeah, we need a little guidance around because it’s one of those situations where you can’t see the forest for the trees, because when you’re standing in the middle of it, a lot of times you can’t step back from your own situation and see, but another person who’s trained or helpful in that can guide you to that larger view and help you really tune into it. And that I think brings us beautifully into shifting your mindset needs to be done mindfully. It’s one of those things where you have to consider is a mindset shift going to be a benefit? And is it going to set me up for success? And is this something I want to put the energy into, because to be honest, shifting your mindset on occasion is a lot of work. And honestly, some of the biggest mindset shifts that I have had to make have been incredibly uncomfortable. In other words, I’ve had to look at things I have developed strategies that I don’t have to deal with that. And in order to really truly be in alignment with the mindset that I want to attain, I have to let go of things that are a little bit uncomfortable for me to let go of or to allow something to be so there are some things to consider around that. And being mindful Cara, I know you have a beautiful list here of tips that will help you if you do want to shift your mindset get started doing that. So I’m gonna let you launch into that because they’re pretty awesome. Cara Taylor Swift 24:28 I think Kim and I have both shared an agreement today that there’s no amount of positive energy that’s going to always be there to shift your mindset and that when you shift your mindset and to something positive, it doesn’t mean necessarily that you’re going to be able to accomplish every goal that you set out. I think what I would like to leave you guys with are that there are some things that you can do small little tweaks on the daily that you can do to get yourself in a mindset that will help move you forward in your Day and help set you up when you have to be around clients or you’re with your family, or you just have tasks you have to get done every day, we do know that, you know, putting yourself in a good place mindset wise can help with those things. So here are a couple things that I think would be super helpful just to improve mindset in general. First of all, if you can take a moment and believe to yourself that you can, you can make a shift like it is possible, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen quickly, it doesn’t mean that it’s an overnight thing. It’s not instantaneous. And sometimes it might require help, you know, it might require someone to help work you through your mindset issues. But believing that you can is a great place to just start. And I you know, I love the idea of just kind of working at it every single day and realizing that the things that you expose yourself to during the day can mess with your mindset. So being able to recognize that is huge, I have certain times of the month where I will wake up and just be the biggest grump ever, and I can feel that energy affecting my family. And so for me to recognize that, you know, and then being able to work at it throughout the day is a start. And I think there’s probably other people that feel that way. Occasionally, as well. One of the things that I think is really cool is if you can start your day by creating some kind of anchor some kind of thoughts or positive plays or activity that you can bring yourself back to a positive mindset to get you rolling, that that’s a great place to start. Because when the shit hits the fan later, and it always does, at some point stuff happens right in life, stuff always happens. And we might get a phone call that’s gonna bring us down or an email from, you know, a client that we were hoping to work with that will turn our mood negative. So having some kind of anchor to just bring yourself back down and to kind of re work that mindset can be a big help. We talked about trolls a little bit on a previous episode, you know, banish that that inner negative voice, just be aware of those reoccurring thoughts that are running in the background of your mind? You know, are they holding you back? Are they keeping you stuck today? So start kind of thinking about some of those things like what is this? What is the script that is putting me in this mood, and is there a way that you can start working on that. And then I like the idea of rewarding your effort and not necessarily your results. It doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate when you accomplish something, but spend a little time rewarding all of the effort that you put into trying to get there, because you are doing the work, you are daily doing the work. But it doesn’t mean that every single day you’re going to finish a task or you’re going to accomplish something incredible, that’s going to keep you boosted and needs to be rewarded. So think about that mind shift from rewarding a job well done to rewarding all of the effort that it took to get you there. Because that really is something that you have control over definitely look to those people in your life, your mentors, your coaches that can give you feedback on your work and can help provide some positive or I guess concrete tips on on your work and keep you moving forward. And then Kim has mentioned it before, sometimes you have to just get uncomfortable and that sometimes the best path is the hardest path and the one that requires us to stretch our brains a little bit more. And I think she’s mentioned that and that sometimes requires help and requires people that are willing to be in your corner and help work you through that. The last one I have here is we are all going to fail. Sometimes we’re all going to have crap days, we are all going to just not do the work well or not do the job correctly. And if we can try to think about it as a positive learning opportunity instead of a failure, then I think we’re slowly, very slowly trying to keep ourselves on the right path. So I’m coming at this very tentatively, but also with the idea that there are things that each of us can do every single day. I hope that it’s helpful. Kimberly Beer 28:45 I think it is I think it’s very helpful for me and everyone else out there, Cara just to have a few things to think about regarding shifting your mindset because we get there’s so much noise in this conversation. That is it just seems unrealistic some of the noise. And I think bringing it back down to what is realistically attainable, and what we can do within our human condition to improve our mindset and to focus on becoming more positive, but in a way that is beneficial and healthy for everyone and ourselves. I hope you guys have enjoyed this episode today. It’s a it’s an interesting topic. And I think that it’s something that we all struggle with and want to embrace more of. So if you have any comments or would like to have a conversation around it, we would be more than happy to discuss it with you on social media tune into our Instagram account or a Facebook page and drop us a message or publicly post and we will be happy to have the conversation around this particular topic. I would love to see what other people’s impressions are around mindset, the mindset movement and how they feel or how mindset shows up in their particular business or lifestyle. Cara Taylor Swift 30:09 Thanks for joining us today. Jaz 30:11 Thanks for listening to this episode of The Business Animal. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you learned something today, leave us a review. To learn more Find us at TheBusinessAnimal.com. We’d love to hear from you. Until next time, keep your business well trained with The Business Animal