“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”

So said Abraham Maslow.

But I think Maslow missed a trick.

See, if I created a handy and useful catchphrase like this, I’d try to make it as memorable as I could.

Forget the hammer. 

How about one of these instead:

If all you have is a chisel, everything’s set in stone.

If all you have is a whisk, everything looks rather scrambled.

And yes – if all you have is a spatula, everything looks like a pancake (a little bit flat).

To my mind, these are much catchier.

Anyway, I digress.

Here’s the real point I want to make:

All of these sayings are unsound.

And here’s why:

No-one is restricted by the tools in their toolkit.  No-one ever just has a hammer.  Not by a long shot.

Whenever you want, you can always find new tools. 

And this is exactly why I blow my trumpet for the growth mindset brigade over the fixed mindset brigade.

A fixed mindset says “I’ll never be good at public speaking.  That lady over there is just a natural”.

Whereas a growth mindset says “I can be good at anything.  My abilities are a function of my choices, my thoughts and my actions”.

In other words…

Even though I don’t have the right tool right now, I can get it.  My skills can change.  And the way I see a situation can change too.

Of course, there are lots of other ways a fixed mindset vs a growth mindset plays out too.

A fixed mindset means you avoid taking risks to protect yourself and avoid failure.  But a growth mindset means you embrace calculated risks. They’re opportunities to learn something and grow.

In a fixed mindset, you see setbacks as personal.  They mean something about you, or your talent, or your potential.  But in a growth mindset, you know a setback means nothing about you.  It just means something about your approach.  So you go again.

And to sum all this up I'd say this:

A growth mindset sees a challenge as worth rising to and looks for the best tool to get the job done.

So if you don’t own a hammer (or a whisk, or a chisel), it isn’t a barrier.  It just means you need a new tool.

And sure.  Getting that tool might require some patience, some practice and some work.

But the tool is there for one and all to grab hold of. 

Don’t kid yourself that it’s not.

That’s all for today.

 - Tom

p.s. would you like some help finding your own new tools?

If so, coaching might be just the ticket.

I’m not taking on new coaching clients at the moment. 

But if you’re interested in coaching and you’d like to be notified when some slots open up, you can join my waiting list here:

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com

This link has a few more details on the sort of coaching I offer.

And once you’re on the waiting list, you’ll be the first to know when new slots become available.