JM Leadership Development

Change Your Mindset: Break Free From Defeatism

The human mind is a very powerful tool. It defines an individual’s personality, and also serves as a processor of our inner thoughts into actions because you are a reflection of your thoughts. When used positively, your mind can be your most trusted ally likewise it can also be a major hindrance to you, which brings us to the issue of having a defeatist mindset mentality.

Who Is A Defeatist?

A defeatist is the opposite of an optimist. It entails seeing failure, acting failure, and giving up even before the party has started. A person with a defeatist attitude has zero confidence in his or her ability. This is characterized by thoughts like "I can't do this", "I'm not good enough", or "I can't turn things around", and it is what triggers defeatism in humans

Where It All Begins

A defeatist mindset is a hindrance to growth and productivity, and as humans, we are all susceptible to negative thoughts, and it is easier to notice negativity in someone else's thoughts rather than yours. The process of developing a defeatist mindset does not happen overnight. You don't just wake up one day and start feeling sorry for yourself all of sudden.

It’s a gradual decline in accepting defeat through a series of false assumptions and lies about yourself. This process is often triggered by you building up a non-existent of reality in who you are as a person. You start to believe that by making up false notions about yourself, thinking they will serve as a backbone to hold you up, but in reality, these lies are an illusion built on nothing into making you believe that nothing good can come out of you as a person.

Overcome Defeatism: Set Yourself FREE

The fear of failure is one of the greatest fears we have, it is what triggers that “defeatist mentality”. Feeling afraid is normal, it is what reminds us to be cautious in every step we take. However, when you tend to think a lot about the outcome of an event that hasn’t even occurred yet, you position yourself in a state of analysis paralysis. You begin to imagine every possible angle why what you do won’t work out. This mindset puts you in different types of humiliating situations that might arise from failure, and by your logical analysis, you conclude that doing nothing is the best option than doing something and putting yourself at risk to fail.

The best way to overcome a defeatist mentality is to do something, take that leap of faith and grab the bull by the horns. Put yourself in a situation where there is no going back, and always do your best on any given task. Even if you fail, it won’t matter because you will realize that you have gained a lot by taking that bold step and doing that which you were afraid of doing.

Fill your mind with thoughts of the satisfaction derived after completing a task, and let go of anything or anyone that isn’t for you. Most people will choose to hide behind their weaknesses or lie about it. Do not do this. If you do, you will be reinforcing the defeatist attitude. Acknowledge the weakness and think of ways to improve then take daily action.

Direct your mind-set to the truth, and be truthful to yourself. Forgive the past lies. Forgive yourself and others. Own all your mistakes and take the blame for the things that have happened in your life. Do not make excuses like, "oh, it's not my fault, I was dealt with these cards in life."

CONCLUSION:

Overcoming a defeatist mentality can be very difficult especially when it becomes a mindset. The first step to recovery is by taking a mindset assessment to help you determine if you have a defeatist mindset or not. 

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