For many people becoming successful with their bariatric surgery has a lot to do with how they see their future. If you see your future as fixed, that is you were born a certain way, you can only do certain things, and certain things are off limits to you, then it’s difficult to really see the changes you hope for. But you can change this and build a growth mindset after your bariatric surgery. This type of mindset is a positive attitude and belief that you can improve and be successful through hard work and learning.
Accept Failure
First, accept failure as part of the learning process. Embracing failure teaches us valuable lessons, and failure can be used as a launching point for growth. For many people that have gone through this surgery failure can be anything from regaining weight or just not following through with all that is asked of them. If this is you, then to help build a stronger growth mindset take time to review where you went wrong. It’s from understanding your failures that can make you more successful in the future
Success is Very Personal
Secondly, recognize that there is no single standard of success and accept that beating yourself up over perceived failures won’t get you where you want to be. For many people this can be comparing yourself to other people. This can be especially true when you feel you are not losing enough weight because someone else is showing a bigger loss number. But building a healthier growth mindset after your bariatric surgery will give you the grace to celebrate other’s successes while pursuing your own success.
Taking Risks Will build a Growth Mindset
Third, be willing to take risks. Taking risks can be scary, but when you develop the courage to try something new, you can open doors to new possibilities. Taking risks can also be beneficial if you focus on learning from the experience, rather than achieving the result. One place you can start putting more new activities into your life is with exercise. Start experimenting with different forms of exercise, yoga, high intensity group classes, rock climbing, spin, etc. While you probably won’t be great at these when you first start, yet by just doing them you will have expanding your experiences and quieted your limiting beliefs that tell you ‘can’t do these things’
Keep Learning
Fourth, become a lifelong learner. To truly develop a growth mindset, you must make learning a regular part of your life. By learning new skills and knowledge, you build your awareness and increase your capacity for success.
Finally, take ownership of your growth journey. Change starts with you, and it’s your job to challenge yourself and commit to developing a growth mindset. Developing a growth mindset may not happen overnight, but with a consistent effort, you can get there.
Having a growth mindset allows us to look beyond what is and strive for something better. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to create and maintain a growth mindset. With patience, effort, and a consistent focus, you can develop and adopt a growth mindset and open yourself up to new possibilities.
Geof has been working with bariatric surgery clients for over a decade. His goal with Coaching For Bariatric Success is to give you the tools to make your weight loss successful for the long term.