EP 112: Overcome Setbacks with the 4 Foundations of a Growth Mindset

In this episode of Prospecting on Purpose, host Sara Murray reveals the 4 Foundations of a Growth Mindset that can reshape how you tackle challenges, lead with confidence, and thrive in every aspect of life.

After four years of intentionally developing her growth mindset, Sara shares the exact strategies that helped her shift from feeling like life was happening to her, to recognizing that life is happening for her. These 4 Foundations of a Growth Mindset will equip you to handle setbacks, strengthen your inner dialogue, and step into your full potential.

Here's what you'll gain from this episode:

Embrace Change: Learn to navigate life's curveballs with agility and excitement.

Rewire Your Inner Dialogue: Transform self-doubt into empowering thoughts that propel you forward.

Shift Your Perspective: See every situation through multiple lenses to diffuse stress and find solutions.

Take Bold Action: Understand why consistent action, even imperfect, drives growth every single time.

A growth mindset isn't just a feel-good concept; it's the backbone of personal and professional success. Whether you're leading a sales team, building your business, or simply striving to show up better in your life, these 4 Foundations of a Growth Mindset will push you toward your goals with resilience and intention.

Key Takeaways You Don't Want to Miss:

How subtle fixed mindset habits may be sabotaging your progress.

• The link between your mental narrative and your daily performance.

• Why progress always beats perfection—and how action fuels momentum.

Are you choosing the rollercoaster ride to growth, or settling for funnel cake on the sidelines? Tune in and start building your 4 Foundations of a Growth Mindset today.

Love what you're hearing? Subscribe, rate, and leave a review! Be sure to connect with Sara for updates on live events and networking opportunities.

Connect with Sara

https://www.saramurray.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saramurraysales LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramurraysales/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saramurraysales/

#GrowthMindset #4FoundationsOfAGrowthMindset #MindsetShift #SalesLeadership #PersonalGrowth #ProspectingOnPurpose #BusinessSuccess #TakeAction #MindsetMatters #LeadershipEvolution

What is Prospecting on Purpose® with Sara Murray?

Prospecting on Purpose is Forbes meets Saturday Night Live - it’s *the* show for everything prospecting, sales, business, and mindset.

As business grows more complex, the biggest opportunities emerge when we learn beyond our own industries. From hospitality and design to technology and travel, this is where professionals come together to exchange ideas, uncover new perspectives, and prospect for business with creativity, authenticity, and intention.

Hosted by Sara Murray, a heart-centric sales champion, each episode helps you raise both your vibes and your game. Sara's playbook is simple - ABAV: Always Be Adding Value. Embrace your authentic self, lean into your unique strengths, and sell the outcome instead of the product or service.

Join Sara each week as she sits down with world-class thought leaders to unpack today's business strategies, mindset shifts, and relationship-driven approaches to growth, giving you practical ideas you can put into action right away.

Connect with Sara: www.saramurray.com IG: @saramurraysales LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/saramurraysales/

we are always going to have life happen

but how you approach it

both with your thoughts and actions

is what ensures continued evolution of self

and then we start to shift from life is happening to us

to life is happening for us

you're listening to prospecting on purpose

where we discuss all things prospecting

sales business and mindset

I'm your host Sarah Murray

the sales champion who's here to show you that

you can be a shark in business

and still lead with intentionality and authenticity

tune in each week

as we dive into methods to connect with clients

communicate with confidence and close the deal

over the last four years

I have intentionally focused on

ensuring that I operate from a growth mindset

and of course because of my own ego

I like to think it's something I've always had

and just didn't have the right terminology to label it

but the more I thought about what I was learning

regarding growth mindset

and the actions that I ultimately took from this

it just wasn't always the case

the definition of the word

mindset is a mental attitude or inclination

and this applies

to what we think about the world around us

and how do we think about ourselves

so when I'm thinking I've always quote

been someone who loves to learn new things unquote

maybe that's true in some areas of my life

but not others or honestly

whatever day of the week it happens to be

sometimes

these thoughts can feel like we are straight up

lying to ourselves sure

I love to learn new things

but if I have to spend any more time

trying to figure out

how to format this freaking Instagram reel

I might just throw my phone against the wall

we've all been there

that was a very simple example

but we're going to get into why

having a growth mindset is crucial

to living a life that is happy

and healthy

and why ensures your success in the workplace

so I gave you the definition of the word mindset

as having a mental attitude

these can be negative or positive mental attitudes

and it can change

based on different areas of your life

for example

maybe you're just crushing it in your home life

your spouse and your kids are a tight family unit

you're all great communicators

everyone loves each other

and when you think about your family

you get all those warm fuzzies

but maybe you're struggling at work

you messed up a project you're overwhelmed

you have imposter syndrome

you don't like your boss maybe

you just have more negative thoughts

when it comes to work we would call this

a positive mindset towards your family

and a negative mindset towards work

but this is where

the positive and the negative mindset

terminology is applicable

sure but it doesn't necessarily move us forward

to ensure that we are

actually moving forward in living an intentional life

the terminology will use instead is a growth mindset

as opposed to a fixed mindset

Stanford psychologist

Carol Dweck coined these two terms

so I'm going to use her definitions

in a fixed mindset people believe their basic qualities

like their intelligence or talent

are simply fixed traits

they spend their time documenting their intelligence

or talent instead of developing them

they also believe the talent alone

create success without effort

in a growth mindset

people believe that their most basic abilities

can be developed through dedication

and hard work

brains and talent are just the starting point

this view creates a love of learning

and a resilience that is

essential for great accomplishment

I think we all hear those and think

well of course I have a growth mindset

but then we hear a lot of phrases in everyday life

tell me if these sound familiar

I'm bad at math

I suck at names

I'm not a technical person

I can't lose weight

I've tried everything

this is just who I am are we seeing a trend here

I know I've said all of these

so this is why

having a growth mindset requires intentional practice

we are always going to have life happen

but how you approach it

both with your thoughts and actions

is what ensures continued evolution of self

and then we start to shift from life is happening to us

to life is happening for us

hopefully

it's obvious why having a growth mindset will

result in how we show up in all areas of life

as an individual as a family member

as a friend and of course how we show up in our work

there are some sneaky

areas where we may be unintentionally

showcasing a fixed mindset

without even realizing it

are we avoiding our bosses

are we sitting in the back of the room

and hoping nobody calls on us

are we cringing when a meeting is put on our calendar

maybe our banwith is a full capacity

and we can't help onboard that new teammate

maybe we're holding

our client relationships close to the vest

because we think our relationships are what make us

valuable to our employer

maybe

we're not being vocal about an area of improvement

because we feel if we speak up

we're gonna have to own that project right

the list goes on and on

and those scenarios may all be active

real scenarios that we're going through in our jobs

maybe sharing feedback

or speaking up doesn't result in positive change

so then it's about

how do we speak to ourselves internally

about the situation or circumstance

and the external words and actions follow

having a growth mindset

at work is going to show up in many different ways

how we deal with setbacks

something goes unexpected or our clients upset

or we made a mistake how do we handle these setbacks

how do we communicate

are we someone who energizes our clients and colleagues

or do they dodge our calls because we're Debbie Downers

what kind of energy are we leaving other people with

having a growth mindset is

crucial to how we give feedback

and how we accept feedback

feedback is scary it can be scary

I get it my biggest fear of launching the podcast

was receiving negative feedback

that imposter syndrome we all experience

can lead to inaction and of course

having a growth mindset

impacts how you show up as a leader

and I don't only mean a manager of people

leaders come in all shapes and sizes

and I'm a firm believer that individual contributors

are also leaders

we've all experienced leaders with fixed mindsets

and leaders with growth mindsets

so a growth mindset is essential

for being the best version of a leader that you can be

how can we intentionally work towards this

and put it into practice

here are the four foundations of a growth mindset

first embrace change

change is a never ending part of life

change is actually

really the only constant that we can depend on

unexpected things are always going to come our way

if we're dynamic and adaptable

and we have the ability to adjust to change head on

everything in life becomes more amusing

and speaking of amusing

I have an example that I've been using recently

I read an article about comparing

entrepreneurship to being at an amusement park

you were on a roller coaster ride

that is your business

and some days are up and some days are down

and then the ride is over

the end of the ride symbolizes a goal

or a major milestone in business

maybe it's a certain sales target you hit

or maybe you hired your first employee

or you just sold your business

when you hit your goal the ride ends

but all that happens next is

you get on a different ride

maybe it's a bigger ride or a faster roller coaster

this example is fun

to think about life in this exact way

and of course in our life

life includes work maybe you're not an entrepreneur

but you got that promotion at work

or you switch jobs or you earned your MBA

it was a wild ride to get to that promotion

and it took so much work to get to that NBA

but now that you have it is the ride over

no you're going to be getting in line to get on

the next ride

or maybe you don't get in line for the next ride

and you decide to take a more fixed approach

you choose to eat world famous funnel cake all day

that also sounds fun

but it's a very different experience

so when you look back after a few years

which amusement park experience do you want to be yours

ride after ride with the UPS and downs

or funnel cake firmly on the ground

so that's the first embrace change

have fun with it going with the flow

leads to the most fun synchronicities

I promise the second foundation is

pay attention to inner dialogue

the brain is a muscle

we have the ability to exercise and practice with it

if there's a pattern

thought or behavior that we don't like

the very first step is changing

the thoughts in our brains

thoughts or sentences we say in our heads

the result in the feelings we feel

and the actions we take a few years ago

a friend was telling me how she

describing to her friend

she was about to introduce me to

and she said you're going to love Sarah

she's so fun and self deprecating

um what

I was on the phone so she couldn't see my face

but my jaw dropped I was mortified

I

I was so ashamed that

that's how somebody would describe me

and I know that this person loves me

it was not coming from a place of malice at all

it was coming from a place of love

but I

clearly had some negative thoughts going on in my head

that were coming out of my mouth

enough that that was a descriptor when

when describing me

and

maybe I was doing it in an attempt to bond with people

or to be funny or to be relatable

I don't know but

instead of just accepting that

I'm a self deprecating person

I worked on changing my inner dialogue in the effort

to change how it was showing up in my reality

so pay attention to your inner thoughts

and how they surface in your real world life

the habit books out in the marketplace

do a good job of this in the book Atomic Habits

James Clear illustrates the habit loop with four phases

Q breathing

response reward

your brain is receiving cues

which trigger the habit loop

so if I reflect on self deprecating comments

perhaps my cue was if I make a joke about myself here

that results in a craving of mine

to connect with this person right

so we got the cue and the craving

and then the response is that they laugh

or they relate with something similar

and then the reward is a deeper connection

now do I think I can connect with someone

without making fun of myself

uh yeah absolutely

sometimes

the external examples that show up in our lives

like my friend describing me as self deprecating

is to shake you out of your habit

or thoughts that you didn't even realize

you were having

if our thoughts are the triggers for action

then we have to train ourselves from first thought

to propel action through paralysis

if our inner dialogue is focusing on the past

wrongdoings or something someone said

that's leading to feelings of embarrassment

or frustration or resentment or guilt

none of those feelings are serving us

and if we have anxiety or fear

or worrying about the future

also not serving us being present and embracing growth

mindset is the only way to combat this

so recapping No. 2 focus on inner dialogue

and pay attention to how it showing up in the world

the third foundation

is to view from another perspective

another phrase we've all heard

is that there are two sides to every story

one of the habits I've been working on

and maybe it will help you

is that

when I'm feeling feelings that are not serving me

that is my cue to zoom out

and view it from another perspective

Ew I don't like this feeling

let's take a look at why I'm feeling this way

obviously take a breath

and I do three things I view it from my perspective

the other person's perspective

and then the perspective of an objective observer

who has no knowledge or skin in the game

they're just kind of witnessing

the situation from above

everyone has their own view of reality

or lens in which they're viewing the situation

I will share a personal work

example that I had to work through

little subtext in commercial construction

it takes a long time to build a building

multiple years right

it's a long sales process

prior to actually building the building though

the architect engineers

and the design team come together to create

construction documents you know

used to be called blueprints

and it's complicated it's easy to make mistakes

and I caught a mistake in a drawing

and I called the owner and I said

this needs to be updated because if it's not

you're going to run into issues

when we get to construction

there's a mistake on the drawings

it's going to get built incorrectly

which is a big deal cost money

time materials

so I was pretty persistent

and the client didn't fix the mistake

a year later when we get to that phase of construction

I get a call from this client chewing me out

I mean I am getting screamed at

and I'm clenching my jaw

because I knew this was gonna happen

I tried so hard to tell him it was gonna happen

and then it did happen

and you have the audacity to yell at me

talk about feathers getting riled up

we've probably all had similar experiences

and when this happens

we either yell back or we get defensive

or we shut down or we apologize

but it's insincere

because we know we didn't make that mistake

we're not listening to the other person

cause we're digging through emails

to find that email from a year ago

so we can prove that we are right

but if we pause

and we listen and understand our inner dialogue

and we realize that

this interaction has nothing to do with our worth

or how much we attempt

clear communication to the people that we work with

it's not about us and if we focus on the facts

and we view the situation from our own perspective

the other person's perspective

and an objective third party

it helps to empathize listen and find resolution

my client probably did remember that I told them that

maybe they're mad at themselves

that they didn't take the time to review my email

or maybe 3 other mistakes happened that day

and I was just the cherry on top of a shit Sunday

if I can view it from their perspective

it helps dissolve my own ego getting triggered

and it helps me focus on facts and solutions

the inner dialogue work helps me detach

from how this person's words

or the situation is a reflection of me as a person

or my worth

and when we detach ourselves like that

we're able to continue to move forward and take action

which leads me to the fourth and final foundation

we're building on each of these as we go

so the fourth and last is that actions result in growth

always and if we're talking about a growth mindset

we have to continue to evolve this by taking action

we will never be complete and done

it's constant development

are we getting on the ride or are we eating funnel cake

taking action is forward motion

and this forward motion can include major successes

or mistakes or confrontational situations

if we have the first three foundations

embrace change watch our inner dialogue

and view things from another perspective

then the art of taking action is the through line

that continues to help us practice

the first free

now we can start to see how the opposite approach

being resistant to change and a fixed inner dialogue

will result in stagnation

here's a very common example

if our inner dialogue is saying

I'm bad at remembering names

there were never going to be good at remembering names

because we're not even trying

and then

we usually end up telling the person we just met

that were bad at names right

we hear it all the time

that's how it's showing up in our reality

but if we take a beat

to view that situation from another perspective

how are we making that other person feel

it may be totally true and we suck at remembering names

but by vocalizing it it makes

the other person feel that they're not worthy of

our energy

or our effort to care about their name

and essentially who they are as a person

so taking it to the habit loop

Q craving results reward

you meet the new person that's the cue

your brain says I'm bad at remembering names

the craving by saying it out loud

might be that we want the other person to know

hey we're not rude

we just suck up names we have a bad memory

but then what's the result

we actually become rude

obviously it's not from a place of malice

but that is the result

and the reward might be they don't

care cause they're bad at names too

they don't care to remember you either

or maybe if it's between you and someone else

that they choose to do business with

who do you think they're gonna choose

action and by action

I mean

practicing is the only thing that pushes this forward

find new scripts to say in our head

when we meet a new person

maybe it's something as small as

I'm excited to meet this person

those tiny little acts add up

when you operate from a growth mindset

in all areas of life it's not easy work

you're going to mess it up

but each time you take action

you learn something new and you grow

and the literal definition of growing is

becoming greater over time

I like to think of it as learn a little

do a little learn a little

do a little a great analogy I'll leave us with

is that there has to be some clay on the pottery wheel

to play with it and shape it

and mold it

before it can even begin to resemble a bowl

or piece of art

or whatever we're trying to make with our ball of clay

that is our life and careers

if we have a growth mindset and we view any setbacks

crucial conversations or difficult situations

and we view that as just something that's

making us greater

over time it becomes less scary to take action

those are our four foundations

to exercising our growth mindset

embrace change and enjoy the ride

be aware of your inner dialogue

and the perspective in which

you're viewing the situation

those two foundations

impact how you show up in the world

and what shows up for you

and finally

continue to take action because that's how you learn

gather feedback and advance to your next level

we can't turn anything into art

if we don't even put the clay on the wheel

thank you so much

for listening to the prospecting on purpose podcast

if you'd loved what you heard today

subscribe to the podcast

and please rate and leave a review

for more info on me or if you'd like to work together

feel free to go to my website

Sarah Murray com

on social media

I'm usually hanging out at Sarah Murray Sales

thanks again for joining me and I'll see you next time