As I write this, I'm watching my almost two-year old son play with his piano and asking myself, where did the last three years go?
It feels like a blur when I try to replay them in my mind.
Remember when we thought the pandemic was going to be over in a few months? Yeah, that did not happen.
While we waited, I became a mother and relocated three times, once after the apocalyptic winter freeze caused my apartment to flood and traumatized every Texan I know. A few wars and natural disasters around the world made us rethink just about everything and value things like toilet paper and electricity.
And while some of us were under the illusion that the world was on pause, others discovered forward movement, even growth, albeit involuntary.
And now that I am writing about growth, I realize that these last few years forced growth upon us, regardless of whether or not we wanted it. My son has outgrown his bassinet. I have grown into motherhood. And our community at JUST has grown into this new economy. Time never stopped.
At JUST, we believe we can grow intentionally by adopting a growth mindset.
According to Harvard Business Review:
"Individuals who believe their talents can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others have a growth mindset. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts). This is because they worry less about looking smart and they put more energy into learning."
The women we serve at JUST could give everyone a TEDTalk about working with a growth mindset. Because of our community's embodiment of the concept, a shared commitment to the growth mindset is ingrained in our organizational culture.
Now, I will dive a bit deeper into each of the three characteristics that define individuals with a growth mindset and explain why our entrepreneurs are truly the OG personal growth gurus everybody needs to learn from.
People with a growth mindset are not afraid of working hard; they expect it. Most of our clients were not born into wealthy families with extensive professional networks. It is not uncommon for a JUST client to say, "I don't know anything about running a business AND I will do it." They are aware of the challenges ahead and they believe in their ability to overcome them. I once interviewed an entrepreneur who was battling cancer and managing two businesses at the same time. I will always remember her story. She started working when she was 9 years old because she was born into a very poor family and she knew there was no other way out of poverty but hard work. She cleaned houses, washed cars and sold newspapers in the streets. This same mentality kept her going during the pandemic and her battle with cancer. She knew she had to work hard because no one was going to come and save her.
"Times will get hard, there will be difficult moments, but just don't quit. Keep taking one more step, even if it is one more day, just make it through the night."
-Dalonika McDonald, JUST Entrepreneur
When it comes to strategy, our community operates on experiments. We start by setting a goal, defining the actions we need to take in order to make it happen and allotting time every single day to work toward the goal. At the end of every week, we reflect to understand what worked and what did not. In doing so, we discover which actions we need to continue and those that we need to modify.
By using this framework, failures become opportunities to take a step back, learn, and grow.
During my time with JUST, I have met countless of women who started their businesses as side hustles and are now their own bosses. Some of them have multiple businesses with employees and plans to continue growing. It is truly inspiring how much one can get done by keeping your eye on the prize and not letting failure stop you.
"Life is full of things you can't change, and it's these things that redirect you and allow you to reinvent yourself."
-Leticia, JUST Entrepreneur
This is where community comes in. Imagine collaborating with other hardworking like-minded individuals who are also experimenting and taking risks. Imagine getting access to their results and insights. In JUST, we believe an essential part of our community's growth happens during our weekly exchange of experiences. Our clients do not see each other as competition. They share their knowledge and use each other's their lessons to grow their businesses. In our community, we frequently witness the power of the social proof 'if she can do it, so can I' mentality.
"If you stare at me long enough and you have an idea, I'm going to keep pushing you until you do it."
-Archette, JUST Entrepreneur
At the end of the day, growth happens regardless of intention. Hard work, strategy and input can help you take control of your life and grow into the person you want to become. As an entrepreneur, I am inspired by our community's use of a growth mindset. Even in the midst of difficult times, we all have what it takes to grow into the people we want to become.
Thank you for reading, and as always - stay kind! :)