🧠Entrepreneur Mindset: stay optimistic AND endure hardships, shoot for the stars AND stay grounded in reality, WITHOUT becoming delusional. Navigating Founder’s Mind with Psychologist Gena Gorlin.
Oct 5, 2023
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In this podcast episode, Professor Gena Gorlin, a clinical psychologist and founder's coach, explores the mindset of ambitious individuals and the challenges they face. Topics discussed include the importance of accepting hardships while pursuing high ambitions, redefining perfection and embracing life's challenges, building a growth mindset, and the impact of our inner circle on our beliefs.
Builders are individuals who actively shape their lives and contribute value to the world through entrepreneurship or other forms of contribution.
Supporting and empowering founders is essential as they are drivers of innovation and progress in society.
Successful founders balance high ambitions with a grounded understanding of reality and engage in self-reflection to ensure their goals are achievable.
Deep dives
The Concept of Being a Builder
Being a builder refers to actively making valuable contributions to the world and shaping one's own life. It encompasses individuals who approach life as a project of building, taking charge of their decisions, work, relationships, and priorities. Builders are driven by the desire to create and bring value into the world, whether that be through entrepreneurship, art, or any other form of contribution.
The Role of Founders in Exemplifying the Builder's Mindset
Founders exemplify the builder's mindset by choosing paths that require developing a strong builder's mindset. As founders, they face unique conditions where there are no playbooks or safety nets. They must initiate, conceive their vision, think for themselves, and solve problems creatively. The success of their company is often closely tied to their personal growth, resilience, and ability to navigate dilemmas and make tough decisions. Supporting and empowering founders is vital, as they are drivers of innovation and progress in society.
Contradictions and Resolutions in the Founder's Journey
The founder's journey may present apparent contradictions, such as the need for self-confidence and self-awareness. However, these are not opposing forces but interconnected aspects of the builder's mindset. Confidence comes from being on a continual growth trajectory, acknowledging weaknesses, and having plans to address them. Being self-aware allows founders to understand the importance of self-care while fully investing in their company. Prioritizing and aligning personal growth with company goals helps founders thrive and make meaningful contributions.
Importance of Ambition and Reality in Pursuing Goals
Having high ambitions and aspirations is important in pursuing goals, but it is equally crucial to stay rooted in reality. While it is easy to be delusional and have unrealistic expectations, successful founders understand the need to hold themselves accountable to their beliefs, based on evidence and knowledge of the world. The story of Jeff Bezos starting Amazon is an example of an ambitious founder who accurately assessed the potential of the internet and pursued a game-changing opportunity. To ensure ambitious goals are grounded in reality, founders should engage in exercises like self-reflection, checking for self-deception, and building self-credibility.
Understanding the Challenges and Trade-offs of Pursuing Ambitious Goals
Pursuing ambitious goals requires an understanding of the challenges and trade-offs involved. Founders need to accept that failure is a part of the journey and that success does not come without setbacks and hardships. It is crucial to have resilience and build a support network of people who inspire and challenge you. Being aware of one's own expectations and choosing to pursue a whole and excellent life that aligns with personal values and aspirations is important. The path to success may be difficult, but it is ultimately a choice worth making.
Professor of clinical psychology, founders' coach, currently living in Austin, Texas, US.
Having transitioned from her “past life” as an opera singer into psychology, Gena is dedicating her work to building the builders of this world – founders and alike.
BUILDERS: people taking on the hardest task – changing the world and making it better for the rest of us.
Gena is obsessed with understanding how the mind of the builder works, what the psychological needs of extremely ambitious are, and the best tools and strategies to help the most audacious people of this world to succeed on their mission, AND to thrive personally with their unique work-life balance, their unique set of priorities both in personal and professional life.
Please enjoy our wide-ranging conversation about the insides and navigation of the builder’s mind!
Brought to you by Angela Shurina EXECUTIVE HEALTH AND OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH Change in days - not in years! 🚀JOIN Coaching Your Best ' Habits Newsletter https://BrainBreakthroughCoach.com/newsletter
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