How Your Unexamined Mindset Holds You Back

Posted in Personal Branding On Jan 24, 2019

Your mindset can be your best asset or your worst liability. Before responding automatically to this introductory statement, consider this. Your mindset is the unconsciously formed beliefs about yourself and your outstanding qualities. Your intelligence, talents and personality are what set you apart. Upon cultivating them they become assets that will yield returns in the form of money and fulfillment. Upon keeping them dormant, they will turn out into liabilities that draw from your balance of health and relationships. How can we practically identify which side we feed?

Related: Why Ignoring The Hidden Force Of Belief Is Crucial For Your Success


The liability mindset is the unconscious mindset. Most of our actions are done unconsciously. Just consider how you are shopping. Your behavior is governed by habitual patterns. Most of the time you are picking the same stuff over and over again. Another sign is feeling victimized. You complain of gaining weight and trying to lose it, yet drinking and eating high-calorie stuff. You are living on autopilot. As such your potentials run unexplored and dead. This mindset is caught up in the matrix of society’s habitual beliefs and assumptions.

The asset mindset is the the conscious  living. You do everything in a mindful and conscious way. During shopping you are conscious of what to get and why. Being aware that health is wealth, motivates you to choose high energy food and drinks. Your awareness helps you develop your most important asset; that is, your God-given talents. You dedicate time and patience in developing what you are really good at. You are not pushed by the outcome, but rather with the process. Your mindset is seeking value not money. When you work on providing value of yourself and others money will naturally come.  


Tapping your gifts won’t be achieved with the purely making-money mindset. That was clearly illustrated in the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; Starring Ben Stiller. Ben’s early dreams of reaching his potentials were buffeted by the death of his bankrupt father. From being a dashing skateboarder in his youth, he followed the path of least resistance. He works as a non-risk-taker and a sleazy caretaker of the photographic negatives at LIFE magazine.

Ben’s determination of changing his mindset changes him. He came to the realization that the only thing that kept him from achieving success and happiness is his mindset that is drawn from his self-limiting beliefs. He broke away from his scared money mindset and punches through his fears. He went on living dangerously where he discovers himself instead of being stifled by his obnoxious boss at the magazine.


Examining your mindset is the best inventory towards realizing your potentials. Being mindful of your behavior will spot light whether you are living on autopilot or not. Upon identifying your unconscious habitual patterns, start apply the light of your awareness  that will guide you towards developing your inner and outer worlds.

About The Author

Tareq Alaghoury

Tareq M. Alaghoury is the founder and Managing Director of Holistic Communications where he offers business coaching services and guidance to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to build their brands and move their business to the next level.