When I was a young boy my father would bring me every Saturday to the local magic store, Bianco's Bike & Magic Shop. We'd get there right at 10am when Tony Bianco opened up the shop and we'd stay right up until he closed at 3pm. It was there that I first met all the local magicians, from dabblers and hobbyists, to scholars, historians, and seasoned pros. They came from all walks of life, and yet they came with the same passion for the craft and art of magic.
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Seeing such a cute young kid interested in magic, they happily shared with me their secrets, tips, tricks, and words of wisdom and encouragement. When I was old enough I officially joined them by becoming a member of the Society Of American Magicians. Being part of such a welcoming and tight-knit group was a positive influence on me from an early age.

What most strikes me about that time in my life, now that I look back from a bigger perspective, is that my father—who surely had plenty of other things he could have been doing with his weekend—willingly, happily, and joyfully brought me to the store and spent all day with me and my new friends. My friends became his friends, and if he wasn’t taking part in the magic then he was helping with the bicycle repairs—which was more in line with his passions.

My father and I could not have been any different from each other, yet we still bonded by his joy in sharing in my passions. He was always one of my biggest supporters, and for that I will always Always ALWAYS be grateful. When my father died in 2014 I responded by doing a magic show. I called up my friend Jenifer Gelineau, who heads up Holyoke Summer Strings, and volunteered to do a magic show for their students. It was a small gesture, but a significant one.

How do you show someone that you care? How do you show someone that you love them? You show up. You convince with your presence. That’s what my father did for me, and with the skills and knowledge that I gained because of him I now dedicate my time on this earth to prove with my own presence, by showing up and sharing the same kind of love that my father taught me.

Today my career as a Facilitator of Fascination affords me the opportunity to share my talents as a magician and expertise in positivity and happiness, to help others who greatly need it by trading value for value through:

• Engaging professional development workshops to corporations and organizations who need help with teamwork and communication.
• Empowering presentations for high schools and colleges to combat the growing anxiety, depression, and suicide crisis among emerging adults.
• Encouraging one-on-one coaching programs for motivated individuals who are looking to experience the next level of enjoyment and excellence in their lives at work, home, and beyond.

This work is challenging and yet extremely rewarding, because not only do I get the satisfaction of doing what I do best, but I also get the satisfaction of having a front row seat to witness the life transformation of others. It's been my experience that showing up to life everyday to do your very best, being present, and helping others along the way, is a great way to show others that you care.
What do you think? How do you show others that you care?

Have you ever met someone who’s the same today as they were ten years ago? It’s as if time has stood still for them, all the while the rest world has moved on. When you ask them what their plans are they won’t be able to tell you anything new, and when you ask them what they’re looking forward to they either won’t have an answer or their answer will be a rehash of the “same old same old.”

There can be something said for maintaining stability. According to the DISC Behavior Model 69% of the population is characterized as Steady, Stable, and Supportive, and largely motivated by the fear of losing security. In other words, they will actively avoid making changes—even positive changes! Beyond this inherent fear-based behavior, there can be a number of external factors at work too:
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• Some people are discouraged by others
• Some people have been hurt by past disappointment 
• Some people settle for average
• Some people lack confidence

Whatever the “stumbling stone” may be, ultimately no one will ever change until “they hurt enough that they have to change, learn enough that they want to change, [and] receive enough that they are able to change.” To be clear, I’m not talking about change just for the sake of change, or compromising core values; rather, I’m talking about the kind of change that involves positive growth; ensuring that next year we’re not just a year older, but a year wiser too.

When we have to change, want to change, and are able to change, it offers us a sense of purpose—a meaningful and motivating drive to make the most of our days. According to Dr. Stephanie Hooker, a psychologist at the University of Minnesota, having a sense of purpose is “basically the idea that your life makes sense, you’re here for a reason, and you’re significant in the world.” Yet without this drive we become demotivated, like a sailboat with neither sail nor wind. Though many of us have experienced firsthand the joy of having a sense of purpose, there’s also plenty of research to support these claims for those skeptical to the whims of emotions, including a number of health benefits. A sense of purpose can:

• Improve sleep
• Increase resiliency to stress
• Improve cognitive and executive function
• Improve healing capabilities after surgery
• Help emerging adults maintain a positive self-image, have less delinquency, and more gracefully transition into adulthood.
• Help aging adults maintain independence in old age.

These claims by social scientists makes purpose sound like some kind of magic spell, but there can be logical reasons for why having a sense of purpose can be so beneficial to our health. According to Dr. Hooker, “People who have a greater sense of meaning may be more likely to take care of themselves because they feel as if their lives matter more…they’ve got this ultimate purpose that they’re trying to achieve, and health is the foundation for being able to do that.”

How To Live With PurposeIt’s clear that having a sense of purpose is good for us, not just to give us something to do today, but to also offer meaning and value to all our days while at the same time giving us natural motivation to maintain sound health. Okay, that’s great—but what about those stumbling stones we mentioned at the top of this article? How do we foster purpose when we’re discouraged by others? When we’re hurt by past disappointment? When we have settled for average? And what about when we simply lack confidence?

The author and corporate trainer Bridget Irby suggests, “The real reason most people get what they want out of life [is] belief.” She narrows it down to two core beliefs. When people are held back from positive growth they either 1) don't believe they deserve more out of life, or 2) they don't believe the can obtain it. The idea is that if you choose to believe in your worthiness and choose to believe that you can achieve what you set your mind to, you will be able to achieve it.

This notion is reminiscent of the transportation innovator: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right,” and also the century transportation affirmationist: “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”

Serve Others
If you or someone you know is hung up on self-efficacy and confidence issues, then a good place to start with fostering a sense of purpose is with advice from the many sages throughout the ages who have suggested that purpose can be found in helping others.

Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Winston Churchill is credited as saying, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” And then there’s this popular suggestion attributed as a Chinese proverb: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a month, get married. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else.”

Social scientists support these claims, with research indicating that service to others can provide a sense of meaning, contribute to one’s own success and growth and happiness.The behavioral neuroscientist Alice Walton suggests that valuing service to others can also provide mental health benefits, stating: “Much of our mental anguish, stress and depression is linked to rumination and worry-based, self-referential thoughts.”

But not everyone is convinced that purpose is necessarily linked to servicing others. The psychotherapist Tina Gilbertson asserts that your purpose is simply what you do. “Just do your thing, whether it’s playing music, studying frogs, making a fortune or making pies.” And if whatever you do also happens to provide service to others, well isn’t that nice. As the poet Rumi offers, “Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” One way to do this is to integrate our interests and talents, which oftentimes overlaps with the needs of others.

Stimulate Your PassionsOne way to find a natural sense of purpose is to stimulate your passions, one of the strategies I share in my book Are You P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E.?: Rethinking Positive Thinking. In this book passion is defined as the intersection of our talents and our interests—with our talents being the things that we can do better than most people with little or no effort, and our interests being the things that we think about even when we should be thinking about something else. Stimulating our passions honors the work that we have been “made for;” the work that Rumi suggests has been naturally placed in “every heart.”

This distinction between talents and interests can also be understood as the tension between aptitudes and values, which brings up an important question: Just because we can do something, does that mean that we should do something? This line of questioning proposes a noteworthy difference between two conflicting purposes: 1) our primary inner purpose, and 2) our secondary outer purpose. This is another way of stating the reminder that we are human beings, not human doings. In this understanding, our inner purpose involves our core convictions, and our outer purpose is how we express those values. In other words, we will discover our true sense of purpose when what we do in this life is a clear reflection of who we are in this life.

Reflections
1) Identify Your Interests, Core Convictions &Values: Who are you? Don’t confuse this for what you do, rather think of who you are. What are you about? What are your values? What presence do you bring to the world? What do you think about even when you should be thinking about other things? What kind of influence and impact do you have on the people around you?

2) Identify Your Talents, Skills & Aptitudes: What do you do well? What do you enjoy doing? How can you use your natural talents and learned skills to express your core convictions? How might these “doings” solve a problem that others may have? How might your purpose be of service to the world around you?

3) Test Your Purpose: In the book Put Your Dream To The Test[18] Dr. John C. Maxwell shares a list of 10 questions to help readers cultivate an authentic sense of purpose that is both meaningful and impactful. As you reflect on your deep-seated purpose, answer these four questions:

• The Ownership Question: Is your purpose really your purpose? Or is it merely what you think others expect of you?
• The Passion Question: Does your purpose compel you to follow it? Are you consistently motivated to act on it? Or are you easily sidetracked?
• The Cost Question: Are you willing to pay the price for your purpose? What is negotiable in your life? What is nonnegotiable? Anything of lasting value will require you to make sacrifices. Are you willing to give up certain things in order to gain something more?
• The Fulfillment Question: Does working toward your purpose bring satisfaction? Grand accomplishments require grand effort. Does working toward your purpose bring you joy, even during difficult times?

Final Thoughts
Having a sense of purpose not only provides meaning and significance to our lives, it also comes with a myriad of physical and mental health benefits. Plus, there’s a good chance that we’ll be able to help others along the way, which can either be a happy happenstance or an intentional initiative. Finding your authentic life purpose is a discerning move, and by taking the time to be mindful and reflect on your positive impact on the world around you, you’ll be well-poised to enjoy the benefits.

When I was a young boy my father would bring me every Saturday to the local magic store, Bianco's Bike & Magic Shop. We'd get there right at 10am when Tony Bianco opened up the shop and we'd stay right up until he closed at 3pm. It was there that I first met all the local magicians, from dabblers and hobbyists, to scholars, historians, and seasoned pros. They came from all walks of life, and yet they came with the same passion for the craft and art of magic.

Seeing such a cute young kid interested in magic, they happily shared with me their secrets, tips, tricks, and words of wisdom and encouragement. When I was old enough I officially joined them by becoming a member of the Society Of American Magicians. Being part of such a welcoming and tight-knit group was a positive influence on me from an early age.

What most strikes me about that time in my life, now that I look back from a bigger perspective, is that my father—who surely had plenty of other things he could have been doing with his weekend—willingly, happily, and joyfully brought me to the store and spent all day with me and my new friends. My friends became his friends, and if he wasn’t taking part in the magic then he was helping with the bicycle repairs—which was more in line with his passions.

My father and I could not have been any different from each other, yet we still bonded by his joy in sharing in my passions. He was always one of my biggest supporters, and for that I will always Always ALWAYS be grateful. When my father died in 2014 I responded by doing a magic show. I called up my friend Jenifer Gelineau, who heads up Holyoke Summer Strings, and volunteered to do a magic show for their students. It was a small gesture, but a significant one.

How do you show someone that you care? How do you show someone that you love them? You show up. You convince with your presence. That’s what my father did for me, and with the skills and knowledge that I gained because of him I now dedicate my time on this earth to prove with my own presence, by showing up and sharing the same kind of love that my father taught me.

Today my career as a Facilitator of Fascination affords me the opportunity to share my talents as a magician and expertise in positivity and happiness, to help others who greatly need it by trading value for value through:

• Engaging professional development workshops to corporations and organizations who need help with teamwork and communication.
• Empowering presentations for high schools and colleges to combat the growing anxiety, depression, and suicide crisis among emerging adults.
• Encouraging one-on-one coaching programs for motivated individuals who are looking to experience the next level of enjoyment and excellence in their lives at work, home, and beyond.

This work is challenging and yet extremely rewarding, because not only do I get the satisfaction of doing what I do best, but I also get the satisfaction of having a front row seat to witness the life transformation of others. It's been my experience that showing up to life everyday to do your very best, being present, and helping others along the way, is a great way to show others that you care.

What do you think? How do you show others that you care?

Jonas Cain is an author, magician, Facilitator of Fascination, and founder of Positivity Magic, LLC. His company helps corporations and schools develop a positive culture and coaches individuals to foster a positive mindset so they can experience the next level of enjoyment and excellence at work, home, and beyond.
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Has this ever happened to you? You just finish performing the most amazing magic of your career, complete with emotional hooks and theatrical arcs, and yet the only response from the audience is: “How did you do that?” 

Some may see this kind of a response as a compliment to a magician, but I’m not you’re every day average magician. I’m not in the business of pulling the wool over the eyes and fooling my audience. No, I’m in a much more interesting line of work. I’m on a mission to help people experience the next level of enjoyment and excellence in their lives, and it just so happens that I do this by performing Positivity Magic that communicates principles and practices for choosing fascination rather than frustration in the face of life’s surprises.

Some of the people who get the most value out of this work are individuals who tend to get so stuck in the details that they can't see the bigger picture. For these folks it takes a little more coaching to allow them space to overcome their fears of the unknown and experience a positive breakthrough. Once I'm able to help guide them away from fruitless questions (ie "How did you do that?" "Why is this happening to me?") and to instead ask the more fruitful questions (ie "What did I do to put myself into this situation?" "How can I use this experience to grow?") that's when true breakthroughs are made possible.

The Role of Motivation
According to the DISC Behavioral Model, 17% of the population is classified as compliant, correct, and cautious, with a passive and task-oriented mindset commonly motivated by the fear of criticism. These are the people who need to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s, and they need all the details prepared before they can make decisions. It’s in their nature to be cautious so they are careful to ensure everything is correct.

For those who are motivated with “High C” behaviors, the Magic Word Preparation is quite important because it helps keep their biggest fear at bay, however their actions have additional intrinsic value beyond just the fear of criticism. Careful action also ensures that they do the right thing, even when doing the wrong (or immoral) thing would be far easier in the short term. There’s plenty of research with a focus on what makes people happy, but here we’re focusing on behaviors that are “right” or “correct,” which might not necessarily result in the same feel-good qualities as happiness.

Apples, Cases & BarrelsA 2010 study explores the consequences of unethical behaviors and intentions, exploring actions like stealing, cheating, and lying in the workplace. The analysis used three categories:

1. Bad Apples (individual characteristics)
2. Bad Cases (circumstantial characteristics)
3. Bad Barrels (workplace characteristics).

Bad Apples are those who reject universal ethics in favor of moral relativism, and who also fail to recognize the relationship between their personal behavior and the resulting consequences.

Bad Cases are situations where doing the wrong thing had lower perceived consequences, such as when consequences were not imminent, or when penalties are shared by many rather than blame placed on just one individual. 

Bad Barrels are work environments where behavior expectations are not enforced, and are also apathetic to the well-being of others—whether employees, customers, vendors, or the community at large.

In short, there are many things that could cause someone to choose the wrong thing over the right thing—whether due to flawed personal character, opportunistic circumstances, or a negative environment—yet comparatively few reasons to choose the right. In response to this study, Dr. Christopher Peterson, one of the founders of positive psychology, stated:
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“Those who do the right thing are people who do not see others as means to ends, those who believe they are responsible for what happens to themselves, and those who are happy.”ControlFor our purposes we're going to focus on Dr. Peterson’s second point. When we have an internal locus of control we place the blame or praise for our failures or successes on our own efforts, and if we hold this sort of expectation we become motivated to do all we can to achieve ambitions that genuinely matter to our areas of passion and purpose. In other words, correct actions include doing the right things by preparing for the future that we expect. And while expectations are not always met, they certainly have a much better chance of coming into existence when we do the work necessary to prepare for them. As the poet Margaret Elizabeth Sangster reminds us:

“It isn't the things you do, but rather, it's the things that you leave undone, which gives you a bit of heartache, at the setting of the sun.”What are our actions of today preparing for the outcomes of tomorrow? Having an open perspective and believing in a meaningful purpose is important, but unless our actions today and every day prepare for the fulfillment of this purpose we will be destined to settle for a rehash of our current station.

Reflection

1. What are your behaviors today preparing you for? Are they leading you closer or further away from your purpose?
2. What activities, behaviors, or habits are not “pulling their weight” in the fulfillment of your purpose? What might you outsource or stop doing altogether?
3. What activities, behaviors, or habits are you not currently doing that could help you prepare for the future you’re hoping for? What might you add to your life to be better prepared?

Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for positive results with your chosen purpose then you will be called to do the right things today—even when doing the wrong things (procrastinating!) may be the more alluring options for your temporary, short term happiness. Best of all, when you employ the Magic Word Preparation, your future self will always thank you for it!

In the book Am I Making Myself Clear? the author Terry Felber suggests that everyone views the world through their own representational system. A representational system is the lens through which we interpret the world and it’s created by the experiences of our five senses over time, including the influences of our heredity, environments, and various role models.

A simple example of how this works is seen in a hypothetical trip to the beach. Later, if we were to talk about the experience, our recollections would be translated through our different representational systems. One person might describe how the sun felt on their skin, another might describe the sound of the waves, or the reflection of the sun on the water, or the smell of salt in the air. As for me, I’d probably talk about how cold it is since going to a New England beach in December isn’t always the most pleasant of experiences! Same situation, same set of data, yet we all experienced something different.

The playwright George Bernard Shaw once suggested that “the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” This illusion is created when we project our own representational system onto others—by assuming that they have had the same experiences with heredity, environments, and role models—and consequently fail to account for their actual motivations.

Principles
A proactive approach to addressing this issue is to examine the psychology behind these systems, such as the DISC Personality Assessment. DISC is the acronym for a personality and behavioral model based on the work of Dr. William Marston’s 1928 book The Emotions of Normal People. In this model of human behavior there are four dominant personality types: 1) Dominant, 2) Influencing, 3) Steady, and 4) Compliant. Each personality type is motivated by different factors based on their dominant world view as conditioned by their heredity, environments, and role models, and the resulting behavior is influenced by underlying fears.

• Those with a “High D” personality tend to be more dominant, direct, and decisive. They are active and task-oriented, and are commonly motivated by the fear of being taken advantage of.
• Those with a “High I” personality tend to be more influencing, inspiring, and interactive. They are active and people-oriented, and are commonly motivated by the fear of rejection.
• Those with a “High S” personality tend to be more steady, stable, and supportive. They are passive and people-oriented, and are commonly motivated by the fear of losing security.
• Those with a “High C” personality tend to be more compliant, correct, and cautious. They are passive and task-oriented, and are commonly motivated by the fear of criticism.

Being aware of how people interpret the world around them, and being sensitive to the underlying fears that motivate behavior, is a valuable practice for overcoming the illusion of communication. Likewise, being more aware of your own personality style will help you to better understand how to alter your behavior when interacting with others in a way that speaks to their motivations rather than from your limited world-view.

Reflection
Whether we admit it or not, everyone is motivated by fear. It's biologically wired in our DNA. In the book The Biology of Happiness the author Bjørn Grinde points out that we are wired to gravitate towards that which affords us with positive effects, and eschew that which gives us negative effects. For example, we don’t have to think twice before pulling our hand off of a hot stove: the motivation to pull away from pain is built into our body’s nervous system.

With this in mind, reflect on your answers to the following questions:

1. Think about your behaviors on a typical day. What predominant fear motivates you? Is it a fear of being taken advantage of? The fear of rejection? The fear of losing security? The fear of criticism?
2. How might this fear, if taken too broadly or to the extreme, be negatively impacting your work, your relationships, and your health?
3. Now that you’re more aware of some of your behavior’s motivating factors, how might this enhanced perspective positively impact your decisions, actions, and interactions moving forward?

Final Thoughts
By choosing to accept the intentional growth practice of developing and fostering a wider perspective we’ll transform our relationships by gaining more self-awareness, and empowered with greater clarity, empathy, and compassion when dealing with others.  

Additional Resources
If you’re ready to gain a wider perspective of your personality, motivations, and behaviors to achieve the next level of enjoyment and excellence, visit PositivityMagic.com/DISC and take the 10-minute DISC personality test. Your complete personality report will outline your styles of behavior, communication, strength, and work, and offer suggestions for personal and professional growth.

The age of celebrity culture and social media provides emerging generations with the illusion that success is something to be achieved quickly, failing to understand that this lens only frames part of the picture. The general public rarely sees the defining moments of determination in the bushwacked years of blood sweat and tears, yet seeing only the results and not the multitudes of rough drafts can lead to frustration when success is not immediately forthcoming. As the author Tal Ben-Shahar reminds us:
 
“When we hear about extremely successful people, we mostly hear about their great accomplishments – not about the many mistakes they made and the failures they experienced along the way. In fact, most successful people throughout history are also those who have had the most failures. That is no coincidence. People who achieve great feats, no matter what field, understand that failure is not a stumbling block but a stepping-stone on the road to success. There is no success without risk and failure. We often fail to see this truth because the outcome is more visible than the process—we see the final success and not the many failures that led to it.”[1]
 
Why This Matters
Humans are biologically wired to be motivated by fear, specifically the fear of losing the ability to pass on our genes, expressed through either liking and seeking that which promotes genetic fitness, or by disliking and avoiding that which reduces genetic fitness. [2]  Yet when we allow fears to override potential rewards we become discouraged from committing to and following through with our resolutions.
 
Consider this observation: the average person gets average results—which are small risks with small wins to create a life in statu quō ante bellum erat[3]—and the exceptional person gets exceptional results—which are big risks with exponentially bigger wins to create a life that is worthy of Instagram. When fears are based on past experiences we erroneously believe that past failures will translate into future failure with no hope for success, yet the opposite is also damaging. It is easy to rest on our past successes so much so that we fail to even try growing to our fullest potential. To break free from the average we are called to boldly step forward despite any fears and despite any past experiences. In other words, to achieve exceptional results we are called to persevere by creating our own exceptions. In this way perseverance can be well understood as courage in action: the courage to face adversity, delays, roadblocks, and hardships of various kinds, and choose to forge ahead instead of taking the easy way out by giving up.
 
According to Dr. William Marston’s DISC Personality System, 3% of the population is characterized as dominant, direct, and decisive. Driven by the fear of being taken advantage of, these individuals operate from the belief that the end result is all that matters. This can be a positive personality trait if held within the understanding that successful results take time. As the prominent baseball general manager Frank Lane points out, “If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm,” and this kind of determination to succeed calls us to employ the Magic Word Perseverance.
 
But it’s not just sports managers suggesting this. Jean Wiecha, Associate Professor of Exercise and Health Sciences at UMass Boston suggests that the best way to improve long-term success in life is by hardwiring our brains with perseverance. Of course, being a professor of exercise, she believes that a great way to do this is by participating in regular physical activity. The idea is that when we continually add hard-earned wins to our days, we’re reinforcing a mindset of perseverance that translates into all aspects of life for life-long growth.[4] There’s good reason for giving credence to this line of thinking, and it involves our body’s own natural reward chemical dopamine.
 
5 Perseverance Practices
Perseverance is fueled by dopamine, an organic chemical that acts as the mind’s natural reward mechanism. This chemical is the body’s biological method for reinforcing behavior that promotes genetic fitness by giving us the reward of a sense of satisfaction when we obtain pleasure and avoid pain. However, when we become complacent and don’t engage in proper behaviors, our dopamine levels become depleted which can lead to dissatisfaction and depression. The good news is that dopamine can be controlled and harnessed as a motivating force to help improve our capacity to persevere, and all takes is a slight shift in our beliefs and behaviors. [5]
 
1. Believe In Yourself
The popular quote attributed to Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right,” has basis in science. Ted Kaptuchuk, professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of Placebo Studies and Therapeutic Encounter at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, states[6] that when patients believe that a drug will help them the mere belief triggers the body to begin producing dopamine which affects a healing response.
 
This natural phenomena can have profound consequences for more than just our physical health, but our mental health as well. By choosing to believe in your own abilities with an expectation of success this can literally alter the chemical responses in our brains, and when practiced consistently over time our mind can become conditioned to naturally produce dopamine when we need it to affect positive motivating states conducive to perseverance.
 
Expectations can have a profound impact on our lives even if it’s literally just all in our head, “there is still a biological mechanism driving these reactions.”[7] But that’s not all; when we believe in ourselves we don’t just produce useful brain chemicals, we also practice a growth mindset that helps to further develop perseverance.
 
2. Growth Mindset
Dr. Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,[8] suggests that there are benefits for holding a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset:
 
When we hold a fixed mindset we rest on our current knowledge, talents, and skills, believing that we will never be able to add to these qualities and therefore exert no effort to even try to improve. However this mindset can be devastating to our will when faced with challenges, obstacles, and failures, as such circumstances can lead us to believe that we we’re simply not good enough, thus reducing dopamine levels and by association impeding our capacity to persevere.
 
By contrast, with a growth mindset we believe that knowledge, talents, and skills can be developed through continual dedicated practice and hard work. This mindset understands that where we are is only a starting point for our life-long growth and professional development, and it interprets adversity “not as a signal to throw in the towel, but as a natural, healthy part of human growth and achievement.”[9] In short, by simply believing in ourselves by practicing a growth mindset we become imbued with a sense of purpose, poising ourselves to generate the motivation to persevere even when the going gets tough.
 
3. Practice
Professor Angela Duckworth, in her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,[10] suggests a way to practice perseverance through a growth mindset, no matter the specific activity. She sates that perseverance can be cultivated by focusing on key psychological assets, including that of employing intentional practice.
 
In cultivating practice the professor states that perseverance is a discipline of always trying to improve, however in this endeavor she encourages us to blend moments of stretching our abilities along with moments of “flow” which allows us to express our strengths through effortless performance. This is a key practice that I taught my private students when I worked in a former career as a music teacher. In our lesson we’d spend much time learning new techniques, however I was also always sure to allow the student ample time to demonstrate the strengths of what they had already learned as a way to both build and reinforce confidence. This “flow” time was crucial especially after spending much time learning a particularly difficult passage, for example. Fumbling and stumbling is no way to build confidence, and especially for young students it can cause them to want to quit mighty quick! But by immediately following up that time with selections that they’ve already mastered, it provides encouragement to persevere.
 
4. Accomplish Something Every Day
If we don’t accomplish something everyday dopamine levels diminish, which makes it easy to become frustrated and give up. But we are empowered to ramp up our levels of dopamine by ensuring that we do accomplish something every day. It doesn’t have to be something big every day; in fact, big accomplishments are usually the result of little tasks completed on a regular basis. So breaking down large tasks into smaller manageable tasks, and ensuring that we compete and acknowledge those wins, will trigger our brains to reward us with the pleasure inducing chemical that’s key to fueling perseverance.
 
To help with this consider making a checklist everyday of all the things you’d like to accomplish. Having this checklist not only helps us to organize our thoughts, but it also provides an opportunity to releases dopamine every time we cross something off the list once accomplished. What’s more, at the end of the week we’ll have seven lists with a multitude of tangible accomplishments to back at, providing a further boost of perseverance fuel!
 
5. Celebrate Your Wins
In today’s hustle and bustle it's so easy to become apathetic, but when we don’t take time to celebrate our achievements—no matter how small or seemingly insignificant—dopamine levels dry up preventing perseverance from being reinforced. By instead holding an internal locus of control by being our own cheerleaders we’ll instead be in control of our natural reward of dopamine. So when you experience success, get in the habit of sincerely experiencing it. I suggest creating your own happy dance or touchdown celebration. Over time you’ll learn to associate perseverance as a good feeling regardless of any associated difficulties.
 
Final Thoughts
Nelson Mandela once put it well when he said “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” When we look for the bigger perspective, when we know our purpose, when we prepare well, and when we are fully present in all that we do, we align yourself to not just bounce back from any potential setbacks but, even better, to bounce forward to truly be better today than we were yesterday. Now that’s a resolution worth sticking to!
 
Additional Resources
If you’d like to learn more about how to apply these principles and practices to your life and achieve the next level of enjoyment and excellence in a specific focus area, visit  PositivityMagic.com/Contact to schedule a free 30-minute Positivity Breakthrough Session. As a special bonus you’ll also receive a FREE positivity checklist outlining 8 simple steps for thinking, being, and staying positive!

Jonas Cain is an author, magician, Facilitator of Fascination, and founder of Positivity Magic, LLC. His company helps organizations develop a positive workplace culture and coaches individuals to develop a positive mindset so they can experience the next level of enjoyment and excellence at work, home, and beyond.
 
Accept your FREE Positivity Breakthrough Session Today at PositivityMagic.com/Contact
 
References
[1] Ben-Shahar, Tal. Choose the Life You Want. The Experiment, March 18, 2014. — p. 130

[2] Grinde, Bjørn. The Biology of Happiness. Springer, 2012.

[3] (Latin) “The state existing before the war.” This phrase reminds of Benjamin Franklin’s adage: “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” In other words, of what use is the war with our vices if afterwards we are in the same state as before the war?

[4] Bergland, Christopher. “The Neuroscience of Perseverance: Dopamine Reinforces the Habit of Perseverance.” Psychology Today, December 26, 2011.

[5] Bergland, Christopher. “The Neuroscience of Perseverance: Dopamine Reinforces the Habit of Perseverance.” Psychology Today, December 26, 2011.

[6] Specter, Michael. “The Power of Nothing: Could studying the placebo effect change the way we think about medicine?” The New Yorker, December 12, 2011.

[7] Specter, Michael. “The Power of Nothing: Could studying the placebo effect change the way we think about medicine?” The New Yorker, December 12, 2011.

[8] Dweck, Carol. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books, 2007.

[9] Pollock, Michael D. “The Science of Perseverance: How Your Beliefs Can Strengthen (or Weaken) Your Motivation.” MichaelDPollock.com

[10] Duckworth, Angela. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Scribner, 2016.