University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Mind Your Mindset
Book

Mind Your Mindset

The Science That Shows Success Starts with Your Thinking

Michael Hyatt and Megan Hyatt Miller
Baker Publishing Group, 2023
First Edition: 2023
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Applicable
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

In their latest how-to, authors Michael Hyatt and Megan Hyatt Miller offer a new stance on the teachings of self-improvement: brain science. The authors explain how the brain sometimes leads to stasis and faulty thinking, causing people to make poor decisions that keep them from realizing their potential. Drawing upon research in neuroscience as well as their personal experiences with their clients, the authors provide actionable strategies on how to break mental logjams and rewire the brain for fresh thinking. Their clear explanations and personal examples keep the science accessible for all readers.

Summary

When stories fail, a mental logjam follows.

When struggling to overcome life’s toughest challenges, such as financial setbacks or family crises, people’s minds often hit a brick wall. Problem-solving strategies that worked well in the past suddenly fail in the present, and long-held assumptions lead to a dead end. Personal growth stalls, and problems persist.

Neuroscience offers insight into why this happens: Your brain contains a network of neural connections that generates memories and makes predictions for the future based on the past. These memories and predictions inform your stories, or narratives. Subsequently, the stories, good and bad, determine which problem-solving strategies you deploy in a given situation.

Usually, these strategies work as intended – preventing mishaps and resolving issues – but, occasionally, they mislead and stifle. This happens when circumstances change but the connections and strategies don’t. Instead of creating a new, adaptive narrative, the brain falls back on an unhelpful one – and a mental logjam ensues. To get unstuck, you must examine ...

About the Authors

Michael Hyatt is the founder and CEO of Full Focus, a performance coaching company. His daughter Megan Hyatt Miller is a Full Focus executive, business podcast host and author.

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