A Lesson on Growth Mindset and Abundance Thinking I Didn’t Expect from a Spotify Scroll

Some time back, LilManJ showed up in my feed, and I got hooked on his song, Sippin’ Country. Because of his strong voice, I assumed that he was in his 30s. My daughter pulled up his bio today and discovered that LilManJ is not yet 20. What struck me most was not his age but his “I can do this!” and “I can live my life with beauty and community” attitude.

LilManJ has shared about the challenges he has from birth. I have shared a link to his post about the things he had to overcome at the end of the blog. Every day, he rises above all that life has thrown at him. And he does that with humor and an ease about himself. If you didn’t know his backstory, like me, and you heard him on Spotify, you would have just thought he was another successful country-rapper.

Such wholesome, sustained growth rarely happens in isolation. It happens in environments where support is lovingly and freely given. Your effort is supported and applauded. Trials and errors are not defined simply as ‘success or failure’ but as learning and growing.

Like LilManJ, I have had some wonderful bosses, team members, clients, family, and friends in my life, who have invested in me. They have seen me for who I am, encouraged my effort, and celebrated my successes.

Here is the thing, it has been years, even decades, since I worked with some of them, but every time I think of them, I feel their love. Happiness flows through my being, naturally and effortlessly.

These amazing people in LilManJ’s life, in my life, and in your life, personify what Dweck and Covey write about growth mindset and an attitude of abundance in their books, Mindset and The Seven Habits.

A growth mindset is grounded in the understanding that ability is not fixed; it is developed through effort, learning, and persistence – all throughout your life.

Abundance thinking is recognizing that there is enough opportunity, enough success, and enough value for growth to be shared rather than competed over.

I have observed that people with a growth and abundance mindset tend to have healthy self-love and genuine love for others. Having this mindset helps everyone in the workplace grow and succeed – as individuals and as a community.

Let me tell you a story. Someone who greatly influenced my thinking is my former boss, Cynthia Swindoll. I was invited for something very different from my job – to come and talk and share about findings from a project I had done in my previous job. One evening, I stopped by her office and told her I had received an invitation from this group. Her face lit up! She said, “You must go! You will love it!”

It took me some time to learn, but she understood the responsibility of her role as CEO – how to ensure individual growth and success, and the team’s growth and success. It has been more than 10 years since I worked for her, but every time I think of her, my heart fills with joy and love.

Having a growth mindset and abundance thinking does at least three things:

First, we grow as a whole, like expanding spheres, not unidirectionally, like a bar chart.

Second, we grow together as a team, a community that is growing as a whole.

Third, we live joyful and fulfilled lives.

Growth mindset and abundance thinking aren’t theories; they’re lived experiences. So, live it at our work –

If you are a leader,

1.       Take the time to hear the dreams of the people you spend eight hours a day with. When a leader sees their team members for who they are, it creates a healthier work environment.

2.       Intentionally understand how to simultaneously think about not just growing to fulfill your dreams, but to support your team members in fulfilling their dreams and the company in fulfilling its vision and purpose. This takes effort and time. However, it is worth it, as this mindset helps your team members grow, strengthens engagement, builds psychological safety, improves retention, and supports long-term performance.

If you are a team member,

1.       Ask about your boss’s dreams and those of others on your team.

2.       Then, intentionally try to understand how you can grow and thrive, and also support your team members grow and thrive in your personal and professional space. This too takes time and effort. Again, it is worth it, because you will leave work having spent your time fully.

In a workplace that embodies abundance thinking and growth, everyone is growing in their knowledge and skills… and everyone is successful.

And something beautiful happens. As individuals and as team members, we become more of who we are… but if we operate out of competition and scarcity, then instead of helping each other become more of who we are, we start to erase them from their true selves.

#GrowthMindset #AbundanceThinking #Leadership #HealthyWorkTeams

Click to hear LilManJ, in his own words.

About Dr. Shalini Jebasingh

Dr. Shalini Jebasingh is a trauma-informed Critical Stress Management Coach, Values-Based Organizational Trainer, Biblical Workplace and Leadership Scholar, Developer of the proprietary theoretical SCRIBE Framework for Critical Stress Management, Developer of the proprietary, research-based, validated Love in Leadership Assessment, Founder of Eirene Group, and Founder of Bible at Work.

Trauma-informed Critical Stress Management Coach | Values-Based Organizational Trainer | Developer, SCRIBE Model and Love in Leadership Assessment | Biblical Leadership Scholar | Founder, Eirene Group and Bible at Work