Growth Mindset: How It Can *Literally* Change Your Life

You can’t make this up…“Every encounter, meeting, project, job, rejection, setback, or win is a building block for your future. If there was an invisible ladder, you’d see that every level was a stepping stone towards your ultimate destination. So therein lies the golden rule: establish a growth mindset and practice it early on. 

When I was 16, I lost my mother suddenly to a pulmonary embolism. The call killed me on the inside. It was the worst day of my life. I was originally adopted, so this was my second shot at having a mother and a second chance at having a “normal life.” At the young age of 16, I no longer had a guardian/caregiver and became a “ward of the state.” I was a motherless daughter and now an orphan - a heavy reality to bear. 

My circumstances forced me to have a growth mindset from the very first day of my existence. I’m the daughter of two biological parents who struggle from addiction. My birth mother went into labor with me while incarcerated, which led to my adoption by my great aunt and uncle. At the young age of 16, I lost my adopted mom and at the age of 23, I lost my adopted dad.

Since the very beginning, my life has felt like one big NO. The odds have NEVER been in my favor. I’ve always had to get creative with my livelihood and success, ultimately, making the decision to look beyond my circumstances to create the reality I deserved. 

This especially rings true today as I build my startup, Cazza. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, and every day you’re faced with some form of NO.  But I recently had an epiphany during my fundraising pursuits: entrepreneurship is as much of a personal awakening as it is anything else—especially in the face of so many no’s, hurdles, setbacks, confusion, and investor feedback. 

The experience can leave you feeling horrible and stagnant, until you detach your self-worth and value from what it is you’re building—and RECLAIM your vision. When you start to view entrepreneurship as a personal quest, you can analyze your life as a whole and take inventory of the really hard things you’ve had to overcome. You’ll start to see that these experiences have gotten you to every next moment in your life. 

The early lessons of loss and grief remind me that if I could live a successful life without parents, I can take on the task of executing a big vision or idea. My growth mindset allows me to find a purpose for every experience, good or bad, while maintaining a vision that far exceeds the reality of my current circumstances.

A growth mindset gives you the confidence to trust your intuition, while also being discerning, because you know that all things are leading you to where you’re meant to be. It helps you to continue moving, even when things get hard.” - Lenoria Addison, Founder of Cazza

I typically feature two founders per newsletter, but this week, I’m pausing to spotlight Lenoria, her story, and her golden rule. 

There are many people, I’m sure we all encounter, who choose to live with a victim mentality. There are endless excuses backing the reasons why they can’t pursue a goal or perform on a certain level. 

And Lenoria is clearly an exceptionally inspiring human who was given every invitation to say, “Oh, I can’t do this because….” But instead, Lenoria chose to say ‘no’ to the victim mentality and put everything into changing her world instead. How you view life is a powerful thing. Fighting for what you want is a powerful thing. Choosing growth, and strength, and looking to the future with hope and exhilaration–that’s a powerful thing. 

You can see and feel Lenoria’s drive and visions come to life through her beauty brand Cazza. And the support she’s received during her first crowdfunding efforts shows how much people believe in her. 

To Lenoria and any reader who needs this: So many people would’ve given up, or never would have started in the first place. When you’re feeling the fear or uncertainty that will, no doubt, erupt during your entrepreneurial journey, plow through it. Continue to fight for what you love to do–without reservations. I’m rooting for you.

About Cazza

Cazza, a Black-womxn owned, next-generation beauty brand is creating a suite of mood-based premium hairstyling products inspired by makeup. Founder and CEO Lenoria Addison, a marketing expert with clients including Snapchat, Deutsch, and Samsung Global, pre-launched the brand with a buzzworthy and successful crowdfunding campaign to a built-in cultish following and a network of influencers that reaches over 25 million.  The brand tagline is Makeup For Your Hair—because hair products offer the same, limitless creative opportunities and emotional transformation as makeup, but are often reduced to functionality and performance. Cazza believes that hair is the original mood enhancer and their products and experiences are designed to make you feel good. Once launched, a portion of Cazza’s proceeds will support housing projects for youth transitioning out of foster care.

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I share all of my You Can’t Make This Up moments in my new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. It’s a collection of 21 rules that help me overcome my fears and turn my dreams into reality. I’m honored to share them and hope they do the same for you. You can learn more and order it here!