Mindfulness.com
Meditation
See all Meditation

Browse

Top articles

How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners

10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation

What is Meditation?

Mindful LivingSleep
CommunityFor Work

The Nuance of Personal Growth

Cory Muscara

00:00

00:00

Cory Muscara

4.7

Duration

Scan the following QR code with your camera app to open it on your phone

The Nuance of Personal Growth

Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:

Hi, welcome back to

your Daily Mindfulness.

In today's session, we're going

to talk about which is better,

being a small fish in a big pond

or a big fish in a small pond.

In the personal development space,

you often hear teachers encourage

you to surround yourself with folks

who are performing at a higher level.

I've definitely seen the

merit to this advice and I've

seen the potential drawbacks.

When it comes to our growth, one of the

most important things that motivates

and sustains action is self-efficacy,

our belief that we can do something

which is often first developed

by experiencing small successes.

And if we only surround ourself

with people who have reached a

much higher level of expertise,

it may be discouraging.

Instead of inspiring us to new

heights, they can make us feel

that the task is insurmountable.

Goal setting research by Edwin Locke

supports this as well, suggesting

that a goal must feel attainable,

which is connected to the difficulty

of the goal and our self-efficacy

in order for us to feel sustained

motivation towards that goal.

Since the overwhelming narrative

still seems to be only surround

yourself with the best.

In other words, be a small fish

in a big pond, I just want it

to add some nuance to that.

It's suggesting that it's not only

okay, but potentially in the best

interests of your overall growth to

spend time as a big fish in a small pond.

This could be especially true if

you've struggled with self-esteem,

self-worth, and self-confidence.

As your self-efficacy grows,

you can explore other settings

that challenge you in new ways.

I hope this helps as you

navigate your growth journey.

And may we be the best

fish that we can be.

Thank you so much for your practice.

Let's settle in for today's meditation.

Get Unlimited Access

Start your mindfulness journey today.

A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.

  • Over 1,800 meditations, sleep, calm music, naturescapes and more
  • Daily mindfulness video meditations 365 days a year
  • 100s of courses and tools to help manage anxiety, sleep and stress

Email Missing

We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.
or

Mindfulness Guarantee

We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.

If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.


Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.

Mindfulness

Bring balance into your everyday life.

We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.

  • 2,000+ Guided Meditations
  • Daily Coaching
  • Sleep Content
  • Mindful Exercises
  • Mindful Radio
  • 10+ Courses from world-class teachers

Private Browsing

Added to your cart!

Checkout

Claim your free access

Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.

or continue with
By continuing, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Do you already have an account?

Start a free trial to play this session

7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.

Start 7-Day Free Trial

Finish personalizing your account

Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.