Mindset Matters but it’s just the Tip of the Iceberg

"If you believe you can or believe you can't, in either case you're right" - Henry Ford

Mindset matters – it really does. But if it was the only thing getting in the way of your success, you'd be flying by now.

Only 5% of our decision making comes from the conscious mind. The other 95% is happening below the surface: instinct, conditioning, survival strategies, emotional memory, and inherited beliefs.

"Just change your mindset" is like a gentle breeze moving over the tip of an iceberg while a powerful current pushes the body of it in the opposite direction.

Mindset work alone is a losing battle. We must address the deeper fears that can work against us.

Our brains are designed to keep us safe, not happy. You cannot out-think a system built for survival. This is why affirmations, mindset work, and journalling only get you so far.

Not because you’re failing, but because your evolutionary make up is winning. The nervous system will always override intellectual effort when it perceives a threat — including threats that aren’t actually dangerous, like visibility, leadership, ambition, or asking for more.

It's not about trying to override the system - but working with it. By integrating conflicting parts of us that want growth and protection so we can move towards our goals with greater ease. We do this by working with the mindset but also deeper layers: emotional, somatic (mind-body connection), and the subconscious mind to pull those fears and doubts out at the root. That’s where real movement happens.

In real-time this alignment looks like:

·       Submitting the application for the role you want — without letting old fear dictate your potential.

·       Having the uncomfortable conversation your future self will thank you for.

·       Sharing your work publicly without spiralling into “What will people think?”

·       Negotiating your rate with clarity rather than anxiety.

·       Choosing rest without guilt because you’re no longer equating productivity with worth.

·       Walking away from environments that undermine your value.

·       Setting boundaries without the emotional hangover.

·       Making decisions from self-trust instead of fear of getting it wrong.

And doing it with calm confidence, without the internal conflict, adrenaline spike, or abandoning yourself. Feeling safe to be true to yourself. That is where the magic's at.

The freedom of alignment that sets us free to move towards what we want with greater ease.

So if you have worked with a mindset coach, journalled your challenges to death, or pushed harder only to loop in the same patterns - now you know why.

There’s an entire iceberg under the waterline shaping your choices, your voice, your ambition, and your capacity to lead the life you want. And once you learn to work with the undercurrent - not against it - everything changes.

If this resonates with you and you'd like to go a little deeper (yes, pun intended!) - I’d love to connect. Tell me what you’re working toward and we’ll explore how to get the undercurrents working in your favour: connect@bexhowells.com