Intro
For a long time, I had a fixed mindset in many areas of my life. Particularly with my mental health. I had struggled with anxiety and depression and held a belief that there was nothing I could do to improve my situation. I was ignorant in thinking that I’d tried everything to feel better. And thought the only way I could get relief, was to numb my pain with drugs and alcohol. It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom and had to rebuild my life from the gutter that I began to develop a growth mindset; doing so changed my life for the better.
What is a growth mindset?
“This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way—in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments—everyone can change and grow through application and experience.” – Professor Dweck
After studying students and observing how they bounced back after failure, Professor Carol Dweck introduced the idea of the growth mindset. The growth mindset is a set of beliefs that your intelligence and skillset can be developed over time. You believe that your potential is unlimited and view failure as a stepping stone to mastery.
What is a fixed mindset?
On the flip side, you have the fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is a belief that your abilities are static and unchangeable. You were born with a certain level of ability and that’s just the way it is. Look out for situations where you say things like:
- ‘That’s just the way I am’
- ‘I can’t do that’
- ‘I’m not good at trying new things’
- ‘I don’t have the ability for that’
People who have a fixed mindset will often pass up on new opportunities through fear of failure and embarrassment. They view feedback from others as criticism and tend to hide their flaws, so they’re not judged by those around them.
How to develop a growth mindset
1. Believe that developing a growth mindset is possible
If you don’t believe something is possible, it never will be because you won’t try to make it so! One of the most important steps to developing a growth mindset is belief. You need to believe that change is possible. You need to believe that your skill and intelligence levels aren’t fixed. And you need to believe that you can learn and grow. But you also need to understand that positive change takes time. So don’t lose your belief if you don’t see results straight away.
2. Don’t be afraid to fail
‘I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.’ — Michael Jordan
Nobody ever learnt anything from getting things right all the time. The reason doing something well is rewarding, is because you’ve failed and made mistakes on the way to success. It means you’ve learned.
A sign of a fixed mindset is a fear of failure. It means you stay in your comfort zone, only doing thigs you know you can do, which means you’re not learning or growing. Adopting a growth mindset means you’re okay with failure as you see it as an opportunity to learn and grow. It means you’re willing to analyse your mistakes to see what you can change and improve on next time.
3. Be open to new experiences
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Developing a growth mindset means you’re open to new experiences and challenges as you view them as an opportunity to develop, regardless of what the outcome might be. You understand you may not see results straight away. But you know that with time, your new skills will develop and grow. Embracing challenges and new experiences are also excellent ways to build confidence within yourself.
4. Stop doing things to try and impress people
You are the only person in your life that you need to impress. Embrace and accept yourself. Seeking constant approval and validation from others is a sign of a fixed mindset. It stops your creativity and willingness to try new things through a fear of embarrassment and failure. Focus on what you want to do and achieve and take consistent steps to get there. Failure will be a part of the process, but don’t be embarrassed by this. Learn from your mistakes and keep on going.
5. Embrace criticism
People with a fixed mindset avoid criticism as they only try and do things they know how to do, inside of their comfort zone. They view criticism as negative and aren’t open to constructive thoughts that may help them improve. However, developing a growth mindset means you embrace criticism. People will view what you’re doing differently and can provide valuable insights which can help you improve. Sure, not all criticism will do this, but its worth while listening to what people have to say, so you can work out what’s valuable and what’s not.
6. Understand that change takes time
When you start to change an aspect of your life, often you’ll want to see results right away and it can be frustrating if this doesn’t happen. But a key aspect of the growth mindset is understanding and accepting that change takes time. Learn to love the process, not the destination. There will be times where you’ll develop a new skill or learn something more quickly than others, but this should not be expected. Just know that all your silent efforts are compounding to huge results.
Conclusion
Developing a growth mindset means that you believe you can develop your skills and intelligence over time. It means you embrace new challenges and see failure as opportunity to learn and adapt on your next try. You believe there are no limits to what you can achieve. Rather than sitting in your comfort zone, you’ll open yourself up to uncomfortable new experiences as you view them as an opportunity to grow. And your journey will start when you believe that anything is possible.