Our mindsets are comprised of a set of beliefs that determine how we see the world and our place in it. According to Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, Changing the Way You Think to Fulfill Your Potential, there are two basic mindsets: fixed and growth.
Fixed Mindset: Our belief is that our talents, skills, and intelligence are all fixed. What we have is all we are going to get.
Growth Mindset: Our belief is that we can learn and develop our talents, skills, and intelligence.
If we have a growth mindset, we are more likely to achieve greater success as we are willing to put effort into learning, and are more likely to embrace challenges, as well as view feedback as another opportunity to improve.
I know what you are thinking – great – sign me up!
The reality is that we are a mixture of both mindsets. The good news is that we can become more growth minded. This shift in mindset involves small steps which begin with awareness.
Nurturing Our Growth Mindset:
Embrace that you are a mixture of growth and fixed mindset. Our mindsets, at one time, served us – be grateful.
Pay attention to when your fixed mindset shows up. What triggers it? One of mine used to be a complaint (what I, at the time, perceived as a complaint). This is about awareness – notice your fixed mindset.
Set goals for learning. When they are accomplished set more goals – keep going (& growing).
Notice & celebrate your effort and action. This shifts our focus from the result to the little steps of progress toward the result we want.
Harvest the good. When you make a mistake, or something did not turn out as desired focus on what you can learn. What did you learn and how can you apply that lesson going forward?
“Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.”
Chinese Proverb
