Brainy Dose Presents:
What Is A Growth Mindset - And How To Develop It
Do you often try new things, and push yourself into uncharted territory in your development;
or, do you tend to stick with what you know?
Your answer to this question reveals your mindset.
If you have a fixed mindset, you believe you are either GOOD or NOT GOOD at something.
You believe that you have a certain amount of intelligence and talent, and nothing can
change that.
You feel like your talents and intelligence are fixed, and it doesn’t matter how much
effort you put in.
You tend to think that your effort is fruitless.
And, if you do put in effort and fail at a new task or skill, you feel your effort was
wasted.
With a fixed mindset, you tend to avoid challenges, because failure suggests that you lack the
intelligence needed to be successful.
You believe failures define who you are as a person, so you avoid even trying.
You stick with what you know to keep up your self-confidence.
You feel that getting things wrong and receiving feedback is negative, and that it reveals
your flaws and personal limitations.
You try to hide your flaws, so you aren’t looked at as a failure.
A fixed mindset often prevents you from developing new skills or abilities that would bring a
feeling of fulfillment and happiness to your life.
If you have a growth mindset, you believe your talents can be developed through hard
work, learning, and feedback.
You believe you can be good at anything, because your abilities are entirely due to your actions
and efforts.
With a growth mindset, you believe effort is necessary to grow and master new skills.
The more effort you put in, the closer you get to mastering a skill.
If you make mistakes along the way, you view them as an aid to learning.
To you, mistakes are an essential part of the learning process, and they show your effort.
You believe failures are just temporary setbacks, so you persist through them.
You embrace challenges, because you believe they will help you improve your performance.
With a growth mindset, you welcome feedback from others, because it helps enhance your
abilities.
You do not perceive it as criticism about you as a person, but rather about your current
abilities.
Therefore, the more feedback you get, the better you can become.
If you have a growth mindset, you tend to achieve more than those with a fixed mindset,
because you worry less about failing, and you put more energy into learning and developing
skills.
Most importantly, you are more likely to maximize your full potential.
While most people tend to lean toward one mindset or the other, it’s possible to have
a mix of both.
You can have a growth mindset for intelligence, and a fixed mindset for your personality,
or vice versa.
And in different situations, your mindset can change.
The good news is, you have a choice.
Mindsets are just beliefs!
They are powerful beliefs, but they’re just something in your mind, and you can change
your mind at any time.
Thankfully, even if you are an adult, it’s never too late to start!
Here’s how YOU can develop a growth mindset.
Number 1 - Learn About Brain Plasticity
If you believe that you have a fixed mindset, the first step in shifting towards a growth
mindset is learning about it.
Being aware of the things that your brain is capable of, will give you the reassurance
you need to do your best.
Believing that you are capable of achieving your goals, increases the likelihood of success.
Your brain forms new connections throughout life that allow it to make adjustments when
you are faced with new situations or a new environment.
Neuroplasticity explains how your brain can be retrained and reorganized, showing that
there is always room to grow.
If you are aware that your brain is constantly changing, then you are more likely to adopt
a growth mindset.
Number 2 - Reignite Your Curiosity
It’s important to keep in mind that in today’s age of information, knowledge is available
to everyone.
The only limitations are the ones you enforce on yourself.
Find the time, on a daily basis, to research something you’re passionate about.
While the internet is a useful tool, you can also learn from everyday surroundings.
Start wondering - the same way a child does:
What does that do?
How is it made?
How does that work?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Each answer is another step toward growth and improvement.
Number 3 - Prioritize Learning Over Seeking Approval
When you are more concerned about getting approval from other people - than about learning
new things - you are giving up your own potential to grow.
Don't worry about what other people think about you - instead, focus on bettering yourself,
for your own benefit.
Number 4 - Cultivate A Sense Of Purpose
In order to develop a growth mindset, you need to learn to be able to look at long-term
goals, and have a larger sense of purpose for your life.
Keep the end goal in mind, and always look at the big picture.
Ask yourself on a regular basis, what the purpose of the work you’re doing is.
Are you doing it because you enjoy it, or is it part of a bigger goal?
Always work with a purpose.
This way, you have the motivation to keep going.
Number 5 - Set High Goals and Accept Tough Challenges
Don’t strive to outdo other people - instead, try to outdo your past self.
There’s always room for improvement, so don’t stop when you complete a challenge.
Instead, set the bar higher the next time.
And don’t be afraid that you will set it too high!
People who have a growth mindset are not afraid to fail.
They see failure as a chance to learn something new and try a different path each time.
Rest assured, making a mistake doesn’t cancel out your abilities.
At the end of the day, not trying at all is far worse than failing!
Number 6 - Cultivate Grit
In order to accomplish your long-term goals, you need to have perseverance.
Feelings of frustration can single-handedly drive you to quit long before you should.
But, you cannot forget that you are designed to thrive!
You must train yourself not to focus on what happens TO you, but to focus on what is happening
FOR you.
Discipline yourself to look at what your challenges add, rather than what they take away.
This way, you won’t view setbacks as permanent situations set to impede your progress.
When you believe setbacks are temporary, you can use them to strengthen and empower you.
Number 7 - Welcome Feedback
The more open you are to receiving feedback, the more you increase your chances at success.
Effective and timely feedback is a critical component of success, and should be used in
conjunction with setting goals.
It illuminates your progress.
This type of feedback helps you determine where you need to improve, and the areas where
you are doing great.
There is nothing more helpful than understanding what is working for you and what isn't.
The sole purpose of receiving feedback is to help you improve your performance.
Number 8 - Learn From The Mistakes Of Others
You don't always want to compare yourself to other people, but it is important to see
that other people have the same weaknesses as you.
When you see someone make a mistake and you recognize how it should have been done correctly,
keep this in mind for the future, should you ever find yourself in that situation.
You can even put yourself in their shoes for the moment, and pretend that it was you making
the mistake, and try to learn from it firsthand.
Number 9 - Become A Student For Life
Growth-minded people are able to continue to create new goals, so they stay motivated
and interested in the subjects that they choose to study.
Learning is never finished - as there is always another goal to reach, or more research to
be done.
The key to growth, and probably achieving success in any field, is to become a student
of the subject.
Not just any student, but an interested, curious, obsessed student!
Become so obsessed in a topic that you want to learn everything required to go from student
to master.
Remember, successful people never stop learning, and because of this, they never stop growing.
Number 10 - Celebrate Others
How you handle other people's success, especially when things may not be going so well for you,
is an indicator of your own maturity and belief about yourself.
To make the climb to success an enjoyable one, you cannot live feeling jealous and intimidated
by others.
You must commit to being genuinely happy for the success of others, and seize every chance
presented to you to sincerely congratulate them.
This helps create an atmosphere for others to want to celebrate YOUR successes.
In order to develop a growth mindset, you have to be willing and committed to changing
your beliefs about what you are able to do.
You cannot stay wrapped up in the idea that you were born with all of your talents and
abilities, and have no room to grow.
Recognize that you have a choice - how you interpret challenges, setbacks, and criticism
is YOUR choice.
You can interpret them in a fixed mindset - as signs that your talents or abilities
are lacking.
Or, you can interpret them in a growth mindset - as signs that you need to ramp up your strategies
and effort, stretch yourself, and expand your abilities.
It’s up to you!
What do you think?
What’s YOUR mindset?
And, what are your thoughts about these two types of mindsets?
Let us know in the comments below!
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