What is a Growth Mindset?
It sounds like yet another business buzzword or phrase, but Growth Mindset has its origins in education. Stanford psychologist, Carol Dweck, wrote in her book, ‘Mindset: The New Psychology of Success’ that there are two types of mindset. There are those with a Fixed Mindset which assumes that our character, intelligence and creativity are static givens. In contrast, there are those with a Growth Mindset who view challenges as opportunities, failure as a chance to grow and everyday life is a bounty of prospects to stretch our existing abilities.
Most of us have both mindsets. There are times when we believe we cannot do something, either because experience has taught us that we will probably fail or because of a simple lack of belief. Dweck, who worked with a number of children and adults, discovered that believing that your abilities are rigid creates an urgency in proving oneself repeatedly.
This urgency causes people to overthink situations. They second-guess themselves at every opportunity. Instead of believing they can do it, their mind is filled with questions – will I succeed or fail? What if I look stupid? Will I be accepted?
The Growth Mindset, however, accepts that you might fail, you may look silly, and sometimes you will be rejected. None of these things is bad unless you decide it. Every failure, rejection or moment of sounding a bit daft is an opportunity to grow and improve. Your characteristics are not carved in stone; they are mutable, and you can develop.
View Challenges as Opportunities
If you go into something believing you will fail, you will probably fail. When you second-guess yourself, you cloud your mind with unnecessary negativity. Stop that. Even the most foreboding of challenges is an opportunity and when presented with something outside your comfort zone, tackle it head-on. You will be surprised at how much you can learn.
You Don’t Fail, You Learn
When things go wrong, which they will from time to time, stop seeing it as a failure. Instead, collect yourself and your thoughts and analyse what went wrong and how you can improve next time.
Enjoy the Journey More than the Destination
Life is a journey, but you don’t want it to end yet, right? Too often we prioritise the end to the point we fail to appreciate the process of getting there. No matter how difficult, mundane or repetitive the task, try and take joy in doing it. Even something we have done a thousand times has the opportunity to teach us something new.
Cultivate a Sense of Purpose
Much like when building your Personal Brand, you should have a sense of purpose. Think about your long-term goals and how you can achieve them. You will almost certainly need to grow along the way.
Remember Actions Reap Rewards, Not Traits
It does not matter if you aced every test in school or were the greatest player on the sport’s team. Unless you put in the effort, you will not reap the rewards. Be a Lionel Messi, not a Nicklas Bendtner.
Cultivate Determination
Seeking approval from others is limiting. The most important person to seek approval from is yourself. Those with a keen sense of determination are more likely to seek their own approval.
Always Move the Goalposts
Achieving a goal is great, but what’s next? If you wish to continue growing, you must have a new goal. Perhaps you hit all your sales targets this month? Brilliant! Add 5% to the figure and go again. You should never be accepting of the same result for too long.
Take Your Time
You spent most of the first two decades of your life in education for a reason. Learning takes time. Just as you cannot learn a new language in an afternoon, you cannot expect to become the thought leader in your field in a week. Keep at it and think of the long game.
Chip Away At the Fixed Mindset
When you start seeing the results of your Growth Mindset, you will realise how the Fixed Mindset is a large boulder tied around your waist. Though you may never be able to cut the rope, you can hack away at the stone to make yourself grow that much faster.
