In a world filled with constant change, the way you approach new opportunities can make all the difference. Your mindset impacts the way you persevere and strive, the creativity you exhibit, what you learn, and even the success you see.
In the fantastic work of Carol Dweck (notably, her book Mindset) this approach happens on a continuum, with one end having what she calls a Fixed Mindset and the other end having what she calls a Growth Mindset.
Having a fixed mindset is about believing that your intellect, value, and innate qualities are carved in stone ("fixed") and that you cannot essentially change them. This creates some urgency for you to prove yourself over and over and over. I mean, if you have a limited amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a fixed moral character, then you’d better prove you have the most intelligence, the best personality, and the highest moral character there is, right? Fixed mindsets are engaged in a perpetual running away from appearing “stupid,” “less than,” or “deficient.” They are constantly evaluating – will I succeed or fail? Will I look smart or dumb? There's a lot of pressure.
Having a growth mindset, on the other hand, is about believing that a person’s true potential is unknown (and unknowable) and that it’s impossible to predict who you will be or what you will achieve if you put in years of passion, work, and training. For the growth mindset, effort is what makes you smart or talented, not genetics or your inherent essence. A growth mindset sees challenges as opportunities to learn, pivot, and try something new or different. The only way to "fail" in a growth mindset is by not learning something.
Your mindset can change from situation to situation. For example, I tend to be open to feedback (a growth mindset quality) because I know it will make me better, but I tend to get discouraged by setbacks or failures (a fixed mindset quality).
The goal is not to have a perfect growth mindset -- in fact, that's a fixed mindset concept! Instead, knowing about growth mindsets can remind you to lean into yours whenever you're feeling challenged. This can help you reduce the pressure you feel, increase your options and possibilities, and keep you growing.
So how strong is your growth mindset? Why not take my assessment and find out?
Once you get your results, if you want help developing your growth mindset, schedule time with me!
