What is a Growth Mindset?
“The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects how you lead your life.” Dweck
If you have lived long enough, then you know that mindset plays an important role in how our lives turn out. There have been quite a few studies recently about the power of the growth mindset and the downfall of having a fixed mindset. What exactly is a growth mindset, and how can you apply it to your life for the better? (Read: What is Positive Parenting?)
Having a growth mindset can mean the difference between thriving and staying stagnant. Every single person has a mixture of a growth and a fixed mindset. No one is born with one specific way of thinking. Of course, our DNA can shape our personality, but our lifestyles, our environment, etc. all play a role in how our way of thinking grows.
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
So, I will give you a hypothetical scenario to paint a picture of the two differences in this mindset.
Say you have a child who is really struggling in math. No matter how many times the teacher explains this concept, the child just is having a difficult time understanding it. Now, one of two things can happen here.
One, the child will begin to think that they are not intelligent, that this is just how they are, and they will never be able to learn this math concept. When a person’s mindset of “I can’t” is developed, their success rate goes down. So, what begins to happen is the child will stop trying when they do not think they can do or learn something.
Then, they may begin to think of themselves as failures with the inability to learn anything new. Both scenarios can hinder a child’s or even an adult’s progress toward success in life.
On the flip side, if a child struggling in math has a growth mindset, they can look at their struggle and say, “Maybe I do not understand this concept YET, but if I continue to work hard and study, then maybe I will understand it better. If I get a tutor or someone who understands this concept better than me and learn from them, I can also learn it.”
Are You Born with a Growth Mindset?
As I said earlier whether somebody has a growth, or a fixed mindset is not wholly dependent on DNA. Yes, some people are more inclined to have a fixed mindset and have to work a little harder to develop a growth mindset. I say this because some people are born with a perfectionist spirit. And when we think of perfectionists, we think of someone who will continue working until everything is exactly how they want to be. However, in my experience with a perfectionist, this is only sometimes the case.
Often, a perfectionist will take the mindset of “I want to do it perfectly to the best of my ability, and if I cannot do this task or have this skill perfectly then I do not want to learn; I do not want to work at it; I do not want to try at it.” This mindset can be challenging for a perfectionist to break, and it can hold them back in areas where they can grow if they put in more effort.
The knowledge and rise of the study of the growth mindset concept has exploded within the last several years. And if you want to take a look at one of these studies, go ahead and read it here.
Differences Between a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset
To truly understand how to develop a growth mindset within yourself and help your children develop a growth mindset. It’s important to examine the differences between these two concepts.
Growth mindset: “the belief that your talents, habits, and potential can be developed and improved over time.”
Fixed mindset: “the belief that abilities and intelligence are innate and unchangeable.”
So, when it comes to having a growth mindset, it is believing that you may have specific talents. Still, these talents can grow, and your habits can help you improve your overall life step at a time. Whereas a fixed mindset believes that these things like our intelligence and talents, the ability to thrive, etc. are a part of your nature when you are born and that they don’t change.
Now, if you look at people with fixed mindsets, you will notice different habits that they may have. For example, people with a fixed mindset often avoid anything challenging that will push them past their comfort zone and that they could potentially fail at when things get complicated. Someone with a fixed mindset is quick to throw in the towel and quit.
Additionally, they may not see constructive criticism as helpful; they would rather see it as a personal attack. People with a fixed mindset often see and measure their worth based on their successes and failures. For this reason, they are often quick to avoid anything that could come out as a personal failure.
However, when someone has a growth mindset, you can also spot them by their different actions. Someone with a growth mindset will look at challenges as a learning opportunity. If they fail at a challenge, they are willing to take constructive criticism and use it to learn and grow. They are also more willing to research and be open to learning, hence the growth mindset.
Impact of Mindset on Personal and Professional Growth
After looking at the definitions of growth and fixed mindset, it’s easy to see that these two types of mindsets can impact our personal and professional lives. Someone who believes failure is terrible and takes constructive criticism personally may be more likely to stay stagnant professionally. They’re unwilling to fail at something, even if the potential is positive.
However, someone with a growth mindset is willing to take those risks and overcome those challenges if it means they may succeed and get to a place in their life where they find more fulfillment and joy.
You often see this when someone stay in a job they hate even if it does not pay much. Don’t get me wrong. I understand there are some circumstances where people cannot just leave their jobs because they have mouths to feed.
However, people who have adopted a mindset will look at opportunities and determine what they need to do to achieve that opportunity. Even if it means that there is a slight chance or even bigger chance they will fail, they will still do it.
Benefits of Having a Growth Mindset
We will get into some of the benefits of having a growth mindset. But before I do, I want you to look at one of these studies, that support these advantages. Come back and finish reading this article.
Academic: A growth mindset is a good indicator of success in academia. It can mean the difference between a student giving up or developing grit and pushing through challenges.
Career: Growing in your career means taking risks and weighing the benefits of staying stagnant. Staying in the same spot, never learning, or seeking feedback is never a good move in a person’s career. To grow in your chosen profession, you cannot be afraid to gamble on a bit of risk.
Relationships: Someone with a growth mindset often believe people can change. This means they aren’t always as quick to throw in the towel if they have been hurt in a relationship. Having a growth mindset may put a person in a better place and make them willing to work through relationship challenges as they arise.
Having a Growth Mindset Can Help You Thrive
If you are looking for ways to grow and thrive in life, adopting a growth mindset can make a difference. However, doing this is not always easy. In my next post, I will discuss methods you can use to help cultivate a growth mindset in the face of everyday challenges.
What to do Next:
- Follow Positive Psychology in Parenting on Facebook!
- Learn more about what Positive Psychology is and how to apply it to your parenting journey.
- Dig even deeper into Positive Psychology in Parenting with my e-book “Flourishing as a Mom When You’re in the Trenches of Parenthood”
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