Posted by Whether you know it or not, your mindset affects everything you do. With a little self-awareness, you can make it work harder in your favour.
In her book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” US psychologist Carol Dweck introduces the idea of two primary mindsets: fixed and growth.
A fixed mindset is the belief that our abilities, intelligence, and talents are fixed traits that we’re born with and can’t change much. By contrast, a growth mindset is the belief that if you’re dedicated and work hard, then your abilities and intelligence can be developed. Whichever one you have, it will influence how you behave in certain situations, and will dictate your reaction in others.
So, if it’s something you’ve not thought about before, or you’re wondering if your own mindset needs a bit of work, then keep reading!
Are you fixed in some areas?
It’s entirely possible to have a growth mindset in some areas, but still be fixed in others.
Let’s use health and fitness as an example. Someone asks you if you want to start running with them. You want to get fitter, but on your first day out, you’re winded before you get to the end of the street. Dejected, you assume that this is as good as it gets. It’s almost like the concept of practising and gradual improvement doesn’t exist!
Now think about how that kind of attitude might be affecting you professionally. Perhaps you want to change your career. Someone with a fixed mindset might think that because it’s not a sector they have any experience in, then they’re bound to fail, so they don’t even look at what their options could be.
By avoiding the challenge, they eliminate the possibility of failure…. But they also don’t go anywhere.
Where does it come from?
So what causes a fixed mindset? Is it stubbornness? Laziness? Actually, I think it’s a fear of failure: you’re so convinced that you’re going to fail if you try something new or different, that you don’t try anything at all.
Don’t forget that at a primal level we’re all tribal. Our prehistoric brains are trying to protect us from being ejected from the tribe, as that could jeopardise our survival, so it helps us create these limiting beliefs so we don’t do anything that could make us look weak in front of other people.
However, once you understand where it comes from, you can start to challenge it.
Growth mindset in action
A growth mindset is the belief that our abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Practice makes perfect, after all!
People with a growth mindset embrace challenges, keep going in the face of setbacks, and can see how necessary it is to make an effort, in order to be successful: even if they aren’t aware of the term ‘growth mindset’, they know that constant improvement is the key to achieving goals.
Let’s use running as an example again: say you’ve signed up for a marathon, and it’s been a while since you pulled on your running shoes. You know it’s going to take work, and you pace yourself. I mean, you’re hardly going to go for your first run expecting to run 5 miles with ease!
You know that it’s going to take time, and with each run you do, your fitness, stamina, and ability is going to improve. If there’s something holding you back, you take the appropriate steps to deal with it. Maybe you research better techniques or you invest in a better pair of trainers.
You put the work in, and you attain your goal. That’s the power of a growth mindset.
Spot the difference
The same mindset plays out across every area of your life – at work, at home, in your relationships. Here’s how they compare:
Fixed mindset:
- Avoids a challenge
- Won’t accept criticism or feedback
- Focuses on the end result
- Feels threatened when someone else is successful
- Can’t accept mistakes
Growth Mindset
- Embraces a challenge
- Is open to receiving constructive feedback
- Enjoys the process
- Celebrates and is inspired by the success of others
- Learns from mistakes
Where are you fixed?
Before you can make your mindset work for you, it helps to know where it might be working against you.
Take a moment to think about the different areas of your life. Where do you embrace challenges and push yourself? Where are you making excuses, avoiding something new, or assuming you’ll fail before you’ve even tried?
It might be in your career, your relationships, your health, or something as simple as learning a new skill. Whatever it is, spotting it is the first step. You can’t change what you haven’t noticed, after all.
Growing your growth mindset
So once you know where you’re fixed, you can do something about it.
Pay attention to your inner voice. That nagging feeling that you’re going to fail, or that you’re not good enough? That’s your prehistoric brain trying to keep you safe. Thank it for its concern, and then do the thing anyway.
Get comfortable with feedback. Constructive criticism isn’t a verdict on your abilities, it’s information you can use. The more open you are to it, the faster you’ll improve.
Ditch the idea of being perfect from day one. Aim for a small improvement every day instead, because over time those small wins add up to something significant.
Your mindset is one of the most powerful tools you have. The more you work on it, the harder it works for you.