One of the topics that have caught my attention has been the power of a growth mindset. I decided to research more into it because it has been a term that has been popping often. I wanted to share with you what I learned and how you can apply it to your life.
Your mindset controls a lot more than you think. It is the most powerful tool that you have to change your life. It is fascinating to learn about the complexities of the mind, as well as the tips and tricks that come with it.
What Is A Growth Mindset?
The best way to define a growth mindset is to compare it to another type of mindset, a fixed mindset. When you have a growth mindset you believe that anything can be learned, you are open to all the possibilities. A fixed mindset is a lot more rigid. You know what you know, and it stops there.
You don’t think that you can improve, so you don’t try. Either way, it’s clear to see that your life is greatly impacted by the type of mindset you have.
The History Of These Mindsets
As you can tell, a growth mindset is what we all need to aim for. Where did these mindsets come from? You can thank Psychologist Carol Dweck, from Stanford University, for that.
She was the first researcher to explore the idea of fixed and growth mindsets, according to Mindset Health. Dweck described a person that has a fixed mindset as someone that believes that their intelligence is fixed and static.
On the other hand, she described a person that had a growth mindset as someone that believes their intelligence and talents can be improved through effort and learning.
Why Is Having A Growth Mindset Is Important?
Now we know what a growth mindset is, why is it important? As I’ve stated above, your mindset can really set the tone for your life.
From the way you view the world, to the experiences you have, and even your day-to-day activities. To live a positive life, full of opportunity and, well growth, you want to have a growth mindset more often than not.
5 Tips To Develop A Growth Mindset
1. Ignore The Fear, Or Do It Anyways
Fear, or as I like to call it, your inner voice, can talk you out of almost anything. The key to developing a growth mindset is to ignore fear as often as you can. When you grow, you change, and change can be scary.
It is normal to have fear, but you can’t let it dictate your life. When you do, you’ll miss out on so many opportunities, like promotions, new adventures, and more. Ignoring the fear will be hard, and you may not always win the battle, but keep going.
2. Surround Yourself With People That Challenge You
Have you heard the saying “you are who you surround yourself with”? If this saying is true do you want to spend the majority of your time with people that have a fixed mindset, or do you want the people around to challenge you? I’m assuming that most of you reading this chose the latter.
The best part of surrounding yourself with people that challenge you is that growth is almost inevitable. You’ll have people in your life that want the best for you, and who will help you reach your full potential.
3. Become A Forever Learner
As I mentioned before, a fixed mindset leads to you believing that intelligence is static. You believe that you have learned all that you can. That is true, if you want it to be.
However, if you want something more for your life, I’m here to tell you that it’s best to never stop learning. You don’t have to pursue a million different degrees to become a forever learner. You can continue your education outside of the classroom through online courses, podcasts, ebooks, and more.
This should be music to someone with a growth mindset’s ears!
4. Accept Your Failures, And Learn From Them
As much as we don’t want it, failure is a part of life. It’s how we view failure that determines our mindset.
If you see failure as the absolute worst thing that could happen, you are operating out of a fixed mindset. If you view failure as a stepping stone to your success and want to learn from it, you’ve got a growth mindset.
5. Keep Trying
Lastly, don’t get discouraged if a growth mindset doesn’t come naturally. You develop your mindset over time. Your whole life you have only thought one way.
It will take time to step out of that mindset, and get in the habit of looking at situations from a growth mindset. Give yourself grace and remember that you can do hard things. Keep going, you are going to get it!
Now that you know what a growth mindset is, do you believe you operate out of that mindset more, or a fixed mindset? Let me know which mindset you identify more with.
About the Author
Kelly graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations and a minor in Journalism. Even though it took her a little while to find her career path, she was always meant to be in Communications. She remembers writing poems and songs when she was a little girl and pitching to my parents the reasons why I should have a cell phone when I was a teenager. She currently has a blog (budding-joy.com) where she talks about her weight-loss journey, mental health and personal development. Her hope is to encourage and inspire readers and let them know they are not alone. Reading blog posts like that are what helped her in tough times and she wants to pay it forward. She loves dance fitness, listening to music, and creating layouts in her bullet journal. She's a big fan of planning, especially when cute notebooks and pens are involved. Her dream job has changed so much over the years; right now she'd love to co-own a dance studio.
Website: budding-joy.com