Word "mindset" became increasingly popular. Pop-science often uses the term "positive mindset", however I prefer the more correct version – "growth mindset". What is it and why is it so important? If you'd like a really detailed answer, your best shot is to read Carol Dweck's book Mindset. The best book about this topic you can get. If this book would just add another item on your already 10+ unread books list waiting for when you will have time to read it, here's a much shorter quick insight and tips on how you can start building the right mindset for yourself.
Fixed vs. Growth Mindset
There are two types of mindsets. People with a fixed mindset avoid challenges, give up easily, and see effort as fruitless. They fear failure because it reflects on their innate ability. At least they believe so. Belief in their brain sounds something like this: “My abilities, intelligence, and talents are fixed traits.”
People with a growth mindset embrace challenges, persist through setbacks, and see effort as a path to mastery. They approach any type of feedback or even criticism as an opportunity to learn and use others' success as inspiration. Their internal belief might sound something like: “My abilities and intelligence can be developed with effort, learning, and persistence.”
Which One Do You Have?
If you wonder which mindset you lean towards, Dr. Dweck offers a short but very effective way to help you find out. Read the statements below and decide if you mostly agree or disagree with them:
- Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can't change very much.
- You can learn new things, but you can't really change how intelligent you are.
- No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit.
- You can always substantially change how intelligent you are.
Ready for your results? Questions 1 and 2 are fixed mindset questions while questions 3 and 4 reflect growth mindset. As Dr. Dweck advises, you can be a mixture, but most of us lean towards one or the other.
Let's check again. Logic is the same, but statements are different:
- You are a certain kind of person and there is not much that can be done to really change it.
- No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially.
- You can do things differently but the important parts of who you are can't really be changed.
- You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are.
What are your results now? Questions 1 and 3 are fixed mindset questions, while 2 and 4 reflect growth mindset. Did they differ from the first test?
In her book, Dr. Dweck offers a wonderful example that can help you understand the basic difference between fixed and growth mindset. Imagine you decided to start learning a new language. You signed up for a class and a few sessions into it, the teacher calls you out and starts asking you questions in front of the whole class. People with a fixed mindset feel their ability is put on the line. Their ego is threatened. People with a growth mindset take the same situation differently. "I am here to learn. The teacher is a resource for learning," they would probably tell themselves.
How To Build Growth Mindset?
By now you probably see growth mindset is much better to have. It can help you to achieve much bigger things but most importantly – to live a better life. If you'd like to explore more, let's have a free introductory session and see how life coaching can help you in the process. You are just three clicks away, book it here.
