This article is all about the growth mindset.
![the growth mindset](https://thrivingindependently.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ales-maze-uXvUpHY5o_4-unsplash-683x1024.jpg)
One thing that is guaranteed in life is the challenges that we face. Our responses to these challenges can be indicative of our mindset or the environment that we live in.
We are able to cultivate our mindset based on how we react to the situations that we encounter. Cultivating a growth mindset is extremely beneficial because it gives us control over how challenges impact us.
Circumstances that can seem indisputably negative can be morphed into opportunities for growth. It’s all about perspective, and the perspective that you choose will affect every decision that you make going forward.
This article is all about the growth mindset.
The Growth Mindset
Recognize where you are
Recognizing your thought patterns and tendencies can give you valuable information on how to go forward with achieving the growth mindset. If you know that your mind resorts to the worst possible scenario quite frequently, then you know that you have some work to do to get to the growth mindset.
Being honest with yourself will give you the opportunity to recognize your strengths and areas where you can stand to learn or practice more.
The growth mindset is not about achieving perfection, but understanding that there are ways that you can change the outcome and that you are not limited by anything but your own mind.
Some questions that you can use to assess your position on the spectrum with the growth mindset and fixed mindset on both ends.
- When faced with a difficult task what do you do?
- When asked questions that you do not know the answer to, how does it make you feel?
- Do you engage in positive or negative self-talk more often?
These questions are great to ask because they are a good start to revealing your mindset. If you find that you tend to think more positively or use challenges as a source of motivation, then you could be well on your way to the growth mindset.
If you find yourself to be someone who often focuses on what you can’t do to change your situation, this is a great place to start using the growth mindset instead. If what you have been doing hasn’t worked, I encourage you to try something different.
Positive Self-Talk
It is imperative that you pay attention to the language that you use. The words that you choose declare the outcome even if you do not state your belief explicitly.
The words I can’t and I will make a world of difference when it comes to the results that are received on the other end.
For example, if someone was struggling with math and said, “I can’t learn to do calculus”, they have made up their mind that they are incapable of learning calculus. As someone on the outside, we know that this is probably untrue, This is a display of a limited mindset.
The opposite would be someone who struggles with math saying, “I will learn to do calculus”. This person has made up their mind that they will be able to do calculus. This simple statement is a display of self-belief and communicates that their not being able to do math is only temporary.
The second scenario is much more productive because it is a freeing perspective to have. When that person eventually learns to do calculus, they will gain confidence in their ability to conquer difficult tasks. The person in the first scenario never gave themselves the opportunity.
One person that I have learned so much about positive self-talk is Vanessa Van Edwards. She has written a book titled, Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. If you would like to learn more about self-talk, then I would highly recommend getting acquainted with her content.
Another post that you will enjoy: https://thrivingindependently.com/insecure-overachiever/
Keep a positive attitude
I acknowledge that everyone is not an optimist. So people take comfort in being able to assess risk in every situation and prepare for failure.
My concern with this method is that a lot of mental energy is expended on creating and preparing for scenarios that have not occurred. If this same energy was put toward the opportunity of success, you may increase your odds.
Having a positive attitude is not only for you either. If you find yourself working in a team environment, people build their energy off of others. A team that believes that it can succeed will increase its odds simply because they believe and act as if success is a viable possibility.
The growth mindset does not imply that you should ignore the potential risks or mistakes that you make. There is an expectation that you will get things wrong and make mistakes.
The important part is to analyze your mistakes and highlight the opportunities for growth.
This is one way to optimize for the growth mindset.
Embrace failure
Failure is not something to avoid or shy away from with the growth mindset. We hold ourselves to unreasonably high standards when we don’t perform as we plan.
For example, if you did not study properly or at all before you take an exam, is it rational to expect an A? Does it make sense to be disappointed at your grade when you know that you didn’t put in the necessary effort?
Even if you did study and didn’t perform well, there are always methods that you can change and improve. A bad grade should not define your intelligence or be used as an indication of how the future will go.
The growth mindset gives you the power to change your results to something more favorable.
Some things that someone in a similar scenario to the one mentioned above may do are:
- Ask the teacher to review the test with them.
- Go to tutoring
- Make studying a regular part of their schedule
- Get a full night’s sleep before the exam
- Use notecards and other study methods to help with memory
Recognize that you are only limited by your mind
The first obstacle that we all face when it comes to doing something new is believing that it is possible. If we lack that belief, we have already lost before the challenge has begun.
One way to expedite the progress of developing the growth mindset is to surround yourself with other people who already have.
If you see other people, similar to you, accomplishing things, then you don’t have to work so hard on the step of believing that something can be done. You would already know that the task can be done because you have seen it with your own eyes.
This is also an important point because it changes the locus of control and gives you power. When you recognize that the life that you live is a result of the choices that you make, you have a responsibility to make better choices.
Some with a fixed mindset would see themselves as a victim of the choices that everyone else makes.
Another post that you will enjoy: https://thrivingindependently.com/job_switching/
Take less joy in the wins and more in the improvement
The growth mindset prioritizes the process, improvement, and growth. It is nice to succeed and even something that you probably should desire, but the real goal is to be a better you than you were the day before.
An example where the growth mindset would shine is in school. Students are graded on their competency, but if more of the praise was centered around their ability to take risks and improve over time, the test results may be completely different.
Every student is not going to be at the same level, nor do they have the same motivation for learning. If you encourage them when they show improvement, you instill confidence which will help them succeed in the future.
Nothing is ever strong enough to shut you down
The growth mindset is beneficial because results are placed on a spectrum.
There is no failure, but an opportunity to learn a lesson. Success becomes evidence that your process to improve is effective and encourages you to continue doing it.
The growth mindset allows you to assess every situation for places to improve. Knowing that you are a work in progress will make any mistake that you make much less, life-changing.
You would learn to hold yourself to a reasonable standard therefore, you are less likely to be completely discouraged or quit.
In the essence of the growth mindset, your only competition is yourself the day before. If you were better the day before, you should adjust yourself to be a capable opponent.
It is ineffective to compare yourself to others because you are working on yourself.
Let’s Keep the Party Going!
Follow me on Pinterest so that we can share the knowledge!
![growth mindset](https://thrivingindependently.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/learning-mindset-683x1024.png)
![growth mindset quote](https://thrivingindependently.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/growth-mindset-683x1024.png)