What is a growth mindset?
A growth mindset is when people believe their success can be developed and strengthened through learning and effort.
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This blog is about the book Mindset by Dr. Carol S. Dweck.
After decades of research on achievement and success, Dr. Dweck shares with us what she and her team have learned.
Growth mindset versus fixed mindset
“Believing that your qualities are carved in stone–the fixed mindset–creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over.” – Mindset, by Dr. Carol S. Dweck
Feeling like we need to prove ourselves over and over is exhausting. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Contrary to the fixed mindset, with the growth mindset, “the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development. This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies, and help from others.” – Mindset, by Dr. Carol S. Dweck.
Failure is not another “F” word
Take on failures as a blessing. It’s a way to truly learn and move forward, which is a large part of having or cultivating a growth mindset.
When you’ve been told you have special “born with” talents, realizing that you may need to put in some effort to cultivate a skill can be challenging. I don’t know of any professional athletes who make a living with their sport without practice and experiencing failure and loss.
Being a professional athlete isn’t a realistic example for most of us. But the same would apply if I desire to learn how to crochet. I’ll watch videos, buy a book, or attend class. When I’m able to crochet beautiful scarves with ease, I can still always learn new techniques and patterns and pick up my speed. If I desire to, I can.
Don’t allow perfectionism to stop you in your tracks. Go for less than perfect, and then go from there.
Labels placed on you can spoil your potential
When I read about how labels can steer your course in life, it was an aha! moment for me.
We don’t want to be placed in a box of characterizations that label us incapable. Nor be expected to become superstar mathematicians if we can quickly grasp arithmetic at an early age.
Dr. Dweck explains this in detail in her Mindset book. It’s an interesting concept; you may also gain insights when you read it.
If you’ve been labeled as a natural at something, you may want to run and hide as soon as there’s a potential of failing.
Here’s why.
That big “Talented at Something” medallion around your neck might feel fake if there’s a remote chance you may not be the best at something. If you don’t live up to what the world (or yourself) expects of you, you might get the label taken away. You don’t want that to happen!
You can develop a growth mindset
If you do not, or rarely, recognize your own growth mindset, guess what? You can develop it.
“Scientists are learning that people have more capacity for lifelong learning and brain development than they ever thought.” – Mindset, by Dr. Carol S. Dweck.
Of the many discoveries Dr. Dweck shares after decades of research on achievement and success, you’ll learn to open yourself up to develop a growth mindset.
Mindset helped me to rethink how I relate to the children in my life, too. Cultivating a growth mindset is a gift we can pass on to our children. Dr. Dweck gives many great examples of this in her book.
We are capable
Amazing things can happen when you believe you can accomplish something and put in the work to do it.
That’s the beauty of a growth mindset. ~
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