Discover the benefits of a Growth mindset
A growth is the understanding that abilities can be developed. Those with a growth mindset believe that they can become even more intelligent and talented by putting in time and effort.
A Fixed Mindset assumes abilities and intelligence are fixed. Either you have it, or you don’t, and you basically can’t improve very much.
This difference in mindset can lead to marked differences in behaviour. If someone believes intelligence and abilities are pre-set and fixed traits, they are not likely to put in much effort to change their inherent intelligence and ability level.
On the other hand, those who believe they can change these traits are much more willing to put in extra time and effort to achieve their dreams and goals.
Dweck, 2016 states that individuals with a growth mindset will achieve more than their counterparts because they worry less about being smart or talented and put more of their energy into learning and working towards bettering themselves.
Here are eight ways of developing the foundations for a growth mindset:
- Create a new compelling belief: a belief in yourself, that you have value, and your skills and abilities have the capacity to make a difference.
- View failure differently: see failure as an opportunity to learn from your experiences and apply what you have learned next time around.
- Cultivate your self-awareness and work on becoming more aware of your talents, strengths, and weaknesses, and get feedback and put it all together to gain a realistic and well-rounded view of yourself.
- Be curious and commit to lifelong learning. Always be willing to ask questions and be open to fresh input.
- Get friendly with challenges. You will always face challenges on your journey; prepare yourself for meeting these challenges and that occasional failure is all part of the journey.
- Do what you love and love what you do. It is much easier to succeed when you are passionate about what you’re doing.
- Be tenacious and realise it takes a lot of hard work to succeed. Know that obstacles are part of the journey and with resilience as your friend, get back up after each time you fall.
- Inspire and be inspired by others. Envy is a killer of your success. Let generosity be part of your everyday life.
If you follow these eight principles, you will find it hard to have anything but a growth mindset as you continue to aspire to be and give your best!
