More than anything, your thoughts determine your success. If you don’t believe me, just look at the 3 decades of research conducted by Carol Dweck, a Psychology Expert from Stanford University. The main difference between ultra-successful people and the rest, she discovered, all stem from two very simple mindsets.
The growth mindset and fixed mindset are found to play a huge part in your success, and can either drag you down or lift you up.
Read on to find out how you can harness the power of the positive growth mindset today:
Fixed mindset vs. growth mindset:
A “fixed mindset” assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change in any meaningful way.
They think success is the affirmation of that inherent intelligence, an assessment of how those givens measure up against an equally fixed standard; striving for success and avoiding failure at all costs become a way of maintaining the sense of being smart or skilled.
A “growth mindset,” on the other hand, thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of un-intelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities.
Why are these so important?
You can accomplish almost anything with a growth mindset, because you’re willing to embrace challenges and take on the unknown.
Say for instance, there’s an opportunity to give a presentation at your work. Someone with a fixed mindset might think “I don’t know anything about public speaking” and shy away from the challenge. Someone with the growth mindset, on the other hand, would understand that nobody is born being great at public speaking, and embrace the opportunity as a learning experience.
How to start using the growth mindset
Utilizing the growth mindset involves a major shift in your perspective; one from shying away from failure to embracing it wholeheartedly.
As Carol Dweck put it, “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”
Once you convince yourself to dig for those hidden talents that you have been suppressing for all these years because you thought you weren’t good at them, aim for improvement, not perfection.
Remember, the point is not to be the best at everything you do — enjoy the ride and take note of the people you are meeting, the learning you are doing and the personal growth that is happening along the way.
Do you have any more tips on harnessing the power of the growth mindset? I’d love to hear them!
