How often do we give up on what we really want because we do not believe that we can make it? How many times have we let a test score, a bank balance, or the numbers on a weighing-scale define us?
The idea that who we are right now is all that we are ever destined to be is characteristic of a set of beliefs forming the “fixed mindset”.
Stanford professor and renowned psychologist Carol Dweck was intrigued as to why only some people ended up successful, while their equally talented peers did not. After decades of research, she coined the terms “growth mindset” and “fixed mindset”, attributing one’s likelihood of success to whichever of the two mindsets one adopted.
Extensive research has proven that people with the “growth mindset” tend to learn more, achieve more, and, therefore, grow more over time as compared to those who adopt a more rigid, “fixed mindset”.
So, what is the “growth mindset”? In essence, it is the belief that intelligence and ability can be improved and developed over time, through continued effort and hard work. While those with a fixed mindset suggest that talent and skill is fixed, people with a growth mindset believe that these can be nurtured and grown with labour and time.
Even neuroscience supports this. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to reorganize itself. This means that our neurons strengthen and form new connections the more we learn. Our brains are literally made to grow.
Dweck, in her book Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential, writes, “When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world – the world of fixed traits – success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other – the world of changing qualities – it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself. In one world, failure is about having a setback. Getting a bad grade… Getting rejected… In the other world, failure is about not growing. Not reaching for the things you value. It means you’re not fulfilling your potential.”
Today, everyone, from sports-teams to schoolteachers to CEOs of Fortune-500 companies, recognizes the power of the growth mindset. Employers world-over prefer applicants with a growth mindset. They know that skills can be developed, and what really matters is being able to solve problems and persevere despite obstacles.
So, how can we incorporate the growth mindset into our daily lives?
For one, we can begin to focus on the processes we use rather than the end result. Dweck proposed the idea ‘Praise Well’, based on the finding that praising children on their efforts rather than a specific outcome had a profoundly greater impact. By praising the strategies they used, children were more likely to associate themselves with the work they put in rather than the result, and were thus more likely to work harder and be more motivated the next time.
It might also be helpful to keep a journal noting down the steps you take to prepare for an assignment. Later, you can revert to these steps, evaluate, modify, and optimize them, or scrap them entirely depending on your end result. It is important to realize that any output is the result of the strategies you use, not your capabilities.
The next step is to stop seeking approval. The more we look for validation outside, the more we reinforce the idea that our abilities are unchangeable. Learn to value actions over traits. Actions can be altered, traits are definitive.
If you find yourself feeling dejected watching someone else succeed, take a step back and re-evaluate your intentions. Is your intention to learn and better yourself, or is it to compare and find your worth in feelings of superiority? If it is the latter, you might want to change the way you view someone else’s accolades. Instead of finding comfort in their failure, find inspiration in their success. And if they fall, learn from their mistakes.
Ask for criticism from teachers, family, and friends. Let words build you, not break you. Any feedback – good or bad – taken constructively is always of value.
Lastly, but most importantly, choose to challenge yourself. One who stays in his comfort zone all his life cannot grow, and without growth, what is success? A person with the growth mindset will persist despite failures, and always find a way to move forward. Instead of viewing failure as the end, view it as a springboard to achieve more.
When you have big dreams, failing at some point is inevitable. But having a growth mindset means a willingness to embrace that failure- you will learn, not run from it. So that the next time you fail – you fail better.
Authorship: Unnati Patel