There are many books available today offering advice on the importance of having the right mindset. Most discussions conclude that one’s mindset has a significant impact on an individual’s ability to reach his/her full potential.  The mindset shapes the way we behave and make decisions no matter the situation in our daily lives. Of all the discussion on mindset, it appears that none more impactful on human behavior than having a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.  These two types of mindsets determine our capacity to keep moving forward or remain at a standstill in life.  Individuals who tend to lean towards the status quo are more likely to have a fixed mindset.  Those who lean towards embracing change tend to have a growth mindset.  If you find yourself stuck in a rut, perhaps you have become the victim of a fixed mindset. However, it’s not too late to make the transition from a fixed to a growth mindset to embrace the necessary changes to live a more fulfilled life.  This week’s article offers some suggestions on how to transition from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

Difference Between a Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset

The terms fixed mindset and growth mindset are not new. They originated over 30 years ago by Carol Dweck, a professor at Stanford University.  She led a 10- year study to assess why some people succeed and others fall short of living up to their potential.  She concluded that it came down to people having a fixed or growth mindset towards the willingness or unwillingness to take on new situations.  The study concluded that these two types of mindsets significantly impacted the participant’s behavior and response to new challenges.  She discovered that some of the brightest participants were unwilling to take chances or venture into new experiences if the outcome for success was uncertain.  While others were willing to risk failure or to embrace their shortcomings and push forward regardless of the possible outcome.

 In a fixed mindset, people believe their abilities are as good as they are going to get and therefore cannot be improved. In other words, you either have what it takes to succeed, or you don’t, and there is nothing you can do about it.  These people all too often rely on their existing knowledge base and talents rather than working to develop and improve. They also believe that talent alone leads to success, and effort is not required.

On the other hand, in a growth mindset, people have an underlying belief that their knowledge base and skill level can grow with time and experience. These people believe they can become smarter, they realize that an investment of time and effort can have an effect on their success, so they put in extra time, leading to higher achievement.

 We are living in unprecedented times with unthinkable diversity, technological advancements, a global economy, and highly competitive society.  Most work now commands people who can utilize technology and demonstrate emotional intelligence.  The workplace is seeking people who are: lifelong learners; critical thinkers; willing to try new things; and able to adapt to a world of constant change. Unfortunately, individuals who are unable to adapt to this ever-challenging global society with a fixed mindset are likely to find themselves non-competitive and unable to live up to their full potential.  

Significance of a Growth Mindset

You may think of yourself as brilliant, intelligent, talented, highly skilled, and still find yourself locked out of society.  To move forward one must be willing to embrace change and challenge themselves to stretch and grow.  As such, you must be willing to take risks even if you don’t think the time is right.  These times require uncompromising self-confidence and a willingness to learn new ways of doing things.  Nothing proves this more than the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.  This pandemic over the past 9 months has turned the workplace inside out.  It caused all of us to adjust and get work done in new ways.  It has literally reshaped the workplace as we once knew it.  Most of us now find ourselves working from home, participating in numerous virtual meetings while trying to balance lifework to maintain some sense of normalcy.  It requires a certain type of mindset in order to successfully make the adjustment to this new hybrid home-workplace.  In order to remain relevant in today’s workplace, you must be receptive to adopting a growth mindset. 

Key Features to developing a growth mindset.

Going from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset is not an easy task.  It’s very unlikely to happen overnight.  However, there are several actions that one can take to help transition from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.  These suggestions should not be taken as all-inclusive.  However, they should be viewed as ways to challenge your current thought process.   

·       Accept your Imperfections – be willing to accept your imperfections and don’t spend a lot of time seeking to be perfect.  Even people who are good at most things are not perfect. 

 ·       Change your Perceptions – be mindful of false perceptions that mistakes or missed opportunities are final. View setbacks and challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.  Ask yourself, “what is the lesson here?”.

 ·       Strive for Continuous Improvement – set a goal to learn something new daily whether you need it not.  You are unconsciously building skills and storing information that you may need later. 

 ·       Eliminate the Need for External Encouragement – avoid staying stuck in the same old situation because of fear that others might not support you. Get over being afraid of looking foolish or viewed as incompetent for trying something different or new and it doesn’t work out.

 ·       Appreciate the Journey – it’s all about the experience gained, lessons learned, and the memories of taking action to become a better you.  Search for the enjoyment in what you are doing and allow the end to evolve.

 ·      Understand your Purpose – readily accept that you have a unique purpose that inspires and motivates you from within. It helps to align what you are doing with your purpose.

 ·       Embrace your Growth – working to adopt a new mindset is not an overnight process.  So, don’t expect the transition to happen all at once.  Celebrate each small success that you experience.

 ·       Consistently set new Goals – the pursuit of goals tends to stimulate ongoing learning. It also keeps you engaged in the process of growth and development of your skills and abilities.

 ·       Be Realistic – avoid letting a small mistake or setback to create a climate of gloom and doom.  In other words, you tried something, and it didn’t work out, but it’s not the end of the world.  Accept it for what it is and move on. 

 Benefits of Adopting a Growth Mindset. 

There are some personal rewards should you decide to develop a growth mindset.  People with a growth mindset tend to: 

·       Enjoy life more – experience less stressed because of the lack of fear of failure.  Relish the opportunity to learn new things.  They accept their current level of success as they work to become better in order to do their best.

 ·       Experience Higher Self-esteem and Self-confidence – feel good about what they can accomplish and get done.  Even when something doesn’t turn out the way they desired, they have the confidence to know they can and will do better.

 ·       Practice Acceptance – readily accept their mistakes and those of others.  This makes it easier to forgive and believe that folks will do better.

 ·       Have a Realistic Perception of Reality – enjoy life without putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on themselves.  They accept that there is no perfect situation or world.  They often live stress freer lives.

 ·       Display Increased Resilience – find it easy to bounce back from setbacks because it’s viewed as a learning experience.  They understand that things don’t always work out the way they plan them, but they remain focused on the ultimate outcome.

 ·       Regard Setbacks as Useful Lessons – don’t beat themselves up or stay stuck in the past. They embrace the lesson learned from the experience and move on.

 ·       Enjoy Learning – find value in learning the process of things and adapting to new conditions.  Interested in understanding how they can do better and engage themselves in learning.

 Most of us have either a growth mindset or fixed mindset which is driven by our belief system.  The combination of thoughts and beliefs determine our behavior.  Our external behavior is a reflection of internal thoughts often shaped by one’s attitude towards a given situation.  We all know people who appear to be stuck in time, reliving past situations in which they no longer want to be. They believe they are going nowhere, and/or their future opportunities are somewhat limited.  As a result, they follow the same routine day after day.   On the other hand, we also know other people who were able to overcome unbelievable odds and excel to the highest heights of their professions. I encourage you to embrace a growth mindset to become the best you. 

Written by Dr. RL Kight for Mind Power Solutions.  Visit www.mindpowersolutions.com to learn more about our personal development and training services.