Growth Mindset
Do you believe that intelligence and talents are fixed in life? Or do you believe that intelligence and talents can grow over time with hard work and experience? If you believe in the latter, it’s likely that you have a growth mindset.
In the previous post, we touched on this concept and how the brain’s ability to change and learn new information helps to cultivate a growth mindset. With the knowledge of neuroplasticity, we now know that intelligence and skills don’t come fully fixed and developed but instead can be grown and expanded over time.
The benefits that come from fostering a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset are many. The way we think about ourselves and our abilities absolutely shapes our lives and can determine whether we develop new skills, create better habits or achieve success in an area of life. For instance, someone with a fixed mindset might not be able to accomplish a task and then give up, believing it's because they aren't smart enough or have the talent to do it. Whereas someone with a growth mindset might not be able to accomplish the same task and believe they can improve through taking action in various ways.
Cultivating a growth mindset has everything to do with building resilience and can ultimately help someone keep going despite adversity and hardship. It allows us to bounce back from "failures" knowing that with practice and persistence we can improve even incrementally over time instead of giving up and believing that we just innately don’t have what it takes to succeed.
Great news! Even if you have grown up with a fixed mindset, this can be changed. Here are some things to focus on:
Look for ways to challenge yourself and learn new things. (e.g. learning a language or instrument or dance movement).
Prioritize learning and seek approval of self over approval from others.
Focus on the process instead of the product/end result. Reward the process and effort over the results you achieve (various mediums of art are great for this).
Celebrate mistakes - they help the brain grow and learn. Trying new things without giving up helps to strengthen the brain.
Instead of saying “I can’t do this” say “I can’t do this YET” or “I can do this if I keep on practicing.”
When you feel like something is too hard, think back to all the things that were once “too hard” and are now second nature (perhaps like riding a bike or driving a car).
In the same way that how we think about ourselves and our abilities can shape our overall success, the way we go about doing things in life can shape our end results as well. In the next post we will explore the idea of going at a slower pace to achieve surprisingly faster results in the end.
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We are located in Richardson, TX in a beautiful office building that features a modern, cool, and calming atmosphere. There is also a walking trail that connects to a park which is great for mindfulness, processing, grounding, and reflection.