Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck found, after years of research, that there is a huge difference in achieving what you want depending on whether you hold a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. As the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she writes, “In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them…In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
What about you? Would you say you have not achieved what is important because you don’t have what it takes? Or do you believe it just hasn’t happened yet?
One coaching client, Laura, realized that to move to the next level professionally she needed more education to gain the skills she didn’t have. She understood she’d need to focus on achieving her goal, make a financial investment, gather more support from those closest to her, and invest a great deal of time.
She made the choice to work toward what she wanted. When she became discouraged or felt defeated, she told herself, “I’m slowly working toward my goal, it just hasn’t happened yet.”
It did take Laura longer than she expected. But she did not give up. Six years after she started the journey she said, “I feel like I’m doing what God created me to do.”
In contrast, another client, Taylor, held firmly to a limited mindset. This involved a number of erroneous beliefs, such as: Her coworkers advanced in their careers because they were smart, pretty, younger or more charming. They already had the abilities and skills she would never have. She simply didn’t have what it takes. She was never smart in school or popular or athletic.
If you tend to have a fixed mindset, like Taylor, it’s not too late. Here are five steps that will help you move toward a growth mindset:
- Replace the attitude of “that’s impossible” or “why bother” with a focus on what’s possible and what you would enjoy doing.
- Avoid telling yourself you are a failure or stupid. Instead, ask what can you do differently? What do you need to learn?
- Consider what resources you will need to grow spiritually, emotionally or professionally.
- Who will encourage and support you on your journey as you move ahead?
- Ask a trusted truth-telling friend to point out when you are stuck in a negative, fixed mindset.
While a fixed mindset can take time and effort to replace, be willing to take one small step toward thinking differently. Perhaps an important person like a teacher, husband, parent or sister communicated that you can’t learn and grow. If you believed it to be true, it’s easy to continue to see the world through a false perspective. Don’t, however, allow fixed mindsets to master you.
Make different choices. Starting today, embrace a growth mindset in one specific area of your life.
