Table of Contents
Have you wondered why some people are completely stuck in their ways, while others are on a constant path of learning?
What separates Camp A from Camp B? Is it their attitudes, motivations, or belief systems? Is it simply who they are?
Itโs about having a growth mindset: the conviction that every aspect of our identity is cultivated, not innate. Nothing is set in stone, and through diligent effort, you can become more proficient in any endeavor.
The growth mindset is the foundation of personal growth. Letโs look at what the growth mentality is and how you can train it in yourself.
Adopting the Growth Mindset
The growth mindset (or developmental mindset) is a realization that you are a work in progress. Itโs the belief that every trait, skill, ability, and characteristic can be developed to mastery, and there is always a step further to take it.
People who have a growth mindset believe that their lives are the result of their actions. They will view the mind as a machine that is always learning, growing, and developing โ right to the day they die.
People who donโt have a growth mindset tend to believe their minds are fixed beyond adolescence. Their personality, intelligence, and characteristics are set in stone โ and no amount of work will change it. Everyone has been given a hand of cards, and we must play with what weโre given.
Someone with a growth mindset will believe they could become an astronaut if they put their mind to it. Likewise, they could become a saint, a rockstar, or an influential politician.
After all, why not?
Sure, Iโm not saying itโs going to be an easy journey by any means. It may require a lifetime of dedication, learning, studying, and practicing, but it is possible if you apply yourself right.
If you agree, likely you have a growth mindset. Otherwise, if you focus on all the barriers, then your lens may be shrouded in self-doubt and uncertainty โ by pessimism. In this sense, it may benefit you by adopting the growth mindset to realistically see why it is possible.
Benefits of a Developmental Mindset
The growth mindset is a particular lens that allows you to see an abundance of opportunities in the world. Itโs anย optimistic mindsetย that encourages growth, hope, motivation, and inspired action.
If you perceive success to be the result of learning the right information, then youโre going to apply yourself. If you believe there is no point because you have hit a cap, youโre probably not going to try. Your perception of life matters.
When I was younger, I didnโt understand life. I didnโt understand school, social relationships, how to manage my mental health, or how to learn.
Worst of all, I didnโt have any desire to learn these skills and abilities that would benefit my life because I didnโt know these things could be learned. I thought a charismatic person was born like that. Thatโs just who they are, and Iโm just a shy, awkward kid.
Unfortunate, but thatโs just how it is.
As a result of this fixed mindset where I thought I was trapped as my inferior self, my life was quite stagnant. Not much changed for a long time, and I was as unhappy as ever.
At one point, I discovered that dating skills could be learned. After relentlessly researching how to improve myself in the eyes of a lady, this opened Pandoraโs box.
If I could learn to date, then what else could I learn? This created a major shift in my reality and marked the conception of the growth mindset.
I continued growing, and even though I am certainly not perfect, I have come a very long way from the person I once was.
Embracing Continuous Learning
The growth mindset is to put yourself on a path of continuous learning. If you are constantly striving to become your best self to make the most of your life experience, then you probably have a growth mindset.
A growth mindset = being on a personal growth journey, something I highly advocate.
Itโs important to view your life as a continuous learning curve.
Think about it this way.
You might not be able to achieve whatever you want to achieve, but you can become the person who can. Developing the growth mindset pushes you to develop yourself into a more competent person who can achieve the things you want.
Without the conscious will to grow into a better person, you stagnate.
Stagnation is spiritual suicide as it prevents you from capitalizing on your potential.
Ultimately, your growth journey is the most fruitful path you can walk as it leads to some incredible life experiences. There is nothing you canโt achieve as long as you develop the skills, qualities, and traits needed to achieve it.
You are an impressive ecosystem of skills, characteristics, beliefs, and so much moreย at play. So what can you do to make sure this ecosystem thrives?
Learn!
Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
The concept of the growth mindset was popularized by Carol Dweck (an American psychologist), who segmented it into the growth mindset and the fixed mindset.
Dweck suggests that on one end of the spectrum, you have the growth mindset, which is a big factor in success (read about her studies here). On the other hand, you have a fixed mindset (stagnation in your patterns and programs).
The growth mindset encourages you to continue growing and to use every opportunity that life presents to grow.
As growth applies to every aspect of your life, the growth mindset applies to everything too. There is nothing you can do in life where knowledge doesnโt benefit you.
The fixed mindset is a mentality where you have no desire to learn or grow. You live in absolutes.
This means that everything that forms the collective ofย you,ย including your skills, personality traits, and belief systems, is concrete. This is aย limiting belief systemย that stunts your growth because it doesnโt inspire you to take action or consciously learn.
Life provides so many opportunities to grow.
When you start to see these opportunities in everything you do, whether itโs your work, relationships, hobbies, or avocations, you willย speed up the process of growth.
Therefore, keep an eye open for learning opportunities in everyday life.
These might come in the form of conversations,ย observations, work, traveling, painful lessons, things that went wrong, and things that went right.
You can extract wisdom from every experience, and thatโs what you need to do if you want to accelerate your learning curve.
Growth Mindset Characteristics
Instead of seeing the growth mindset as something thatโs taught, look at it as a shift in perspective that you need to make. This shift in perception facilitates more growth in your life on all levels, which results in a better life experience.
Letโs look at some common characteristics of people with a growth mindset so you can adopt them too:
- Be persistent: Realize that any failure is the result of not yet building the required competence.
- Be adaptable: People who have a growth mindset adapt to their circumstances and make the necessary changes.
- Embrace challenges: Challenges are good because they provide an opportunity for you to stretch yourself. If you donโt challenge yourself, youโre not going to learn.
- Seek feedback: Internal and external feedback provides information to help you improve.
- Reflect on failures:ย Reflect on things that didnโt go to plan (and things that did, too). Engage the feedback loop to improve continuously.
- Believe in success:ย No matter how many times you fail, you will always have a reason to try again. As long as youโre continuously working towards your goals, you canโt fail.
How to Develop a Growth Mindset
The growth mindset is not a switch but a wisdom that seeds the more you encourage it. Everything begins with desire. If you desire to have something, then youโre going to push yourself to attain it. When you have a strong enough desire to grow, you will consciously look for ways to grow.
By developing the willingness to grow, suddenly life becomes a learning curve where every situation, good or bad, aids your development.
Constantly Expand on Your Skills
Look at skills as tools.
The more skills you develop, the more tools you have in your arsenal.
If youโre a construction worker who has the same routine day in and day out, you can learn more about the equipment you work with, procedures, and mastering skills and techniques. You can learn more about the environment you work in, the people you work with, and the business you work for.
If you work in customer service, you can learn about the product you sell, customer etiquette, and social interactions. You can learn about management and operations.
There is always more to be learned regardless of what you are doing, and this knowledge will always have some practical value in your life.
You just need to train your eye to see it.
Be a Creator
Realize that you are limitless.
There is no cap to your evolution and certainly no limit to the amount you can expand your consciousness.
Your mind is elastic. Even though your upbringing has a big influence over who you are,ย you are responsible for your life journey, nobody else.
There are always more opportunities to learn, despite what youโre doing. Furthermore, personal growth is a bottomless pit. You can get to deeper levels of well-being and wisdom, but there will always be more to learn.
Engage the Feedback Loop
The feedback loop means that you reflect on your performance in any given situation, and think about what you could do better next time.
If youโre constantly engaging the feedback loop, youโre going to constantly be learning from your experiences.
To grow as quickly as possible, make sure you reflect a lot.
Introspect.
Think about what you can do and how you can better yourself. Your internal processes serve as a powerful aid on your growth journey.
Open Your Mind to New Things
Opening your mindย is hugely important to develop a growth mindset.
An open mind is a catalyst for personal growth as it allows you to absorb more ideas and perspectives about the world around you.
You can open your mind by making an effort to entertain different perspectives and ideas, even if you disagree with them.
Listen to everything, and look at all sides of any given situation. Aim to be the most knowledgeable you can, and you will start to absorb more information