Parlor Talk: Growth Mindset
Delmaine Donson
The belief that our basic abilities can be developed and improved through dedication and hard work, that is what the growth mindset is all about. If we truly have a mindset where we believe we can succeed, we are more likely to do so. This column is going to provide you with tips and best practices to develop a growth mindset.
The growth mindset begins from changing your potential fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is one where you believe all of your skills, knowledge and abilities are innate and unchangeable, that they are “fixed” traits. This mindset is very easy to fall into and can be very tempting. For example, when people with a fixed mindset make mistakes or come up short, they will be quick to blame themselves as a whole and say things like, “Well I’m just not talented at X thing” and blame their personalities and innate traits instead of other things like external factors and lack of effort. Simply put, being in a fixed mindset hampers personal growth because it prevents you from changing yourself. If you believe you are born with only a certain amount of skills and knowledge, change and growth will become impossible tasks to take on.
Now that that's been explained, here are some of the best ways to change your mindset. Changing your mindset from a fixed mindset to a growth one can be challenging, but with an open mind and willingness for growth any man can attain one successfully.
The first step in changing your mindset is to change your behaviors. Start to take on risks and challenges as opportunities rather than roadblocks. The only way to allow growth to happen is to take those challenges and embrace them, instead of shying away or being too scared to fail. Every challenging situation that may come your way is an opportunity to learn something new, develop new skills, adapt, and overcome.
There will be fear that may come up and feelings that you can’t possibly tackle the challenge without failing. You have to embrace these feelings, don't shove them away or try to ignore them. That is an impossible task to do, and it will only hamper your growth. Fear when tackling something new is an acceptable, normal, and human response. Turn this fear into excitement and take the challenge head on. With this shifted perspective it allows you to take on the challenge without being hampered by your own mind, it allows your mind to grow and learn new things. The opportunity may open you up to a new skill or ability that you would've never known you had if you went into the situation with a fixed mindset. Either way even if you end up coming up short, the experience will teach you something new, how to deal with these types of situations if they were to come up again and gaining the skills to do so.
Embrace your shortcomings and mistakes. Nobody is perfect and we all have room to improve, even the most successful businessmen in the world have flaws. Don’t be too hard on yourself and attack negative thoughts when they may come up. A growth mindset is everything instead of thinking those negative thoughts of not being able to do so, believing that you can’t, believing that you shouldn't even try because you will fail. Pay attention to your thoughts and process negative thoughts when they come up, figure out where they come from, learn from them, and eventually replace them. If you are talking down to yourself and not having that self-compassion for yourself, those negative thoughts will lend themselves to negative outcomes. Just as a growth mindset, breeds a mindset of success, which lends itself to better odds in real life success. The fixed negative mindset will breed a mindset of failure, making you more likely to come up short and reinforce those negative feelings.
Drop your bad habits and be open to true change. Doing the same thing over and over again and making the same mistakes doesn’t allow growth. Routine and habits are beneficial and good when they produce good outcomes, but the ones that don't lend you good outcomes need to be let go of for the purpose of growth and moving forward. By doing so, new opportunities could come your way that otherwise wouldn't have happened if you never changed.
Build out your own self-confidence and purpose. Don't rely on approval from others, approve of yourself and trust yourself. You are the only person you need to impress, don’t do things out of approval for others, do what you truly care about in your life. Find out your “why”, truly explore why you wish to become successful beyond the surface level, take a deep dive into your mind to find your sense of purpose. Once you find it, don't let go of it, keep it deep in your mind and use it to push you and motivate you along while you cultivate your growth mindset.
Take your time and enjoy the ride. The change won't happen overnight, there will be mistakes made along the way, but learn to embrace that journey and push for growth in the face of every challenge. Having a growth mindset is not the end result, having the growth mindset that truly pushes you to your maximum potential is. In this way, the process of growth will be a journey that will last a lifetime. Always be open to growth, learn from your mistakes, and push forward.
In conclusion, to build out your growth mindset, start taking on more opportunities, embrace your fears and learn to push past them. Acknowledge your own weaknesses and flaws. Drop any routines or habits that don't result in positive outcomes. Build out your self-confidence and purpose, push yourself through this deep sense of purpose. Lastly, enjoy the process of lifelong growth and always be open to whatever life may bring your way.
