Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset: The Two Mindsets Explained
Without a doubt, our minds are one of the most powerful things on Earth. The things that you grow up telling yourself will likely end up forming your personality in the long run. Which brings us to the two kinds of mindsets people generally have i.e. growth mindset vs fixed mindset.
Are you someone who loves challenges and don’t shy away from new experiments? Are you keener towards developing new skills over your lifecycle? Or, you’re simply someone who thinks intelligence and creativity are static entities that one’s born with? That is, they can’t change significantly over time and are fixed traits.
These are the two mindsets we grow up with. This is the basis of Carol Dweck’s work on fixed vs. growth mindset. She’s a world-renowned Stanford psychologist who writes:
‘For twenty years, my research has shown that the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life’
Dweck’s study contradicts the popular belief that your basic abilities are inborn and do not change over the course of your life. The study shows us the power of developing a growth mindset and how it works wonders for you.
Let’s first have a closer look at what these two mindsets entail:
What Is Fixed Mindset?
As the name implies, a fixed mindset is rooted in the belief that your basic talents are innate. You’re born with a certain amount of them and that’s that. People with a fixed mindset don’t try a lot of new things, out of fear of being criticized. Or merely because they don’t want to look dumb. Very little effort is observed when it comes to making modifications to their current skillset.
What Is Growth Mindset?
On the flip side, a person with a growth mindset will always be open to criticism. People with a growth mindset believe that their intelligence and learning grows with time. They realize that their effort has a direct impact on their success. Growth mindset emphasizes that basic qualities of a person are a starting point. These qualities can be further polished through effort and hard work.
Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
There is a long list of differences when it comes to fixed vs growth mindset. Here are some of the core ones which show how they are poles apart:
So, this is basically the crux behind the growth mindset vs fixed mindset phenomenon. It depicts that success comes to those who put effort into their work. This is precisely why it’s important to work on developing a growth mindset.
Importance of Developing a Growth Mindset
For starters, it helps you grow. As Debbie Millman puts it:
“If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve,”
It’s important to understand that the most basic beliefs we carry about ourselves shape our personality. Our life goals and what we do about them over time stems from this fundamental principle.
With that being said, the fixed ideas in your mind will stop you from bringing positive changes in your life.
On the other hand, having a growth mindset sets the foundation for defining your life goals. What you want from life and what is preventing you from reaching your full potential.
Clearly, people with a growth mindset achieve more in life because of their perspective. They worry less about looking dumb in front of people, and more about learning. They allow their minds to look for more opportunities in an effort to ‘grow’.
It is also important here to note the significance of cultivating a growth mindset in your team . Project managers need to work on planting the basic concept that mistakes are not harmful. They are a means of learning better ways to do things.
The focus of a project manager with a growth mindset should always be more on employee mentoring, rather than dictating.
How to Develop a Growth Mindset
1. Work on developing new habits
First things first, start working on creating new routines and habits. Trust your talents and skills to help you pave way for better opportunities. We know old habits die hard, but it’s not as difficult as you might think it is. As a starting point, identify what you should change for developing a growth mindset and focus more on opportunities.
2. Embrace challenges
Challenges are your new best friends. Don’t shy away from your weaknesses as you’ll never overcome them like that. When working on a project, be on a look out for new opportunities. Broaden your learning horizon and embrace what comes your way. Play around with your goals, but also give yourself ample time to achieve them.
3. Become curious
As Albert Einstein says, “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”
To keep your focus on growth and learning, become curious. This is one of the most basic things that’ll help you transition easily from a fixed mindset to a growth one. Start questioning like a kid, and discover the new worlds that will unravel in front of you.
4. Stop seeking other’s approval
The person with a fixed mindset needs constant validation from other people. This is what you need to get rid of. Prioritize learning over approvals, and start taking criticism positively. Ask for feedback. It is going to drastically improve your perspective on growth and will set you up for development like never before.
5. Learn from other people’s mistakes
If you keep comparing yourself with other people, you’re signing up for destruction. Look up to people who have done it and learn from their mistakes. Rather than taking them as your contenders, take them as someone providing a valuable lesson to you.
6. Persist for longer
In order to develop a growth mindset, you need to have perseverance. Dedication towards a goal, without giving up on the way is a ladder to success. You should have the ability to overcome setbacks with optimism and give yourself the liberty to make mistakes.
Now, you might be wondering how exactly you are going to figure out if you have a fixed or a growth mindset. We have something for that too.
How to Find Your Mindset Type
So, here’s the fun part. Apart from self-evaluation, there are ways you can find out your particular mindset. One of the ways is to take up an online mindset quiz.
Mindset quiz takes you through a series of questions directed towards self-analysis. Each question comes with choices that fit accurately with how you view your mindset. Usually, at the end of the quiz, you get a total score. This total score defines the exact category of a mindset you falls into.
Sound interesting, right?
You can take up an online mindset quiz to reveal your specific mindset now
Which mindset do you think you fall into? Fixed or growth? And why? Share your views with us in the comments below.
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