A Growth Mindset

Back when I was still gainfully employed, I learned about the difference between having a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, and found the topic riveting. If you’re not familiar with this thinking and would like to learn more, this blog post might help.

​So what is a “mindset” anyway? A mindset is how an individual sees the world, what they believe in, and how those beliefs shape their perspectives and behaviors.

With a fixed mindset, you believe your talents and abilities are something you are born with and can’t be changed. A person with a fixed mindset sees failing as confirmation they weren’t blessed with what they need to succeed. They believe they can’t change their destiny, either you have talent or you don’t, it’s simply determined by the cards you are dealt. Something that cannot be changed. When I think about this mindset, I picture Eeyore saying, “Ho hum. It is what it is. Woe is me. Why were other people given natural gifts that I wasn't given?” Okay, so that is probably a lot of words for Eeyore, but you get the drift.

On the other hand, a person with a growth mindset believes they can do anything they put their mind to. If they fail, they pull themselves up, dust themselves off, take note of what they learned, and try again. Learning is key to a person with a growth mindset, they’re typically lifelong learners. They believe with hard work and time, anything is possible.

And because humans are dang complicated, we’re not always one or the other. We can waffle back and forth between mindsets. For me, I believe I am mostly in the growth mindset camp, the majority of the time. Here’s a handful of examples to demonstrate how I know this to be true:

• I love to learn. I’m naturally curious. 
• I believe I can do anything I set my mind to. 
• If someone tells me I can’t do something (implying I’m not able), I will do it. Heck, I had people tell me I’d never be able to write a book. That I was a dreamer. Hey haters, I’ve written three books and am working on book four. So, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
• I think that someday I could learn to play an instrument, right now I’m leaning towards drums or piano, but haven’t ruled out harmonica or guitar.
• I built my website with zero skill or experience. It’s not going to win any awards, but it gets the job done and I can always improve it over time. I built it because it was something I wanted to do, and I wanted to prove I could do it on my own.
  
  
  

There are disadvantages to having a growth mindset. My insatiable curiosity can lead to serious rabbit holes. I don’t give up, even when I probably should. I’m like a dog with a bone. If there’s a puzzle to be worked out, a problem to be solved, a question to be answered, I’m not stopping until I’ve succeeded. Even if it takes hours or days. It can be an annoying trait. Or so I’ve been told. (Insert shrug and guilty smile here).

What’s really interesting is that anyone can develop a growth mindset, and scientists believe that a growth mindset is key to success. Many educators are trying to instill a growth mindset in their students. And believe it or not, the language we use with children makes a difference too. Let’s say a child gets excellent grades. Our first instinct might be to say, “Good job. You’re so smart.” But that means we’re reinforcing that success happens only because of talent you were born with. If we instead say, “That’s great. You must have worked really hard on that.” Or, “I bet you studied hard to get those grades”, we’re reinforcing that hard work yields positive results. If we compliment the process used for achieving success, rather than attributing results to genetics someone is blessed with, it helps them see anything is possible. Focus on the effort, not the end results.

With even a small grasp on these mindsets, you will recognize the differences we see in people and their various approaches to life. If you’re like me (or even only half as nerdy) and want to learn more, I recommend learning from Carol Dweck. Dweck is a psychologist who is an expert in mindsets and how they impact our lives. There are many online articles, like this one. Or if you want to dive deeper, I’d suggest Carol’s book, “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”.

As I wrap up this month's post, I want to point out that I realize not everyone is interested in the topics I am interested in. So, dear reader, if you have specific subjects you’d like to see addressed in future blog posts, send them my way. In the meantime, take care of each other, love hard, hate sparingly, and enjoy the magic of the holiday season.