The idea of growth is a positive concept, but discerning what it means when it comes to our mental state and how it impacts our lives can feel tricky. What is a growth mindset? How does it help us in our personal and professional lives? In what ways does a growth mindset help us be successful, and how do we go about developing one?
Join us as we dive into what it looks like to have a growth mindset. Discover the differences between a fixed vs. growth mindset, the benefits you can expect and practical tips that will help you tap into the power of your mindset and push towards success.
What Is a Growth Mindset?
What does it mean to have a growth mindset? It’s the belief that a person can improve their skills and knowledge through practice and study. It’s an optimistic state of mind that makes a person more resilient and adaptable in the face of challenges and failures. Those with a growth mindset are more willing to take a risk and even fail, sometimes many times, before finding success. Yet, they aren’t trying to fail. Instead, they know that the seeds of success hide in some of the most spectacular failures.
First popularized in the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck, Ph.D, the concept of a growth mindset is based on research she and colleagues did over several years. They wanted to know why some students recovered from setbacks and others struggled. Through their research, they discovered that people who possess certain traits like optimism, persistence and resilience were more likely to bounce back from failures and disappointments.
Embodying the ideal of constant improvement, a growth mindset drives you to become a better leader and even improve your moral character. With effort, you can achieve more career and personal success and inspire others to do the same.
However, a growth mindset is not a quick fix to adversity or challenges. Rather, it defines how we perceive and cope with them.
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: What’s the Difference?
Now that we’ve covered the growth mindset definition, let’s explore how it compares to a static or fixed mindset. The difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset is fairly straightforward—growth mindsets invite change, while fixed mindsets tend to resist it.
The Growth Mindset
In Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Dweck states that a “growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.”
A growth mindset encourages developing the flexibility and resilience that enable people to grow through challenges. Someone with a growth mindset seeks personal growth through learning and growing. They are excited by the prospect, even (and sometimes especially) if they make mistakes during the process. In fact, they tend to focus more on the process and view mistakes as information that helps them improve.
Growth-minded people are curious about the world and often set ambitious goals for achieving new professional certifications or learning to DIY home improvement projects—not because they must, but because they want to grow.
The Fixed Mindset
Those with a fixed mindset may believe they’re not capable of learning things outside of their normal activities. This type of mindset places a higher value on existing skills, intelligence and tendencies—they often see these traits as unchanging and may say, “I am not good at personal branding.” They accept this self-judgment as an unchangeable fact and do not believe they can change.
However, having a fixed mindset isn’t always a bad thing. For example, a fixed mindset would tell you that you cannot fly. No matter how many times you dream of jumping off that cliff and flying off into the sunset, your fixed mindset says you will not magically sprout wings on the way down. This type of fixed mindset acknowledges real limitations that can keep you safe.
According to Dweck, most people have a combination of a growth and fixed mindsets, even if some seem to naturally align with growth or fixed aspects.
Characteristics of a Growth Mindset
The aim of a growth mindset is to build greater resilience; those who learn new skills and take risks will inevitably face setbacks along the way. Individuals with a growth mindset have at least some of these traits in common:
- Resilience
- Persistence
- Optimism
- Adaptability
- Curiosity
- Consistently using positive self-talk
- Willingness to embrace feedback and criticism
- Viewing failure is an opportunity
- Ability to embrace change
- Desire to inspire and encourage others to grow
Benefits of Developing a Growth Mindset
Developing a growth mindset comes with certain benefits, including natural confidence learned through trial and error. The introspection and honest self-evaluation that a growth mindset requires can almost become a superpower because it encourages you to focus on progress and improvement rather than worrying about whether you are “smart enough.” You will begin to see things differently, be able to adapt to challenges and changing circumstances and become more resilient.
Here is how it might look:
You decide to learn a new skill, which naturally leads into the next. Because you are building on the existing foundation of earlier experiences, it becomes easier to learn even more new skills.
By acquiring new skills and knowledge, you will also gain confidence, which can then increase your motivation to learn even more.
Yet, you are doing more than just acquiring new skills and knowledge. You are also increasing your problem-solving capabilities and ability to think creatively, and you are becoming more willing to take a risk on something new.
After a while, you’ll be able to confidently spot problems, opportunities and find creative solutions. All of these lead to greater success in your personal and professional life.
As seen in the above example, the benefits of a growth mindset can be progressive and powerful.
How to Develop a Growth Mindset
If you feel that you have a fixed mindset, you’re already on your way toward growth. Discerning where you might have a fixed mindset can be a powerful first step towards changing it. Anyone who accuses you of being fixed, less capable or less astute is themselves operating from a fixed mindset. You already hold the advantage. So let’s get to work.
Best practices for developing a growth mindset are surprisingly simple. In fact, they’re almost the stuff of platitudes. Don’t be dismissive. The truths are real, but they take work, commitment and energy on your part.
When cultivating a growth mindset, keep work on the following constantly:
- Embrace challenges. Say “yes” to the next difficult task offered to you, even if you’re not confident you are the right person for the job.
- Acknowledge your weaknesses. Know them, but with the commitment to either improve upon them, use them to your advantage or go around them.
- Transform negative self-talk. How we talk to ourselves impacts our self-perception and, ultimately, what we say to others. Start small and grow. “I failed at an important task” becomes “I see where I went wrong and what I can fix next time.”
- Learn from criticism, but don’t take it personally. Analyze criticism as objectively as possible. Learn from what is useful and dismiss the rest. Don’t spend days dwelling on things that your critics forgot within minutes.
Examples of a Growth Mentality
As shown above, there are many benefits to developing this type of mindset, and it can be developed with some practice and effort. To look at the big picture, let’s consider some examples of a growth mindset. These perspectives and actions can help in your career, relationships and well-being:
- Taking on challenges as opportunities to grow and learn
- Accepting and using feedback as a way to improve
- Pushing yourself to learn and master new skills
- Continuing to persevere in the face of obstacles
- Taking initiative in the workplace and seeking new ways to contribute
- Having a perspective of lifelong learning and seeking out new learning opportunities
- Being flexible and adapting to change when necessary
- Rather than shying away from competition, use it as a helpful motivator
Change Your Mindset and Change Your Life
Those with a growth mindset do more than accept criticism with grace—they encourage it. No matter where you are in your personal growth journey, cultivating a growth mindset is possible, even if you tend toward a fixed mindset.
By adopting positive self-talk and starting small, you can develop a mindset that helps you thrive and leads you to more success in life. So ditch the self-limiting talk, and get started today.
Photo by Jacob Lund/Shutterstock
