Having a Growth Mindset
Written by Dara Sweatt
Another buzzword going around lately is growth mindset.
So what does having a growth mindset mean?
According to Stanford University Professor of Psychology, Carol Dweck, a “Growth Mindset is the belief that you can cultivate and improve upon your abilities through practice and effort.”
Those with growth mindsets believe that skill and intelligence are something that you can develop. They believe that success comes from constant personal development.
Having a growth mindset can lead to significant improvements in so many areas in your life whether that's work, the gym, nutritional, spiritual, and relational.
On the contrary, those with fixed mindsets believe that talent and intelligence are something you either have or you don’t.
When faced with hard work, the person with the “fixed mindset” may try to find others to do the hard parts, spending as little effort as possible, while the “growth mindset” person believes that good outcomes often require exertion—“effort” is just a part of the process.
This week, I’m going to share some ways you can work towards developing that growth mindset:
Acknowledge and embrace imperfection in self and others.
We all have our flaws and imperfections that make us unique. Embrace what makes you different! Self-love is a good thing.
Pay attention to your words and thoughts.
If your words are low or dark, the results may be also. So watch yourself. Listen to what you are saying and thinking.
Replace negative thoughts with more positive ones to build a growth mindset.
Replace judgment with acceptance, hate with compassion. If you are disrespecting yourself or lowering your standards, the outcome of your decisions and their consequences will reflect that.
Stop seeking approval from others.
Approval from others can often prevent a growth mindset. Learn to love and trust yourself. You are the only person who will always be there for you in your life so you are the only one you need to impress
Value the process over the end result.
Remember, it’s the journey that matters, not the destination. It takes time, sometimes lots of time, to learn a new skill or reset your health. Keep that in mind.
A growth mindset means embracing challenges, persisting in the face of setbacks, taking responsibility for words and actions, and acknowledging that effort is the path toward mastery.
Think “practice makes perfect."
By choosing to make the extra effort to build a growth mindset, you can make your mental processes work for you, resulting in a greater likelihood that you get the results you're looking for and live the life you want to live.
You got this.
