You may be asking yourself, “What exactly is a growth mindset?” Well, a growth mindset is an actual, demonstrable psychological phenomenon. Don’t run yet, it’s just an expression.
It turns out that many long-term successful individuals possess certain characteristics that they share with other long-term successful individuals like them. This set of characteristics has been termed a “growth mindset”.
Now, some people, who tend to achieve less than their full potential, also possess a set of characteristics that they share with other underachievers. This set of traits has been dubbed the “fixed mindset”. Most people, more or less, fall into one camp or another.
Few have no mindset – anything goes in their faculties.
So, in the world of professional, career, business, academic, etc., growth, the world is divided into 3 subworlds: growth mindset, fixed mindset, and no or indifferent mindset.
I want to dwell on growth and a fixed mindset and ask you to choose your preferred mindset. The third camp, i.e., “No Mindset,” is a waste of time and energy to discuss.
- Growth Mindset
- People with this mindset tend to have a desire to learn from life. This desire leads to the ability;
- to embrace challenges,
- to overcome setbacks,
- to see effort as worth the results,
- to accept criticism and
- to admire and learn from the successes of others.
These behaviours allow native intelligence to GROW THROUGHOUT A LIFETIME. (Hence, the name: growth.)
- B. People with a growth mindset are believers in free will and this belief allows them to achieve their goals time and time again.
- Fixed Mindset
- People with a fixed mindset tend to have a desire to appear smart, with a corresponding fear of looking foolish. People with a fixed mindset desire to be led;
- to avoid challenges,
- to give up easily,
- to see extra effort as wasted,
- to ignore or reject criticism and
- to envy and begrudge the success of others.
These behaviours tend to limit/fix native intelligence to a FIXED AMOUNT. (Again, hence the name: fixed.)
- B. People with a fixed mindset often plateau early in life and fail to have, let alone reach fixed goals.
Cultivating Growth Mindset
The good news is that a growth mindset can be cultivated fairly easily by changing some critical behaviours.
First of all, you have to decide to choose growth over stagnation.
Secondly, you have to be willing to take positive action and begin to accept challenges and criticism, and learn from both.
Thirdly, and for that matter, an excellent way to begin developing a growth mindset is by developing the philosophy of “yet”. This simple step simply attaches the word “yet” to the end of every negative thought, as in “That will never work, yet...” or “It’s probably not worth going, yet...” This simple trick opens up the possibility for growing and that possibility leads to changed behaviour that does cause the development of this mindset.
Conclusion
Wow, let me stop here…better ask for this course for your team!
Mike Ihezuo is an authority in Personal Development, a Motivational Teacher par excellence. Mike can help you and your organization or group. Reach him through any of the online handle https://mikeihezuospeaks.net/meet-mike-live, #LeadershipXcellence, @mikeihezuospeakshq, @MikeOIhezuo, @LeaderMikeO, Ad Inquiry, @mikeihezuospeakstv, leadermikeo@gmail.com.
