Your mindset matters. The mindset you navigate through life with will affect your perceptions, your behaviors, and the amount of belief you have in yourself.
Embracing a growth mindset is extremely beneficial and can be the ticket to not only persevering through challenging times but also achieving your dreams.
In this blog, we will discuss what a growth mindset is and 3 ways you can cultivate this mindset.
What Is a Growth Mindset?
The growth mindset says that our abilities can always be improved through effort and learning. Those with a growth mindset embody resilience, strength, and problem-solving skills.
Cultivating this mindset can provide you with a 180-degree shift in life where you now have a new found hope for yourself and your unfavorable circumstances. How do you actually cultivate a growth mindset? If you initially have had a fixed mindset, how do you transform it?
Here are 3 practices you can begin implementing today, to learn how to develop a growth mindset:
1. Understand that your abilities are not fixed
Many of us grew up believing that who we are is all we'll ever be, and that characteristics like intelligence levels, athletic performance, and social skills cannot be further developed. Many of us believe it's our personality or genetic predispositions that cause us to be who we are today and that we must accept our lack of skill or talent.
However, this narrative couldn’t be further from the truth. Every single aspect about you can change or be improved upon. Those with a growth mindset understand this. They know that today’s challenges don’t define tomorrow’s possibilities. For example:
- If you previously identified yourself as shy, but would truly like to be extroverted, the growth mindset says that it is completely possible for you.
- If you previously identified yourself as someone who is not great in academics, the growth mindset says with effort and dedication, you can increase your intelligence levels.
- If you previously identified yourself as someone who is not coordinated amongst sports but truly loves watching and would love to be on the field, the growth mindset says that just by showing up to practice every day, you can become the athlete you dream to be.
To begin a mindset transformation and develop a growth mindset, start viewing your 'shortcomings' as opportunities for meaningful change. These aspects of yourself are not fixed; you can always improve, regardless of your current circumstances.
Use every challenge as an opportunity to begin showing yourself what you are truly capable of. Realize that with consistency, dedication, and an open mind, you can become whoever you would like to be.
2. Do not let your mistakes define you
Those with a growth mindset understand that mistakes are just that, mistakes. They do not mean anything about who you truly are or what you are capable of in the future.
To begin developing a growth mindset, you need to switch your perspective on what making mistakes means for you. Instead of viewing mistakes as a reason to feel more insecure or discouraged, you can view them as a reflection of what you need to improve upon.
If you can look at mistakes as an opportunity for growth, you can become unstoppable.
Most people believe that making too many mistakes may be an indicator to quit. But those with a growth mindset are up for the challenge. Individuals who have developed the growth mindset don't let mistakes discourage them, instead, they let mistakes show them what they can do differently in the future.
We could never grow in life if we fear making mistakes.
We fear making mistakes because we assume that it means something about who we are or our capabilities. Let this be your reminder that making mistakes does not tell you who you are, but it's how you handle those mistakes that does display who you want to become.
Mistakes are a part of development, internally and externally. If you want to acquire a growth mindset, begin viewing your mistakes in a positive light instead of a negative light. Understand that mistakes just show you where you need extra work on, but they are not a limiter on who you can truly become.
3. Allow pain to empower you
This aspect of individuals with a growth mindset is the most intriguing of them all. Those who have a growth mindset deal with pain differently than those with a fixed mindset.
shows that those who have a growth mindset view setbacks as an opportunity for growth and learning. This means that these individuals may exhibit more resilience therefore have more of the capability of persevering through hard times.
If you want to develop a growth mindset, instead of using hardships as an excuse to stay stagnant, begin utilizing hardships to your advantage. This means that you will not allow yourself to ruminate in the pain, but you will use it as fuel to create something better from it.
Pain, hardships, and setbacks are a part of life. We will inevitably at one point, or another go through something that feels difficult to deal with. At these points, instead of shying away from the pain, or drowning in it, we should allow ourselves to feel it, move through it, and use this energy as motivation.
When we use hardships as motivation to do better, we can take in the lessons that these experiences are trying to teach us. This process leads to mental strength development as we self-reflect and become more self-aware. When we do this, it helps us become a stronger person through these painful seasons.
To become an individual who moves through life with a growth mindset, begin viewing hard times as learning lessons. Begin using the pain to create more resilience. Remind yourself that you are a strong individual, who will be taking in the teachings life is presenting to you through these hard moments.
Start Transforming Your Mindset
Life is full of unpredictable moments and struggles, but with a growth mindset, you will be able to navigate through these obstacles.
A growth mindset will provide you with a positive perspective towards yourself and your life. It will allow you to see that you are capable and strong.
By understanding that your abilities are not fixed, that your mistakes do not define you, and that painful moments are opportunities for grand transformation, you will be able to begin forming a growth mindset. This growth mindset will allow you to face challenges head on while becoming a better person throughout the process.
