Do you believe that as an individual you have the power within you to increase your intelligence? That you can learn that new language, with a little more effort? That you would be able to ace up those culinary skills with a little more time and hardwork? Or do you think that learning and trying to ace something new is just a waste of time! You won’t be able to learn anything new at this age! Plus, that you abilities are ingrained and won’t get changed.
If you observe closely, the above statements indicate belief systems people have in regard to their abilities. And yes, if seen more closely, they clearly indicate two different types of mindset! Let’s dive in to know more about mindset, it’s types and which one is more beneficial than the other!
Mindsets are basically the beliefs people have about their attributes, talents, abilities, qualities. Mindset is also defined as “the view you adopt for yourself”, and it can profoundly affect the way you lead your life.
As such, there are two types of mindsets.
- Fixed mindset
- Growth mindset
Whenever people believe that their attributes—such as intelligence—
are unchangeable, they hold a Fixed Mindset. When they believe that these attributes can be developed through learning, they hold a Growth Mindset.
Decades of research by Dr. Carol Dweck and colleagues show that when people understand that they can develop their intelligence through learning, those people are more motivated to seek challenges, value learning, invest effort, and persist through difficulty—ultimately achieving more. Furthermore, a Growth Mindset can be taught to both children and adults.
Imagine training yourself for a growth mindset! It would lead you to be more confident, daring individuals, who are not afraid of taking risks, who are eager to learn new things, who think that there isn’t anything in this world, that they can’t possibly achieve!
A growth mindset has numerous benefits. An individual having a growth mindset sees failures and mistakes as opportunities for learning and growth. They are more resilient than those with fixed mindset when faced with setbacks or obstacles.
Having a growth mindset motivates people when struggling in school or colleges or work. They understand that the feelings of frustration or irritation when things are hard, such as adjusting to new diagnoses or challenges, is part of learning and is perfectly normal and that they’ll be able to eventually adjust and thrive in the new environment.
Moreover, having a growth mindset allows a person to be more open to disclosing their disability, using accommodations, and accepting their challenges.
Several researches have shown that individuals having a growth mindset:
- Are more motivated and engaged, even when work is challenging
- Are more likely to review or revise their work
- Score better on math and verbal standardized tests
- Fail fewer classes and have higher GPAs
- Are more likely to persist in school and college.
- Thrive better in work
People with a growth mindset believe that ability can change as a result of effort, perseverance, and practice. You might hear them say, “Math is hard, but if I keep trying, I can get better at it.” Individuals with a growth mindset see mistakes as ways to learn, embrace challenges, and persist in the face of setbacks.
Having a growth mindset provides an individual with limitless potential and power to grow.
I know you must be wondering, isn’t it a little late to develop a growth mindset? The answer is a big NO! It’s never too late. You can develop a growth mindset at any point of life. Though yes, it requires patience, time and a lot of hardwork and a willingness to change. But then, the good news is you can change yourself to have a growth mindset and get the above mentioned benefits.
Some of the common ways to develop a growth mindset are:-
- Acknowledge and embrace imperfections: Try to acknowledge your imperfections. Accept that you have flaws, certain limitations and yes, definitely, you can work on them. Acceptance is a very crucial step if you want to move forward and improve yourself and develop a growth mindset. In fact, the first step towards developing a growth mindset is that you accept your flaws and start working on them.
- Replace the word ‘failing’ with ‘learning’: A lot depends on how we talk to ourselves, how we see certain concepts. So, if a project/thing didn’t go the way it was supposed to, does that mean you failed? Or did you learn something, you learnt how to make it better. As Thomas Edison says ‘I haven’t failed. I’ve ten thousand ways that don’t work’.
- Not ‘YET’ is okay: Whenever you find yourself struggling with a task, project, skill etc just remind yourself that you are ‘yet’ to master it. Having this self-talk would help you realize that all you have to do is to make improvements and practice. You have it in you! Just a little more practice and then you can master it!
- Learn to take criticism: Usually we all get very offended when someone criticizes us, we jump up to defend ourselves and our actions. But we usually fail to listen to the other person. Try to listen to the person, understand what he/she is trying to convey to you, try taking criticism as a learning opportunity. Try to understand that the purpose of criticism is to make things better. If you can learn to take criticisms positively, you’ll start developing a growth mindset.
- Take risks: Taking risks is very important in life. If taking risks scare you, just think and visualise about the best and worst case scenarios. This will help you in making a better decision. Taking risks helps you grow as an individual.
In a nutshell, having a growth mindset means one embraces and acknowledges imperfections, persists in the face of a setback, makes learning a habit, and we are never afraid to put in efforts. Each one of us can try and develop a growth mindset which will help us maximize our potential and help us achieve the great.
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