2019 Spring Issue

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny”

– Mahatma Ghandi

by jennifer schofield

5 Min read

Hello all,

This week : Generating a growth mindset

What is mindset?

Mindset is our beliefs and feelings about ourselves and what we are doing.

By doing I am talking about whatever it is you are currently working on in your day whether its performing at work, learning subjects at school, playing a musical instrument, a sport, or any activity at all.

Research shows that what you believe about yourself – your mindset influences motivation, your learning, how you respond to setbacks, and in the end, how well you perform in the task.

A fixed mindset means you believe your abilities and talents are something you are born with, and are limited. They cannot be improved upon or developed.

A growth mindset means you believe we can keep improving throughout life with effort, strategies, and practice.

Compare the statements in the charts below to see some differences between the two belief systems.

Fixed Mindset

I am talented

I am motivated by approval

Mistakes mean I am failing at this

My work is not good enough

I am better or worse at this than another person (ranking)

Success is about getting recognition

A setback means I am not good at it

The success of others is threatening

I avoid challenge because I don’t want to fail

You either have it or you don’t

Growth Mindset

I work hard and can learn

I am motivated by interest

Mistakes are how I learn

My work is getting better and better

I can learn from another person how to do it better (modelling)

Success is about whether my work is effective

A setback means I have to keep at it

The success of others is inspiring

I embrace challenge because it is exciting

How good I get is up to me

The fixed mindset is based in fear of not measuring up. What you are doing never seems good enough. Deep down there is a belief and a fear that you may not be all that great. Attachment science tells us these fears are wired in all of us. Here are some of the pitfalls of fear-based attitudes.

There may be a strong urge to get approval or recognition to prove your worth.
There is a tendency to compare and compete with others to stave off feelings of failure or inadequacy.
Perfectionism can be part of this mindset which brings doubts that never resolve. Here you may keep at your task a long time but are always left with feelings of failure.

This fixed or limited belief in yourself may make it difficult to stay motivated and easy to get discouraged and give up trying when there is a setback. People with this mindset put more stock in talent so when things don’t go well they find it easier to believe “I don’t have what it takes so why bother?”

People with a growth mindset are often more successful at tasks in part because they keep at it longer than people with a fixed mindset.

The growth mindset belief “I can get better and better” helps motivation because we believe that practice or effort will bring improvement. Our success is determined by what we put into it not how talented we are so there is a reason to keep going when things get rough. Mistakes are opportunities for improvement and there is no failure, just one long winding road of progress.

How we learn from others is also different for people with a growth mindset. Instead of comparing and competing with others the focus is on learning from their example or modelling. This fosters another success driving belief “if they can do it, so can I”.

At the heart of the growth mindset is the belief that

We are not fixed or limited in our abilities and we can learn and improve throughout life.

We can change our own, beliefs, attitudes, and mindsets if we choose.

I invite you to start questioning outdated beliefs about your own potential to learn something new, to change, to grow. Now you have more evidence to answer the inner voices of self doubt. Is it time to open up more to what is possible?

What happens when we let go of the fear of failure or mistakes?

Trust in your ability to learn and grow.

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