“In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening. So rather than thinking, oh, I’m going to reveal my weaknesses, you say, wow, here’s a chance to grow”. – Carol S. Dweck
Do you believe that you are too old to change and learn new skills?
Have you heard yourself saying that you’re not intelligent and talented enough?
And how do you react to novelty, challenges, and failures? Do you think it’s an opportunity for growth and learning, or do you shy away from it because it makes you feel anxious and fearful?
Your answers to these questions will reveal the predominant mindset you currently have — either fixed or growth mindset.
I learned about these two types of mindsets while studying positive psychology. In class, we had an activity wherein we have to choose which group we would like to join. One group would write a song or a jingle, another group would learn how to juggle balls, another group would write a poem, and lastly, one group would solve math problems.
In the past, I’ve always seen myself as “not a math person” even if I never failed a math subject while in school; I just never enjoyed it or considered myself particularly good at it compared to English and Science related topics. I joined the group tasked to write a poem because I figured it was the safest and most comfortable choice.
However, there’s a twist to the activity – our instructor asked us to switch group, and I ended up in the math group (to my horror!). So there I was, anxiously participating in the group to solve math problems. But you know what? I realised that it wasn’t so bad that I somehow enjoyed it, mainly because I connected and laughed with my group mates (who were mostly like me — also not a math person).
Afterwards, we processed what the activity is all about, what we learned from it, and talked about fixed and growth mindset.
The class discussion became an “aha” moment for me that I reflected on the other areas or subjects that I have a fixed mindset on, aside from my belief that I am not good at math.
I then realised that I also have a fixed mindset when it comes to the skill of writing, making mistakes, and failing.
Having a corporate training and teaching background, I felt more comfortable speaking rather than writing. So when my brother casually suggested that I should start writing about health and wellbeing (while we were talking about related topics since I’m passionate about it), I told him that I only did academic writing in the past for school paperwork. Back then, I didn’t think that I could write a blog or articles for the general public (and now that you’re reading what I’ve written, what progress this has been!).
Growing up experiencing constant criticisms and being called stupid, I became fearful of making mistakes and failing. From a young age until my early adult years, I placed unnecessary pressure on myself to be perfect, not make mistakes, not look dumb, and excel in everything I do.
This mindset allowed me to get good grades in school and quickly climb the corporate ladder but at the price of my mental, emotional, and physical health. I burned out and was left with an unfulfilling life because perfectionism and fear of mistakes and failure prevented me from living an authentic and thriving life.
When a fixed mindset dominates our mindset — we become fearful of our imperfections, worry about our inadequacies, need to prove ourselves, our intelligence, and talent over and over. We overly focus on the outcome rather than the process of development and growth. In the end, we end up plateauing early and not achieve our full potential.
Having a fixed mindset prevents us from achieving our goals. From living an authentic and thriving life because we become fearful of our imperfections, we worry about our inadequacies, have the need to prove ourselves, our intelligence and talent over and over. We overly focus on the outcome – if we will succeed or fail — rather than the process of development and growth.
The power of our mindset
Mindset is a collection of thoughts and beliefs that we have about our intelligence, personality, and talents that affect our actions and behaviours.
In Neuroscience, mindset is part of the “top-down” model of the brain. Meaning, mindset, together with our thoughts, emotions, and belief systems, is one factor that affects our brain health and mental health.
And because our beliefs and mindset affect our behaviours, it plays a crucial part in goal achievement.
Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University, researched and popularised the terms Fixed and Growth Mindset. Between the two types of mindsets, the Growth Mindset holds the key to our success in various endeavours – from growth and transformation to achieving our goals in life.
A growth mindset holds the key to our success in various endeavours – from growth and transformation to achieving our goals in life.
The difference between Fixed and Growth Mindset
As the name suggests, when you have a fixed mindset, you believe that your skills, talents, and even intelligence are all “fixed” or unchangeable.
And if you find yourself constantly worrying if you’ll succeed or fail in a particular challenge or goal, if you question if you’re adequate, or if you want to prove how smart and talented you are all the time, those are tell-tale signs of fixed mindset too.
In contrast, when you have a growth mindset, you believe that you can learn new skills and knowledge with effort and persistence and improve your current skills and talents. You believe that everything can be learned and improved if you work hard and put in the necessary effort.
Thus, a growth mindset is linked to increased productivity, motivation and even creates better relationships.
However, it is worth noting that all of us will have a fixed mindset in some areas of our lives and a growth mindset in other aspects, and that’s okay. Having a fixed mindset becomes problematic when it hinders our development, learning and growth.
How to Develop a Growth Mindset
Here are the five strategies I used to develop a Growth Mindset. These strategies enabled me to let go of proving myself and perfectionism, learn the skill of writing, change my career, start a business, become more authentic, and see life as a vast playground that I can explore and gain endless learning opportunities.
- Add the word “yet.”
Developing a growth mindset is a journey — just like developing a skill and reaching our goals. Regardless of where you are in the journey, adding “yet” to the statements you tell yourself and others is a powerful way to help you persist and not give up.
For example, if your goal is to lose weight, you can tell yourself: “I haven’t reached my ideal weight yet, but I’m making healthier choices, and I’m making progress.”
When I started writing blogs and articles for my business (which was not long ago, so I’m still in the journey of learning and developing), I found it to be challenging. The first draft was just crap (Anne Lamott, the famous writer of the book Bird by Bird, calls it “sh*tty first draft”, which apparently is common for writers to experience). Despite struggling, I told myself that “I’m not a good writer yet, but eventually – with effort, practise, and persistence, I’ll improve”.
Words have power, and the way we talk to ourselves can alter our outcomes, so make sure that you speak to yourself in an empowering, not discouraging way.
- See challenges as an opportunity for growth and learning
In every goal that we want to achieve, we will encounter difficulties. When we have a fixed mindset, we are held back because instead of seeing challenges and setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth, it makes us think that we don’t have what it takes. And when we believe that we don’t have what it takes, we give up when faced with obstacles.
Instead of giving up when we encounter a setback or failure, interpret it in a growth mindset way by asking yourself questions such as: “what can I learn from this experience?”, “what would be the next best step?” “what can I do to improve?”.
With a growth mindset, you don’t focus on your fear of revealing your weaknesses, but rather, you focus on the reward – which is the chance to grow.
- Remind yourself that successful and intelligent people are just like you and me
When I attended the World Congress on Positive Psychology in 2019, I was able to be in the same room and had the chance to interact with world-renowned, well-known, and successful doctors, psychologists, and practitioners in the field from all over the world (some of them has a TED Talk and Wikipedia page!). I was also able to meet company executives and business owners.
Prior to the World Congress on Positive Psychology, I was invited to attend a Google event called Grow with Google. In this event, the room was filled with business owners and company executives as well.
The common denominator between these two events is that I was surrounded by successful (albeit by society’s standard) and intelligent people.
“When you have a mindset that smart people don’t commit mistakes, don’t work hard, then you narrow your world.” -Carol Dweck
I was pretty intimidated at first because they are older than me, I’m not a doctor and don’t have a PhD (titles I didn’t pursue by choice), I’m not yet a business owner at that time and was still in the process of completing my education, and I’m a new migrant settling in a foreign country. But after talking to them and participating in discussions, I realised that they are just like you and me. They may have the title, knowledge, achievements, and experience gained over years of practice, but essentially, they are like you and me, who had to persevere and put in the time and effort needed to accomplish something. Further, they also experience mistakes, criticisms, and failures.
So have the courage to choose to do something challenging over something safe. Like the famous successful and smart people we look up to, we can be extraordinary like them when we embrace the challenge to learn new things, persevere, and put in the time and effort needed to learn and develop to achieve our goals.
- Monitor your fixed mindset triggers
How do you feel when someone does better or is more successful than you?
How do you react when criticised? Or when faced with obstacles?
Do you think that you’re not smart enough or talented enough?
Do you persevere or easily give up when working on a task or goal?
Is a fixed mindset being triggered by some people in your life?
These are some of the questions you can ask yourself to uncover your fixed mindset triggers.
If you feel threatened by others’ success, if you avoid obstacles, if you give up easily, not learn from criticisms, and have the need to look smart all the time, then you are hampering your opportunity to achieve your goal because of a fixed mindset.
It’s also important to consider your environment’s influence and the people you surround yourself with daily. If you spend most of the time with people who have a fixed mindset, it’ll be harder to develop a growth mindset.
Shame can also be a fixed mindset trigger and may play a role when it comes to developing a fixed mindset. For example, when I was younger, I was often involved in performing arts (I used to sing, dance, and act). When I was 16, I was asked to join a singing competition. I reached the final round of the competition but failed. Because of severe anxiety, my voice faltered and I wasn’t able to hit the high notes properly. I felt so embarrassed and ashamed that I stopped singing after that incident. Instead of persevering and trying again after failing, I let the shame and fixed mindset that “I’m not talented or good enough” hold me back which doesn’t only apply in singing but in every aspect of my life that involves achievement and the courage to put myself “out there”, be vulnerable and risk of failing and making mistakes.
When I was 9, I remember feeling embarrassed and ashamed in class for being called by the teacher to give an answer to a math times table activity when I wasn’t ready. I didn’t know the answer and I felt embarrassed and stupid in front of the class. Perhaps that’s when my fixed mindset when it comes to not being a math person started.
So it may also help to look back into your childhood or any critical incidents that may have shaped your mindset that may be unconsciously still holding you back.
It’s not easy, but high levels of achievement require the desire to learn from setbacks and criticisms, learn and be inspired by others’ success, and put in the necessary tenacity and effort over long periods.
- Picture your brain forming new connections
Thanks to the brain’s ability to change and make new neural connections, we can become more intelligent. Aren’t you glad to know that intelligence is malleable?
Whenever we are faced with the challenge of learning something new (such as a new skill), the brain forms new and stronger connections when we practice and put in the effort needed. Over time, the task or skill becomes easier and may even be automatic.
“No matter what your current ability is, the effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment”. – Carol S. Dweck
For example, think about when you started doing or learning something new at work; perhaps it’s a new software or technology you have to use or a specific work process you have to follow. At first, you’re doing it slowly, and it’s a challenge; you may even commit mistakes. Over time, the task becomes easy that you have to think about it too much anymore.
To achieve my goal of becoming an entrepreneur and a writer, I reminded myself that all I have to do is to practice consistently and to focus on the process of learning, developing and growing rather than on outcomes. I also reminded myself that my brain has my back – that it will form the necessary connections needed for me to learn new skills and continuously improve to achieve my goals.
Growth Mindset and Women Empowerment
Empowered and successful women are women with a growth mindset. We don’t just rely on the “raw materials” – the intelligence, character, and talents – we are born with, but we make sure that we nurture and grow these as well through effort, persistence, and continuous learning. In doing so, we create better opportunities for ourselves, leading to living an empowered life filled with fulfilment, happiness, and achievements.
The bottom line
Developing a growth mindset enables us to reach higher levels of achievement because it helps us embrace challenges, persevere even when faced with difficulties, learn from failures and mistakes, continuously learn, and put in the effort to gain positive outcomes.
Instead of worrying about proving ourselves and being perfect, having a growth mindset allows us to improve, develop, learn, and grow – all needed not just in goal achievement but also in creating a fulfilling, empowered, and thriving life.
Now it’s your turn
- Reflection: which mindset do you predominately have? Fixed or growth mindset?
- How does your mindset negatively or positively affect your life?
- Is there a goal you would like to achieve, but you’re being held back by your mindset and beliefs?
Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment below and share what you’ve learned or how this post helped you gain insights into the connection between your mindset and goal achievement. Also, which of the five ways to develop a growth mindset will you be trying out?
References
Langley Group, Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing (2018, pp. 114-115)
The Growth Mindset, Carol Dweck, Talks at Google (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-71zdXCMU6A)
The Neuroscience Academy, Foundations of Neuroscience (Begin: Health, Wellbeing and Neuroscience)