Let me ask you a question:
Have you ever hit a setback and said to yourself,
“Why should I keep working on this if I know I’m eventually going to fail?”
As a seasoned entrepreneur, I have ‘been there, done that.’ Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, calls this the workings of a fixed mindset.
In her book Mindset, the New Psychology of Success, she reveals the incredible power of your mindset and how almost every area of your life is influenced by how you think.
Dweck’s research shows there are two basic mindsets that shape our lives: A fixed mindset and a growth mindset. You and I have both of them – but it is common to camp out more in one area or the other.
What Mindset is and Why it Matters
Here are the definitions of the two mindsets:
Fixed mindset
In a fixed mindset, you believe that your basic qualities, like your intelligence, talents, or skills, are fixed traits. Simply put, ‘you have what it takes to succeed, or you don’t.’
This mindset comes with the urgency to prove yourself – constantly. You want to be seen as smart and successful, and your ego depends on it. Every situation you evaluate with, “Will I succeed or fail?” “How will I look to others?”
Everyone battles the fixed mindset, and it often stems from a fear of failure. This self-limiting belief can be so strong that it can cause you to give up on something as soon as it gets hard.
Growth mindset
The growth mindset is the opposite of the fixed.
When you have a growth mindset you believe that you can take your basic qualities and improve them through your efforts, applying new strategies, and help from others.
This mindset doesn’t mean you think everything is going to be perfect. Instead, you believe when you fail at something, which everyone does, it is not over. There is something you can learn from the experience and take to move forward.
In the growth mindset, you find challenges exciting rather than threatening. Rather than fearing failure, you dive into new experiences expecting setbacks – when they happen you see them as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Catch the Fixed Mindset
The good news is, even if you find yourself with a fixed mindset, you can change it.
Dweck says it this way, “Mindsets are just beliefs. They’re powerful beliefs, but they’re just something in your mind, and you can change your mind.”
As I was writing this blog, I found myself in a situation to apply this principle firsthand.
I was playing a brain training game to improve my ability to focus. The game would give a positive chime sound when my mind was calm and present. When I became distracted, I would hear a loud gong. “This will be easy,” I thought.
This wasn’t the case. As the session went on, it seemed the harder I tried the more distracted and agitated I got. Halfway through the training I had a break and viewed my results. They were far below my goal. I was frustrated and my self-talk sounded like this:
“Wow. This is hard…I can’t do this…I am not capable of this. There’s no way I can finish….”
Then I caught myself – this is a fixed mindset. I realized I could do something about it.
You Can Change Your Mindset
When your inner critic shows up, they typically have a loud and very convincing voice. It’s the voice that beats you up when you fail at something, and urges you to give up… (I will be sharing more about strategies to quiet your inner critic in an upcoming blog.)
When you find yourself in a place of thinking “this is too hard…I can’t do it,” – you stop. Just by catching yourself in this negative frame of mind, you are already taking a huge step in the right direction.
Next, you tell yourself that you can’t do it now, but you are learning; you are making progress. You are up for the challenge, and you know you will not get it perfect the first time, but every bump along the way is learning and progress.
I changed my mindset by reminding myself why I was doing the brain training program in the first place. I affirmed my progress, committed to having a good attitude, then got back to work.
22 Positive Affirmations for a Growth Mindset
How do you develop and keep yourself in a growth mindset? Use these 22 affirmations:
- I will challenge myself
- I will try new things
- I will give my best in everything I do
- I will embrace learning
- I will set goals and monitor progress
- I will view setbacks as opportunities
- I will think and speak positively
- I will give things my full attention and effort
- I will focus on progress versus perfection
- I will be grateful for feedback – positive or negative.
- I will use the word “yet”
- I will choose a good attitude
- I will take time for reflection
- I will give myself and others the benefit of the doubt
- I will look for new ways and strategies
- I will take a risk
- I will confront challenges
- I will work hard
- I will persevere
- I will keep working on something I care about
- I will celebrate my successes
- I will keep the big picture in mind
Understand the importance of a growth mindset, then own it. Remember, where you find yourself now is just the starting point for the life of purpose you are called to.
When things get hard it doesn’t mean it is time to stop. You can do hard things.
Challenges are part of life. When you face them – believe in yourself; affirm yourself. See the bigger picture of where your efforts can take you, and this perspective will keep you moving forward.
