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Growth Mindset Vs. Fixed Mindset

 

Everyone typically has a slight mixture of both fixed and growth mindsets. Sometimes you're going to come to the growth side of things quickly enough, and other times you'll fall into the fixed mindset without even thinking about it. It's a natural part of being a human living this imperfect life here on earth. 


However, if you're willing to be mindful of your thoughts, you can avoid harmful habits that block your success. One of the first steps in making your life better is to get to know yourself. Who are you and how do you work? What makes you happy, sad, and excited? What makes you want to discover more? One way to embark on this path of self-discovery is to find out whether you have a growth mindset, a fixed mindset, or if you're someplace in between. 


Growth Mindset 

People with a growth mindset don't have a fixed view of what success means to them. They don't think that every single failure reflects their ability or character. Instead, you know that failure is an opportunity to gain experience and grow when you have a growth mindset. 


If you have a growth mindset you tend to do the following:

  • Embrace Challenges
  • Push Through Setbacks
  • Believe in Yourself 
  • Use Feedback to Improve 
  • Feel Inspired by Others' Success


You know that success comes from hard work and that you can continually improve. You like to embrace new opportunities persistently, and you believe the effort is essential to achieving results. You use feedback to learn from it and identify areas of improvement, while setbacks can force you to work harder to achieve the desired result. 


Fixed Mindset 

People with fixed mindsets do not believe that people can change their character or intelligence. They believe success is something you're born with, and no matter how much effort they put in, they'll not achieve it. 


If you have a fixed mindset, you are likely to do the following: 

  • Avoid Challenges
  • Give Up Fast 
  • Struggle with Work That is Difficult
  • Dread Getting Feedback 
  • Compare Yourself to Others


In your way of thinking, the skills you are born with are fixed, and your challenges are to be avoided because it shows your lack of skills and could look bad to others. No amount of effort will get results, so there is no point in trying. When someone gives you feedback, you balk, take offense, and refuse to accept ownership. You get discouraged and blame everything, but what is at fault for your failure. 


Take some time to consider these definitions and identify how you see yourself. Do you see yourself having one type of mindset more than the other? Even if you determine your typical mindset is fixed, guess what? You can still change. Almost everyone has some areas of life that demonstrate a fixed mindset. However, it doesn't mean you cannot learn and change.


Identify areas that you will improve to cultivate more of a growth mindset over a fixed mindset. A growth mindset is more likely to help you achieve success because it puts you in the driver's seat of your life. In addition, a growth mindset will help you avoid feeling like you are powerless over your life because you know that you can change and grow as needed given the time.


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