Mindset is what one believes and thinks about oneself. People generally behave in different ways because of what they believe and their mindset.
Have you ever wondered how what you think and believe has affected the decisions you have taken in your life? Let us explore the two types of mindsets. Let’s explore what two types of mindsets are.
Fixed mindset
A fixed mindset is when someone believes that their intelligence or qualities cannot be changed.
When you believe that you have enough intelligence and that can not be increased. Then your behavior is going to be influenced by that belief.
In a fixed mindset, failure can lead you to believe that you are dumb, and this can stop you from learning and growing
Growth mindset
On the other hand, if you believe you can grow and learn even if you fail, you are going to try and take the challenge of improving yourself, even after you fail or when you are not doing well.
This is what a growth mindset is. Basically, this mindset helps you to believe that despite setbacks you can improve and develop your talents.
Difference between people of fixed and growth mindset
People with a fixed mindset want you to validate their intelligence, they also seek approval and want us to look up to them. They are busy guarding what they have achieved and are not interested in growing.
People with this mindset are scared that if they try new things, they may fail, and their intelligence will be questioned. They don’t want to look or be labeled dumb. Their belief that they have reached their potential, keeps them from taking on new challenges and they are busy guarding what they have achieved.
Growth mindset people are interested in new challenges, learning for them is growth, as they want to stretch themselves. For them making a mistake is part of learning new ways to solve problems, and learning new things, and they love challenges.
Why is it important to have a growth mindset?
Fixed mindset people are comfortable in their comfort zone, and they want safety. When they find themselves not doing well, they start giving up and lose interest.
On the other hand, people with a growth mindset love challenges and continue even when not doing well. They are not worried about how intelligent they are. They love to learn and take on difficult problems.
if you have a fixed mindset, then failure and mistakes will paralyze you as opposed to allowing you to learn and grow. And since we all experience failure and make mistakes, it will mean that you live the rest of your life stuck in fear.
How a growth mindset helps you progress
A growth mindset belief is all about learning, it is about enjoying what you do and taking on challenges, and believing that failures are a part of life, failing helps you to learn new ways of doing things. Persistence is their quality.
Even if they fail and falter, the challenge is taken head-on. Failure is not seen as a failure but as an opportunity to grow. It is all about learning and not worrying about your intelligence and your ego and looking intelligent in front of people. Here you are focussing on growth and not success.
Brains of fixed mindset versus growth mindset.
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck scanned the mind of people. In his research, he discovered a big difference in the way people of a fixed mindset handled tasks in comparison to those of a growth mindset.
People with fixed mindsets had less activity in their brains, and they only took in the information that they could handle. Their brain did not take the trouble to take in extra information to try and solve the problem. That means they gave up without trying.
On the other hand, the brain of growth mind setters showed a lot of activity, and their brain was lit up. It was easier for them to take in information, and it seems because of their activity they were already finding it exciting to try and tackle the problems in different ways and their brain was enjoying the task.
Dealing with problems by people with fixed minds and a growth mindset
Fixed mindset people ruminate on the mistakes they make, as a result, they get stuck, can’t move forward, and are blocked. They are always running away from challenging activities.
Their belief is that because they failed, they don’t have the ability and innate talent to do that, and they stop trying and growing in their fields or other fields Growth mind setters get past the problem learn from it, and move on. They are open to learning, and this helps us in growth, and learning new things is always beneficial for the mind.
Why is it important to have a growth mindset?
As the name indicates growth mindset helps us to flourish and grow. To grow we must be willing, curious, and excited about learning and have the belief that we can learn and act. When your brain is ready to learn, time is not wasted in rumination about whether to learn or not thus you save time. The negative self-talk also is dealt with positively thus enabling one to take quick action.
How to change your mindset
It is possible to change your mindset and start believing that you can grow. That your intelligence is not fixed, and failure is a part of learning. Remember failure does not mean you are dumb, but it means trying again and finding a different solution. Failure is very important in learning. It is a stepping stone to learning and growing.
Know yourself
First and foremost see where you stand and figure out what type of mindset you have. To change anything, you must know yourself and accept yourself. Many times we are refusing to see, what is stopping us from doing things, what beliefs we are carrying, and why we are believing in them.
Do you believe that intelligence is fixed? and is that stopping you from growing? If so work towards adopting a growth mindset. A mindset where the love of learning is encouraged and learning is not about intelligence, it is about growth.
But first, you need to acknowledge that you currently have a fixed mindset.
Watch your thoughts
Once you have accepted that you are living with a fixed mindset begin observing your thoughts and if possible journal these thoughts and beliefs so that you can find out exactly what you are saying to yourself.
When we fail, we start believing so many negative things about ourselves, and these negative thoughts become a habit. That’s what causes our negative mindset. Each time we make a mistake we automatically have a negative thought about ourselves. By becoming aware of what our negative thoughts and fixed mindset beliefs are, we will be able to change them.
Change your thoughts
Once you have become aware of your negative thoughts start to change the negative thought with a more positive one. So if you make a mistake, and think you are stupid. Instead of being negative about yourself change the thought to “I am learning” or “I am doing the best I can.
Changing your thoughts to be more positive is the most effective way to adopt a growth mindset. Over time you will stop blaming yourself for making mistakes, and you will begin to realize that each failure is actually an opportunity.
Believe you can change your mindset.
Change takes place slowly and steadily. When you sow a seed, we can’t see the plant, but we know and hope that it will come out. So, sow the seed of growth mindset belief in your mind and believe that seed will grow and flourish.
The tulip metaphor
The first time I decided to plant a tulip, I didn’t know much about gardening and wondered whether it would actually grow. Even though I had my doubts I decided to just try. I planted the seeds in fall and made a habit of watering them every single day. It was frustrating because nothing happened initially – it almost felt like I was wasting time.
But eventually, Spring came, and suddenly I could see the buds of the tulip blossoming. Although it took a long time to see any change before I knew it the seeds had turned into beautiful flowers.
It made me realize if I had not sown the seed and believed in the outcome, I would not have seen beauty around me. This shows that when we plant seeds of positive thoughts, it is changing us though we cannot see it.
Conclusion
The beliefs and mindsets we hold are very important. This knowledge can help you look at your beliefs and study how your beliefs are causing you to take action? How and where they are paralyzing you. If you find yourself stuck in a fixed mindset. Reflect on how changing your mindset can help you grow. Knowledge about yourself will help you take a positive step toward growth and the first step is looking and reflecting on your beliefs
Regardless of our failure, we can grow. It is not about showing the world your intelligence but about taking on challenges and having fun and enjoying. Try being in the growth mindset and you will see how this changes how we deal with things. Our mind is self-critical and worries about failure and makes us worry about what people think of us. Be patient and kind with yourself when these thoughts come. Work on yourself to change your thoughts.
