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I’m really bad at Mathematics because I’m an arts kid, you know? Unfortunately, I’ve uttered this statement more times that I can count (precisely because I’m an arts kid! I jest); yet, this fixed mindset is exactly what’s limiting me from doing better. This 2024, one of my resolutions is to cultivate a growth mindset – and I’d like to urge all of us to do the same.
When you look at successful individuals, whether they’re athletes or entrepreneurs, you’ll find that most of them are hungry for knowledge and embrace failure as a way to learn. This loosely describes the growth mindset. In this article, we’ll share more about what the growth mindset is, and how we can start adopting this positive attitude in our lives.
What is the Growth Mindset?
As its name suggests, a growth mindset is a set of attitudes and beliefs that support your personal growth and development. People who adopt a growth mindset believe that their capabilities and potentials aren’t fixed; instead, they believe that they are able to develop competencies in any field or area through working hard, dedicating time and effort.
Take the above scenario for example: a person with a growth mindset wouldn’t think that they’re doomed to being confused by numbers and equations for the rest of their lives. Rather, they believe that they’ll be able to become comfortable with numbers, eventually, by putting in the work to familiarise themselves.
When one adopts a growth mindset, they’ll see challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. Failure isn’t something to shy away from – rather, it’s an essential part of your learning journey, on your pathway towards mastering a skill.
Conversely, someone with a fixed mindset (which was mentioned at the start of an article) believes that their skills and expertise are fixed for life. They put in little effort to change themselves nor develop themselves in areas that they ‘don’t think are them’. This turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which they inadvertently end up limiting their improvement and growth in whatever field they feel like they’re lacking in.
When put in contrast to a fixed mindset, it’s easy to see why people with a growth mindset tend to be successful and able to reach their own goals.
The Power of a Growth Mindset
What is it about the growth mindset that enables individuals to thrive? The benefits of adopting a growth mindset are numerous, and these are just a few key ones.
Your resilience develops
People who have a growth mindset tend to be more resilient in the face of adversity and challenges. They learn how to fail well, and are quick to learn from their failures so that they can improve on their next round. It’s with this positive thinking that they’re able to tackle challenging tasks over and over, without feeling too detracted about setbacks, until they’re finally able to succeed.
You are continually moving towards improvement
When you believe that your competency in any field isn’t fixed, a natural progression of that line of thought would be: I can always get better at anything that I’m doing. As a result of this mindset, you’ll always be primed towards improving your skills, and developing yourself for the better – even in an area that you may already be quite an expert in.
It keeps you humble
Similarly, if your ability is never a fixed state, it means there is always more to learn, and one can never be the ‘best’ at anything. This humility helps to reduce the inevitable jealousy we may feel at the successes of our peers or competitors; instead, you learn how to appreciate how they’ve succeeded, and identify learnings that you can implement in your own life as well.
Actionable Tips to Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Convinced that you should start adopting a growth mindset this year? It’s not something you’ll be easily able to cultivate overnight – but, just like the growth mindset preaches, putting in effort will put you on the path of succeeding.
For me, it’s definitely been a challenging journey so far, especially because I’m quick to assume limits in my own abilities. However, these are a few tactics that I’ve tried over the past few months in my journey towards cultivating a more positive attitude towards myself and learning.
Embrace the “yet”
Self-talk is an essential part of building our self-confidence; and so, we have to be mindful about how we say or phrase things, even if it’s just to ourselves.
Rather than declare you’re not good at something outright, soften the statement by adding the word ‘yet’. For example: ‘I’m not good at Mathematics yet.’ or ‘I can’t do this yet.’ By including the word yet into your sentence, you’ve already reframed the way that you’re thinking about a particular skill: you may not be able to do it right now, but you’ll be able to do it eventually. This shifts your perspective towards the future as well, and is a way to encourage yourself to work towards a self that is able to conquer these challenges.
Try new activities
Personally, I hate failing and I detest being in situations that make me feel uncomfortable – honestly, who does? I don’t think I’m the only one who sees failed attempts as a judgement on my character… But having a growth mindset means being comfortable with failure.
A way of inoculating yourself against the sting of failure is by trying out new activities. It could be something as small as learning to draw or going for a dance class. The idea is to place yourself in an unfamiliar environment, and to enjoy the process of learning a new skill or trying out a new activity. Through doing this, you build your resilence towards failing; and this helps you to eventually embrace failure as a milestone towards growth, instead.
Ask for feedback
The opportunity for learning comes from anywhere and everywhere. Ask for feedback from others, and welcome whatever they may say readily and with an open mind. It can definitely be difficult to listen to criticism, especially if we think we’re doing well (and I certainly struggle with this too); but there are nuggets of wisdom to be found in every conversation.
By getting feedback from our peers and mentors, we’ll be better able to uncover our own blindspots, so that we can work towards our own self-improvement.
It’s definitely challenging to cultivate a growth mindset, particularly if you think you may have been operating with a fixed mindset all this while. One way of making the journey easier is by working with a mental health professional. Reach out to any of our experts to get started, and learn how we can support your journey towards a better and happier you!
References
- https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/03/12/the-power-of-having-a-growth-mindset-versus-a-fixed-mindset/?sh=5e5e2993562d
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/embracing-power-growth-mindset-unleashing-potential-success-mukhwana/
- https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means
- https://boolkah.com/growth-mindset/
- https://efr.org/2022/10/07/the-power-of-mindset-8-ways-to-cultivate-a-growth-mindset/
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/stories-of-the-self/202403/make-up-your-mind-benefits-of-a-growth-mindset
- https://www.verywellmind.com/growth-mindset-characteristics-benefits-8575613
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernhardschroeder/2019/07/12/12-advantages-of-a-growth-mindset-that-could-accelerate-your-career/
- https://www.cornerstone.edu/blog-post/seeing-success-why-you-should-promote-a-growth-mindset-in-the-workplace/
- https://www.icas.com/members/careers-support/career-development-change/resources/three-advantages-to-adopting-a-growth-mindset
An experienced health & wellness writer, I am a story-teller at heart. For me, writing is a way of weaving together the little details that make our existence meaningful and significant into a beautiful, larger story.
