Have you ever felt like you are not good enough, smart enough, or talented enough to achieve your goals? Have you ever given up on something because you thought it was too hard or you were not cut out for it? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might have a fixed mindset.

A fixed mindset is the belief that your abilities and talents are fixed and cannot be changed. You think that you are born with a certain amount of intelligence, creativity, or skill, and that’s all you have. You avoid challenges, give up easily, ignore feedback, and feel threatened by the success of others. You believe that success is based on innate talent, not effort or learning.

I was chatting to a friend about her new exercise plan. She was explaining that when working out in the gym she feels inadequate in comparison because when her muscles start feeling tired and she just wants to stop. She then went on to tell me about her friend who starts giggling when her muscles start burning. I empathised with my friend and shared that I could never win a race or competition because I felt I didn’t have a competitive bone in my body. Like her, when I get physically tired or I feel my muscles burning, I happily give up. I thought more about how her friend giggles and realised I have a fixed mindset in this area, and I needed to readdress my thoughts.

Carol Dweck’s (2006) research showed that opposite to a fixed mindset, a growth mindset is the belief that your capacities and talents can be improved over time. You think that with work, your skills can improve over time. You embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, seek feedback, and learn from others. You believe that success is based on hard work, learning, and resilience. The recent exercise scenario made me realise that this is not set in stone. Overall, you may have a growth mindset but in certain areas you may have a fixed mindset, this I have realised is certainly the case for myself. I have a growth mindset in almost all areas but when it comes to physical exercise, which I enjoy, I only go so far, when the muscles start hurting, I am happy to stop.

I noted the irony that straight after our conversation I was off to the gym and an exercise class. It was a strength class where we rotated around various stations, one of which was the battle rope, where we move a heavy rope up and down fast creating a wave in the rope. The buzzer went and I started, it was obvious my left arm was weaker than my right because the wave I was creating didn’t go all the way to the end. The kind instructor said, ‘all the way to the end’, in my mind I was thinking ‘don’t you think that’s what I’m aiming for and can’t!” I found myself focusing on the end of the rope and suddenly my left arm was working harder, and the wave was reaching the end.  A little bell rang in my mind, I had been focusing on my arm and how much my muscle hurt instead of focusing on the end of the rope. Focusing on my hurting muscle is a fixed mindset, focusing on the end of the rope told my mind what I needed to achieve and is a growth mindset.

I am often awed at how powerful our minds are.

Image created in ChatGPT V4 (February 2024)

So how can you develop a growth mindset?

Change your self-talk. Pay attention to the way you talk to yourself, especially when you face a challenge or a setback. Do you use words like “can’t”, “never”, or “always”. If so, try to replace these fixed mindset statements with growth mindset ones. For example, instead of saying “I can’t do this”, say “I can learn how to do this”. Instead of saying “I’m a failure”, say “I’m a learner”.

Embrace challenges. Instead of avoiding or fearing challenges, see them as opportunities to grow and improve. Do not let your fear of failure stop you from trying new things or taking risks. Remember that failure is not a permanent state, but a temporary setback. Learn from your mistakes and try again. Nike’s slogan “Just do it” embraces this idea, feel the fear and ‘Just do it’.

Seek feedback. Instead of ignoring or rejecting feedback, seek it and use it to improve yourself. Do not take feedback personally, but as a source of information and guidance. This is a biggy, people will always feel the need to want to give us advice, even when we aren’t looking for it 😊 Instead of feeling hurt by a comment we should ask ourselves why they made it in the first place. We should remain open to different opinions and perspectives; we don’t need to agree with them or act on their advice, but we should be open to considering what they have offered.

Learn from others. Instead of feeling threatened or jealous by the success of others, learn from them and celebrate their achievements. Find role models who have a growth mindset and emulate their habits and strategies. Check in with your cheering squad and support network.  In a previous blog I talked about the importance of having a cheering squad and how important this is when you are stepping outside of your comfort zone.  I was reminded of this in a simple way when the same kind instructor was encouraging me in another exercise, the bench press.  She could see I was struggling with the weight of the bar and came behind me and put her hands near the bar and told me quietly “You’ve got this”.  I suddenly found the necessary strength to complete the exercise.  The instructor didn’t do the exercise for me, she didn’t touch the bar or take any of the weight. She simply came alongside me and quietly cheered me on.

Image created in ChatGPT V4 (February 2024)

The Benefits of a growth mindset

Enhancing your motivation and performance. If you have a growth mindset you are more likely to set challenging goals, work harder, and therefore achieve more. You are also more likely to enjoy the process of learning and improving, rather than focusing on the outcome. You will view failures and mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than as signs of inadequacy.

Boosting your confidence and self-esteem. If you have a growth mindset you will have a more positive and realistic view of yourself and your abilities. You won’t define yourself by your limitations, but by your potential. You do not compare yourself to others, but to your own progress. You do not let negative feedback or criticism define you but use it to improve yourself.

Improving your relationships and communication. If you have a growth mindset you are more likely to be open, honest, and supportive in your interactions and collaborations with others. You are more likely to appreciate and celebrate the success of others, rather than feel jealous or threatened by it.

Developing a growth mindset is not easy but worth it. The first step is doing an audit on yourself and checking the areas that you have a fixed mindset.  Decide to make small changes and create habits of growth. I can guarantee you will find yourself being more motivated, confident and overall content.

Happy Auditing 🙂

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