Growth Mindset

GROWTH MINDSET - A JOY FILLED JOURNEY WITHOUT END DESTINATION

I am going to start with a famous quote by Vincent Van Gogh who said:

'If you hear a voice inside you that says you can't paint, then paint, and that voice will be silenced.'

How wonderful is that quote and how many of us have been told we couldn't do something as well as someone else as a child, or had some kind of bad experience that made us believe we actually couldn't do something? I know I have.

No one is simply born able to ride a bike on the first second that they hop on, they have to practice and learn, often with stabilisers first. The same with learning to play a musical instrument. At first it seems like an insurmountable task and then with a little practice it all comes together and we play that tune.

A 'fixed' mindset is one where we set out with the premise we can or can't do something, based on our natural, genetic predisposition and is often the result of a projection from early caregivers or authority figures in our young lives. We can then sadly internalise these projections with debilitating effect, and they become embedded limiting self beliefs or that bossy voice known as 'the inner critic.'

But there is good news and that is that with a little self awareness, self care and reflection we can unpick this early conditioning, and come to know ourselves authentically, and build capabilities and self esteem in all areas of our life where we desire. We can nurture our self belief, dust off our courage and try new things and commit to consistent learning and practice, where we open up, unfurl and flourish just like a beautiful, vibrant spring bloom.

This is called having a 'growth mindset.' The premise that we can apply ourselves to whatever we wish and learn from the practice.

So what is this mindset all about?

At the beginning of 2022 I decided to commit myself to growth and expansion and the first thing I became truly aware of was that it doesn't matter how good we are at something, but that with a little commitment and daily practice we can focus on enjoying the process and improve cumulatively over time. This has been a revelation as have rediscovered a wonderful joy in many activities and have moved my attention from focus on end result or outcome to really finding joy and happiness in the process. The result of improvement is simply a by product but the growth in confidence is exponential and fantastic. This has a knock on effect as the greater we enjoy that which we are practicing, the more likely we are to continue the practice and building our skills.

Whatever we set out to grow in we must start with a resolute belief that we have the confidence to try and must go within and self encourage. No trajectory is upward linear but a squiggle of setbacks. With a growth mindset we accept the setbacks as much a part of the journey as the linear upward trends, We come to embrace that the 'real meaty growth' lies in understanding the setbacks and adds courage, resilience and understanding of adversity to our armoury. Self compassion helps us stay on track when the going gets tough.

We are all specialists or experts of our fields but the danger comes when we believe we know it all and stop evolving, learning, training and growing. Fields develop, trends emerge, processes change and technology has altered how we work , communicate and manage our lives. By keeping abreast of new thinking we maximise our experiences and live our best lives.

Having a growth mindset also entails choosing what we consume from nutritious food to media and entertainment that is good for our emotional and psychological wellbeing. Do we consume inspirational content that lifts our spirits and motivates us? Here we have a responsibility to ourselves and cultivation of discipline in these areas is key.

Do we socialise with individuals that inspire us, teach us something new, encourage our growth? Do we help inspire others with their growth trajectory, sharing our experiences with them? Reciprocal motivation is incredibly empowering.

Do we strive to find a purpose and meaning in what we do so we feel fulfilled?

We can apply growth mindset to all aspects of our lives, our physical, emotional, psychological wellbeing. We can apply it to our professional lives, striving to learn and expand as well as to our leisure time, engaging in hobbies and activities adding to this evolution. Finally our spiritual side can also benefit from growth.

Having a growth mindset is one beautiful, long, continuous journey. without a one stop end destination but many twists and turns that continue to surprise and delight us as we realise we are capable of much more than we thought we were and we can unlock so much authentic potential, passion and purpose by concentrating on cultivating daily practices that bring our best out to share with others.

In closing I'd like to remind you that Van Gogh was right and if that voice says you can't do something, do it anyway! So remember if the voice says we can't paint, let's paint.

Thank you for reading.