A "growth mindset": how what you think has an impact on what you achieve

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Hi, bonjour, ciao ????. I am Selima and I’m curious about human potential and how to elevate your leadership. In this space, I will regularly share a few nuggets about career development and leadership that I find helpful. Today’s topic is about career advancement in the form of developing a growth mindset.

??Why is mindset so powerful??

Having a growth mindset is essential for success. With a growth mindset you believe your intelligence or personality is something you can develop as opposed to something that is a fixed, deep seated trait.? Much of what we think we understand of our personality comes from our “mindset.” This both propels us and prevents us from fulfilling our potential.

?? What is mindset?

Psychologist Carol Dweck coined the concept of growth and fixed mindset in her 2006 book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. According to her: “a growth mindset means that you believe your intelligence and talents can be developed over time. A fixed mindset means that you believe intelligence is fixed—so if you're not good at something, you might believe you'll never be good at it.”

??Why do many of us go through life without improving or getting smarter?

It’s simply because you won’t do the work that is required. Going home, watching Netflix, browsing on your phone and messaging friends until bedtime isn’t going to help you succeed. Yet how many of us do it?

In her research Dweck found that it is not intelligence, talent or education that sets successful people apart. It is in fact their mindset and the way they approach the challenges life throws their way.?

??How to get started on building a growth mindset?

Seek out new skills and embrace new things, these are necessary for neurological growth. Learning something new is an investment and improving yourself helps you go further in your growth:

• Read a lot, and then think about what you read and have an opinion about it.?
• Surround yourself with people who think differently to you and dare to challenge your ideas.
• Learn and embrace new things
• Seek out opportunities to network and knowledge share with other professionals
• Brainstorm and problem solve with others

?Ask yourself the following questions routinely:

1. What made me think today?
2. What would I do differently next time to make things better?
3. Who can I ask for honest feedback?
4. What new strategy did I try?
5. What can I learn from this experience or mistake?
6. What am I struggling with at the moment?
7. Am I proud/satisfied with the end result? Why or why not?
8. What can I do this week to get out of my comfort zone?

We fail constantly and it can be depressing, as well as propel us back into a fixed mindset - in such situations it's important to tell yourself “I haven’t succeeded yet”, this is what pushes you forward and prevents you from remaining stuck.

??Practice telling yourself “not yet”:

• I am not the best author…well, not yet.
• I haven’t saved up as much wealth as I would’ve liked…well, not yet.
• I don’t have the job I want…well, not yet.
• I don’t speak Spanish as well as I’d like…well, not yet.
• Once again, I didn’t get the promotion…well, not yet.

??Other things to look out for:

• Don’t prove you’re great, practice getting better
• Don’t hide deficiencies, overcome them
• Don't look for people who make you feel great, look for those who challenge you and help you grow
• Don’t stay in your comfort zone, seek experiences that will stretch you.

???What’s difficult about a fixed mindset?

You can read books about success and believe in mantras such as ”believe in yourself”, “take more risk”, “failure is a learning opportunity”, etc. But with a fixed mindset, although you have the knowledge and awareness of these, you are unable to put them into practice. The reason for this, is that you may be holding onto a fixed belief that success is about being smarter than others, that failure is a measure of who you are and that those who work too hard need to because they aren't talented enough. If this is you acknowledge you are holding onto a fixed mindset and try to migrate towards a growth mindset by practicing the following:

• View failure as an opportunity
• Value the process over the result
• Acknowledge your weaknesses
• Place growth over perfection
• Take time to reflect

Failure doesn’t define you, remember “not yet” and get out there and challenge yourself and surround yourself with individuals who help you grow. Developing a growth mindset is a constant commitment, beware of your assumptions and enjoy your personal growth journey.?

??More from the experts about Mindset: