How to Change your mindset: Fixed or Growth

Most of today’s society tend to go through life not really knowing where we are going or how we are going to get there.

That’s ok, life is full of unknowns, twist and turns, peaks and troughs, however as we mature, grow up and get a little older something strange starts to happen. We start to look at life differently; the way we think about ourselves, the options & opportunities we have seem to disappear.

Something changed, we change from having a Growth Mindset to more of a Fixed Mindset, WHY!

Fear, lack of choice, worry, problems, debt or whatever it is, that voice inside our heads, our filter, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-worth takes over and we start to limit our ability to create success in our lives.

We have learned a new set of beliefs, behaviours and a new way of thinking that is holding us back.

If we have learned them through lives experiences we can unlearn them and start to change our fixed mindset to a growth mindset and take back control of our success formula in life.

 Step1. Learn to hear your fixed mindset “voice.”

As you approach a challenge, that voice might say to you “Are you sure you can do it? Maybe you don’t have the talent.” “What if you fail—you’ll be a failure” “People will laugh at you for thinking you had talent.” “If you don’t try, you can protect yourself and keep your dignity.”

As you hit a setback, the voice might say, “This would have been a snap if you really had talent.” “You see, I told you it was a risk. Now you’ve gone and shown the world how limited you are.” “ It’s not too late to back out, make excuses, and try to regain your dignity.”

As you face criticism, you might hear yourself say, “It’s not my fault. It was something or someone else’s fault.” You might feel yourself getting angry at the person who is giving you feedback. “Who do they think they are? I’ll put them in their place.” The other person might be giving you specific, constructive feedback, but you might be hearing them say “I’m really disappointed in you. I thought you were capable but now I see you’re not.”

Step 2. Recognize that you have a choice.

 How you interpret challenges, setbacks, and criticism is your choice. You can interpret them in a fixed mindset as signs that your fixed talents or abilities are lacking. Or you can interpret them in a growth mindset as signs that you need to ramp up your strategies and effort, stretch yourself, and expand your abilities. It’s up to you.

So as you face challenges, setbacks, and criticism, listen to the fixed mindset voice and...

Step 3. Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice.

 As you approach a challenge:

THE FIXED-MINDSET says “Are you sure you can do it? Maybe you don’t have the talent.”

THE GROWTH-MINDSET answers, “I’m not sure I can do it now, but I think I can learn to with time and effort.”

FIXED MINDSET: “What if you fail—you’ll be a failure”

GROWTH MINDSET: “Most successful people had failures along the way.”

FIXED MINDSET: “If you don’t try, you can protect yourself and keep your dignity.”

GROWTH MINDSET: “If I don’t try, I automatically fail. Where’s the dignity in that?”

As you hit a setback:

FIXED MINDSET: “This would have been a snap if you really had talent.”

GROWTH MINDSET: “That is so wrong. Basketball wasn’t easy for Michael Jordan and science wasn’t easy for Thomas Edison. They had a passion and put in tons of effort.

As you face criticism:

FIXED MINDSET: “It’s not my fault. It was something or someone else’s fault.”

GROWTH MINDSET: “If I don’t take responsibility, I can’t fix it. Let me listen—however painful it is– and learn whatever I can.”

Then...

Step 4. Take the growth mindset action.

Over time, the voice you hear most often becomes your voice of choice.

Whether you:

1. Take on the challenge wholeheartedly, learn from your setbacks and try again
2. Hear the criticism and act on it is now in your hands.
3. Practice hearing both voices, and practice acting on the growth mindset.

See how you can make it work for you and learn to take back control.

When you are willing to learn you can change anything, improve upon anything, and remain open to everything. As you set your mind to grow you increase your brain’s capacity to learn and to solve problems in more innovative and effective ways.

When you believe you can develop yourself, you are an open vessel to hearing accurate information about your strengths and weaknesses, even if they are not appealing.

To achieve enduring success, learn to identify the strengths of yours you can capitalize on and learn where you need more growth. In this way, success is vested in the willingness and interest to learn, grow, and transform. Success is all in your mindset.

If you or your team are ready for the next big jump in sales & leadership development:

Simply inbox me here on LinkedIn briefly detailing your current position & hurdles you are facing. I will then happily arrange a FREE strategy call with you, after which you are free to choose the best course of action.

The only thing you have to lose is the FEAR OF FAILURE. So, inbox me, and let's get started.

James Fleming

Mindset Performance & Self-Leadership Development