Do you have a Growth or Fixed Mindset?
Aug 14th 2015
What is a Mindset? It is a simple idea discovered by well known Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck through her many years of research. It may be a simple idea but it can make all the difference in terms of how happy and successful a person is.
A mindset is based on your beliefs. What you believe about yourself and your fundamental qualities. In other words how intelligent and talented your believe you are and what sort of personality traits you have.
If you believe these qualities are fixed traits and that is that then you have a Fixed mindset. So you believe you have a given amount of talent and intelligence and that is it and nothing can change it. so if you have both in abundance then great but if you don't then there is nothing you can do about it. So consequently people with this mindset will worry about how adequate or inadequate they are and will feel the need to prove things to themselves and others. They are more likely to give up when they fail and take it personally and will believe that abilities determine the outcome not how much effort you put in.
Alternatively you may believe intelligence and talents are things you can grow and develop and change through your life, if so you have a Growth Mindset. You will see your qualities as something you can develop through determination and effort. They will understand that no one ever achieved anything without hard work and perseverance. They believe they can learn anything they set their mind to, will persevere even when frustrated. Will want to challenge themselves, will learn from failure. Will be inspired not threatened by others succeeding.
So successful and happy people are more likely to have a Growth Mindset as they will feel they can learn, improve, develop and change and as such are more likely to respond well to setbacks and criticisms. Seeing them as opportunites to learn and not failures!