So I've been doing some research on the "Growth Mindset" concept. When I listened to an audible by Jen Sincero titled You Are a Badass, I first heard of Growth Mindset. In psychology, they have termed the growth mindset as someone who believes they can learn anything through hard work. Success is not achieved solely on innate ability. Except in sporadic cases of strong genetics, our genes don't define anything about us. We have incredible influence over our skills and abilities, far more than we think.
Psychologist and author Dweck compare the growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Those with a growth mindset believe that they can get smarter, more intelligent, and more talented through putting in time and effort. On the flip side, a fixed mindset is one that assumes abilities and understanding are relatively fixed. Those with a fixed mindset may believe that intelligence can be enhanced or that you either "have it or you don't" when it comes to abilities and talents.
This was my belief for a long time. I also blamed other people and situations for my place in life. I believed that because I wasn't born with talents such as signing or even academics, I could not succeed in those areas. What a relief to know that I can, in fact, become successful at anything if I work at it, with lots of practice!! I mean ya sometimes it stinks to have to keep practicing and making mistakes and sometimes doing things I don't want to do (and sacrifice not doing the things I want to, at the time.) But I think in the long run, it weeds out the things I really want in life from the frivolous stuff that is more impulsive than fulfilling.
Here are some tips for developing a growth mindset that has helps me:
- Focus on the process, not the final product.
- Rather than trying the same thing over and over again, be prepared to come up with new strategies.
- Recognize the feeling that triggers a fixed mindset, such as anxiety or stress
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