Imagine that you have all these ideas in the back of your mind about who you can be and what you can achieve. You have big dreams and goals, but part of you also doesn't know if you can reach them. You worry that you might not have enough natural talent or skill to achieve your dreams. Maybe you just weren't born with enough intelligence or work ethic to be successful? This is known as a fixed mindset, and it's something many people struggle with. If you think like this, know that you aren't alone. The secret is to adopt a growth mindset instead.
What is a growth mindset?
A growth mindset is the belief that you can develop any of the skills you need to be successful through hard work and dedication. It's the belief that you weren't only born with an amount of fixed intelligence or skill, but rather that you have the capacity to improve beyond your limits due to hard work and putting in the hours of practice. So, how can you develop a growth mindset?
Embrace failure
Yup, you read that right. Having a growth mindset is not about striving for perfection or never making mistakes. Having a growth mindset is about having the courage to try despite your fears and embrace failure when you fail. The most successful people have failed in life. If they hadn't failed before, they wouldn't have gained the skills they needed to achieve massive success. If you experience failure, it means that you're growing. You pick yourself up, dust yourself down and try again. A person with a growth mindset welcomes failure because they know that they get closer to success and mastery of their craft each time they fail.
Focus on your effort, not on your skill
It's all too easy to get hung up on our natural skills and abilities and to think we are born with particular talents and can't improve through hard work alone. People with a growth mindset focus on cultivating their efforts and time spent mastery a skill rather than innate talent. They know that even if they don't naturally master something the first time, they have the capacity to achieve anything they want by putting in the hours and discipline to work towards their goals. Remind yourself that you are amazing for showing up and committing to improving yourself and learning new skills, and you'll be on your way to having a healthy growth mindset.
Conclusion
Having a growth mindset means that you believe you can improve at anything you want through hard work and dedication. To cultivate a growth mindset, focus on redefining your perception of failure to see it as a sign of improvement rather than a bad sign that you are wasting your time. You should also work on losing your obsession with being perfect or with the natural skills you have. Know that with anything you want to achieve, effort is the most important thing. Most of all stick to your commitment with hard work and determination and you'll get there no matter what.
Do you think your mindset is programmed for growth or are you living in a fixed mindset? Share your thoughts down in the comments below.
written by/Ruth