Fixed vs. Growth Mindset: Which Are You?

 

About “Mindsets,” understand that Mindsets are beliefs. They are the beliefs about yourself and the most basic qualities and traits in your life. These include your talents, your gifts, your personality, and your intelligence. It poses the question, are these qualities merely that of fixed or rigid traits or are they ones you can cultivate and yield throughout your life?

People with ‘fixed’ mindsets believe that their traits are born and given, I am who I am and hold firm to this identity and belief. They’re born with a set capacity of brains and talent, and nothing can change that. If they have a lot, that’s great, and they’re all set, but if they don’t…well, that’s not so great. While they spend their time finding reasons to validate and document their intelligence, talents or gifts instead of developing them, victimizing and blaming others. They believe that talent alone will create success without effort – quite the contrary. People in a fixed mindset, knowing and feeling already “less than,” worry about their traits and how adequate, or therefore, how inadequate they are leaving them in the constant and never-ending state of “not enough” They have something to prove to themselves and others, “I am worthy.”

People with ‘growth’ mindsets, on the other hand, see their qualities and traits as something they’re able to develop through hard work, dedication, and effort. Sure they’re happy if they’re brainy or talented, but that’s just the starting point. They are eager to learn and grow. There’s no limit to what they can do without years of consistent learning and practice, creating a love and passion for learning and a resilience that is essential for life’s greater accomplishments. Teaching a growth mindset helps stimulate motivation as well as productivity in the fields of business, education, and sports. A growth mindset also enhances relationships, while empowering and building confidence in oneself.

Are your talents, gifts, and intelligence fixed or can they be developed?

Now that you’re aware of the differences, what are you doing to change your fixed mindset or enhance your growth mindset?