Fixed vs growth: The power of your mindset

“What are the consequences of thinking that your intelligence or personality is something you can develop, as opposed to something that is a fixed, deep-seated trait?” asked Carol Dweck, the psychologist who introduced the world to the ‘growth mindset’, in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

As adults, we don’t often think of ourselves as capable of much growth or change when it comes to our personality or our perceived intelligence; we see them as immutable traits, set in stone. Many of us are guilty of the classic declaration, “Oh, I’m hopeless at maths!”

Thinking we’re ‘bad’ at some things and ‘good’ at others is a classic example of a fixed mindset. Adopting a growth mindset, or the belief that we can change and grow at any point in our lives, allows us room to develop ourselves and our abilities in ways that can be quite astonishing.

A fixed mindset is a threat to our ability to fully develop in more ways than one. Not only does it require that we see the self as static and unchanging, but this mindset also responds poorly to challenges or obstacles. If a project put to us requires more leadership or – horror of horrors! – public speaking, someone with a fixed mindset might run a mile, telling themselves they’re no good at leading, they never have been, and they just can’t speak in front of people no matter how hard they try. And so the opportunity passes them by.

Yet someone with a growth mindset might experience that same squeeze of fear but use it to drive them forward into the only place where growth happens: discomfort.

Get comfortable being uncomfortable

Discomfort won’t kill you, although it may feel like it could sometimes. But the elation and sense of pride you feel when you push through discomfort into growth is magic you just can’t bottle.

To someone with a growth mindset, challenges and failures are mere setbacks, not to be mulled on or pored over too long. They are for learning from, not to torture ourselves with.

A fixed mindset tells you that your efforts at change are wasted, that nothing will be different. That the diet won’t stick, going for that job interview is a waste of time, the gym is too far, and you’ll be too tired to go after work anyway. In essence: give up, because change isn’t possible. This in turn engenders a sense of resentment towards others who succeed. After all, if change isn’t possible and working to achieve something is a waste of time, these successful people must just be lucky; they clearly haven’t done anything special to deserve their success.

A growth mindset understands that, to achieve at anything, you must be patient and stick at it, as change doesn’t happen overnight. They are also happy for the success of others for no matter where they are in their own personal journey. They are trying, and that instils a sense of pride that is crucial for maintaining the positive outlook so integral to the growth mindset.

A fixed mindset shies away from criticism, constructive or otherwise. All criticism is met as an insult, which is understandable if you think of yourself and all you do as impossible to change – the person offering advice on your efforts at online dating may as well be critiquing the length of your nose. If there’s nothing to be done about it, they’re just being rude!

Someone with a growth mindset, on the other hand, will accept constructive criticism, even if it stings. They will take it on board, reflect and look within to see if a change in approach is required or not. There can be great opportunities for learning in criticism offered in the right spirit if we’re humble enough to accept it.

The sense of control and ability to exercise our own free will over our lives means that those with a growth mindset tend to be higher achievers than those with a fixed mindset, who may fall short of their potential, believing themselves to be limited in one way or another.

If you’ve found yourself falling into the fixed mindset trap and feel like giving up easily on your goals, try to reach first for your inner resilience and self-encouragement when you’re struggling. Whether it’s going for a new job, learning guitar, taking up yoga, improving your cooking skills, studying an online course, making new friends or conquering the public speaking demon, go forth and take the world by storm, failing, learning and trying and trying again. We are all capable of such tremendous growth and change. You might just surprise yourself!