Growth Mindset

Have you ever heard of the advice to not ever tell children how smart they are when they succeed in doing something? Instead, we as grown ups ought congratulate them for the effort they put in to finally succeed. This is so that we plant the ‘growth mindset’ seeds in them during their childhood days.

This advice stems from the work of Stanford psychologist, Carol Dweck who wrote the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. In the book, she shares with her readers of her discovery of two different types of mindsets, one being a ‘fixed mindset’ and the other a ‘growth mindset’.

In essence, Dweck affirms that the growth mindset is the more advantageous type for a person to have. One with a growth mindset has a nature that is passionate in learning more. He or she always embraces new challenges and puts effort in pushing their limits to the next level. They have a winsome temperament towards criticism that is open and introspective. When faced with the achievement of others, they find inspiration and use it as fuel to stretch themselves even further. With a mindset that is hungry for growth, those who have it keep venturing to ever-higher levels of achievements.

In contrary, a person with a fixed mindset regards their intelligence, talent and ability not as something that can grow but as static elements. For that, they look to maximise what they can achieve within their bubble e.g. try to look as smart and successful as possible towards other people. They crave for validation from others rather than to test their own limits. With this, they value effort less and tend to give up easily when faced with challenging obstacles. When given criticism, they will react defensively rather than trying to learn from such feedback. Social media platforms such as Linkedin will make them feel threatened when they see the success of other people.

From the above, it is clear that we all should strive to have a growth mindset; but how do you cultivate such a mindset?

As I reflect on myself, there have certainly been bouts of when I had a fixed mindset. My horizons were limited by own mind. Because of that, I was self-defeating.

There are certainly times when I upheld a strong growth mindset, where my thirst for learning was unquenchable. I wanted to test my limits again and again. Any criticism received and envy towards others’ success were welcomed by myself with an open heart. The days when I wear the ‘growth mindset’ hat are certainly wonderful.

How does one get into the growth mindset, and stay there?

Stay humble. Keep learning.

Ruiz