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Growth mindset describes a way of viewing challenges and setbacks. People who have a growth mindset believe that even if they struggle with certain skills, their abilities aren’t set in stone. They think that with work, their skills can improve over time.
To briefly sum up the findings: Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts).
Growth Mindset: I can improve my skills with effort and practice. Tip: Ask children if they have ever struggled to master a skill, and then improved over time. Examples may include reading, writing neatly, riding a bike, or playing an instrument.
Having a growth mindset (the belief that you are in control of your own ability, and can learn and improve) is the key to success. Yes, hard work, effort, and persistence are all important, but not as important as having that underlying belief that you are in control of your own destiny.
Fixed Mindset | Growth Mindset |
---|---|
That’s just who I am. I can’t change it. | I’m a constantly evolving work in progress. |
If you have to work hard, you don’t have the ability. | The more you challenge yourself, the smarter you become. |
If I don’t try, then I won’t fail. | I only fail when I stop trying. |
An example of a mindset is abundance versus scarcity. Someone with a mindset of abundance naturally believes there are enough resources for everyone in the world and also that there are resources that will never run out because they replenish themselves, for example, love between people.
Research links the growth mindset with many benefits, including: greater comfort with taking personal risks and striving for more stretching goals; higher motivation; enhanced brain development across wider ranges of tasks; lower stress, anxiety and depression; better work relationships; and higher performance levels.
Changing Roles. Another one of the best growth mindset examples is allowing yourself to take on different roles. While it may be similar to doing a new task above, keep in mind that someone is swapping with you.
Our program, as an example, costs schools between $5 and $10 per student. The reality is that a very negligible investment on the part of a school could be the catalyst for the transformation so many schools need.
Signs that you have a growth mindset:
You believe you can change and develop your abilities by putting in effort. Intelligence and success increase when you put in work. You’re open to asking questions and learning from others even when that means admitting not knowing something.
For instance, someone with a fixed mindset might say “I’m a natural born soccer player” or “I’m just no good at soccer,” believing that their athletic skills can’t be developed. Those with fixed mindsets may avoid challenges, give up easily and ignore useful negative feedback.
A mindset is a series of self-perceptions or beliefs people hold about themselves. These determine behaviour, outlook and mental attitude. For example, believing you are either ‘intelligent’ or ‘unintelligent’. Two mindsets have been identified by Carol Dweck, (Professor of Psychology at Stanford University).
“Positive thinking is a mental and emotional attitude that focuses on the bright side of life and expects positive results.” … Having a positive mindset means making positive thinking a habit, continually searching for the silver lining and making the best out of any situation you find yourself in.
With a growth mindset, you’re open to improvement and believe you can only get better and smarter, which are attractive qualities in the workplace, Duarte says. … If, however, you have a growth mindset, you’re more likely to “provide feedback and create development opportunities for your team,” Duarte says.
Having a growth mindset allows you to look beyond your current career status and industry and know that you have the power to change it. Through learning and developing skills, you change what you may have once thought was a fated potential.
Advantages of Learning a Growth Mindset
“In a fixed mindset, students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits … in a growth mindset students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence.”
1. A Lifelong Love of Learning. Growth mindsets make students more open to new information, and by that extent, more open to learning in the future. When a student feels like they can achieve anything through hard work, they’ll be more receptive to digging into their course material.
Those who cope best with change are able to adapt faster and more effectively. Students with a growth mindset believe they can develop their skills and are therefore likely to cope better with change. They welcome change and view each unknown as an opportunity to further either their academic or personal development.