Growth Mindset — The Secret of Success
For the first time in ages, this new year eve, I stood across the mirror and thought, why this year I achieved what I wanted to but did not achieve it earlier?
Why I planned so hard earlier as well, but only this time I was successful?
What were the reasons that I gave up earlier and this time I was so determined?
It’s not that I did not have the mindset earlier. But there was a difference in the type of mindset. I was not learning and investing enough, because I thought I was never good enough.
Don’t get baffled, here is a simple understanding!
I am sure, you must be facing the same dilemma that I faced, and this is how you can save your time by understanding and employing simple tips!
First, let us dive into what is mindset?
According to the Oxford Dictionary:
A set of fixed ideas and attitudes that are often difficult to be challenged or changed.
Mindset is the state of the person’s mind that allows him/her to reach their goals and outcomes. However, the interesting part is that even though some people have the mindset they are still unable to progress.
Fixed Mindset Vs. Growth Mindset
The idea of a person where they stand in life at a certain time is what they were destined to be. This is a fixed mindset. Also, there is no harm in having a fixed mindset. However, it is one of the factors that does not allow you to grow. It does not allow you to move out of your comfort zone. This “not moving out of the comfort zone” was the factor that did not allow me to act.
The fixed mindset makes you concerned with how you’ll be judged; the growth mindset makes you concerned with improving.”
— Carol Dweck
Why Fixed Mindset Is Not the Right Mindset for Growth?
A fixed mindset makes you think that the traits and knowledge are fixed, and they cannot be changed. Such people document traits, and instead of working on them to improve and grow, they believe that talent alone can lead to success. However, although I never advocate success is the only motive of life but growing and moving forward with constant improvements should definitely be the motive of life.
A fixed mindset person is afraid to move forward and take risks. Their life is nothing but a straight graph. Where all the other people are moving forward in life, a fixed mindset person is likely to be in the same position. A technological world, so advanced if you don’t work on your skills and traits, there is a higher chance someone will be leading you instead of you leading the others.
A fixed mindset has various disadvantages:
· It reduces your chances for opportunities. A fixed-mindset person is afraid to take risks. They are afraid to hurt their comfort zone.
· Your self-awareness decreases with a fixed mindset. When you are seeking to grow, you get to know yourself better, which leads to better opportunities.
· A fixed mindset increases sadness, disappointment, and dissatisfaction.
· As much as it helps to avoid pain, but that avoidance of pain is temporary.
· It leads to stagnation. A fixed mindset does not lead to a life one aims to have.
As said by Debbie Millman,
“If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve”
Although this quote is right but if you imagine reaching the top, but you have a fixed mindset, there are higher chances of you not getting what you have imagined.
What is Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset is a belief that personal traits and intelligence can be improved over time with constant work and practice. This belief that if you will work hard on something, learn the ways to improve those skills, and make effort to reach that goal.
You make plans to reach that goal.
You do everything in your possession to reach that goal.
You sacrifice to reach that goal.
You adjust reach where you aim.
You make sure nothing ever stops you from being where you want.
You pull yourself out of situations and people who put you down.
You sit with people who help you grow.
You read and listen to stuff that makes you closer to your goal.
If you have read till now you might think, this is not what happens, and everything happens of what it is destined to be!
But have you ever like ever thought your destiny was just one step away and that step was to have a growth mindset?
Even the Neuroscience supports the growth mindset. According to neuroscience research conducted by Betsy Ng:
The brain can reorganize itself. It makes new connections as we learn. Our brains are designed in a way that learning is the way our brain nourishes.
In fact, according to Napoleon Hill in his book Truthful Living: The First Writings of Napoleon Hill
“Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.”
How to Develop Growth Mindset?
Now if you have made it to this part, and finally want to know how to get this secret of success at your side, here are some tried and tested tips!
Become a Learner
No matter what position you are in life be it personal or professional. Even if you are the CEO of a company. Even if you are an entrepreneur. Even if you are just a student. You must be a learner. Learn from wherever you can, and what time you can. Dedicate a daily time to learn. Travel to places if what you want to learn requires an hour drive daily. But do it!
Make yourself a learner. Learn from non-entertainment sources. Learn from books that are best for your current goal. Research shows that one of the most common traits of successful people includes reading. Reading gives you the best of knowledge, don’t you agree?
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever.”
— Mahatma Gandhi
Many of us say that we don’t have time for reading. But most of us have enough time to spend on social media, watching TV, and just thinking about the fantasies that will never happen. The world’s top executive’s study shows that they all have a high willingness to learn and implement new things. Just look at the example of Apple Inc. no matter what the world says, the company is continuously bringing innovations. There is no doubt in the fact that:
― Peter F. Drucker.
Learn from Your Failure
The more you are scared of the term “failure”, higher are the chances you are sticking throughout your life with the fixed mindset. Failure is not a negative term. It is the positive term that you must embrace to grow. You fell when you tried to walk for the first time, didn’t you?
The most successful people and businesses in the world were not successful overnight or in their first attempt.
They struggled.
They worked hard.
They learned.
They embraced the failure.
And today they are standing on the top of their industry.
The founder of Alibaba Jack Ma failed to get any job including KFC. He belonged to a poor community of China. Alibaba was his third internet company. Failing in two companies and even in odd jobs, would have stopped any person with a fixed mindset, but Jack continued to move and today Alibaba is known to the world!
“The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”
— Paulo Coelho
What Limits?
A growth-mindset person has no limits. Even when someone tells them they have limits; they reply to what limit? A fixed mindset person does not need anyone to tell them hey that is the limit! Their brain is enough to tell them that.
“All limits are self-imposed.”
— Icarus
But a person with a growth mindset does everything in their possession to reach the goal. When you don’t limit yourself, you are willing to push further. Study shows students with a growth mindset performed 20% better on the nationwide achievement test.
Today, no one wants to stand at the position where you previously were. They take initiatives, they work on it, and they learn from it even if they don’t succeed.
“The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.”
— Arthur C. Clarke
Develop a Growth Mindset and Get Ready to Succeed
The only secret ingredient of success is a growth mindset. If you are willing to do what it takes to become successful, you are willing to cross the worst phases of life. You are not afraid of failure, and the changes that may come into your life.
I was a girl with a fixed mindset, and now I am managing multiple things at a time. With 6 hours of sleep daily, I know where I would be in the next few years. Even If I am not where I want to be.
But I know my knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion to do something will still be there!
