There are those who believe that their talents are innate gifts and they don’t have anything to do to change that. These are those who have a Fixed mindset. Then there are those who believe that their talents can be developed through practice, hard work, good strategies and feedback from others. This is a Growth mindset, which every leader must have. Recognize the difference. The fixed mindset shuts down your brain while the growth mindset opens up your brain to think of all possibilities.
This concept originated from Dr. Carol Dweck’s studying of students’ attitudes about failure. They noticed that some students rebounded while other students seemed devastated by even the smallest setbacks. After studying the behavior of thousands of children, Dr. Dweck coined the terms fixed mindset and growth mindset to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. When students believe they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore they put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement.
Robert Kiyosaki, author of “Rich Dad poor Dad” reminds us in the book to forbid yourself from saying “I can’t afford it” and discipline yourself to sayin “How can I afford it”. This is the growth versus fixed mindset in play. We can extend this to a couple others such as not to say “I can’t do this” but rather say “How can I do this” and “I can’t achieve this” to “How can I achieve this”. Asking HOW opens and challenges your mind to think and saying “I can’t” shuts down your brain. The words we tell ourselves and what we believe are very powerful forces.
Jim Kwik famously said in Limitless and I quote: “Don’t shrink what’s possible to fit your mind, expand your mind to fit what’s possible”.
Our brains are capable of doing extraordinary things. Don’t limit it with a fixed mindset. Elon Musk said it nicely: “I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary”
Always be on the lookout for ways to grow, improve, develop.
I am all about growth and adventures. Exciting right! Be excited about areas and activities that are less familiar to you. Learn a new game, new sport, become better at something, set a goal and have a plan to grow into the goal. I am in my 40s and just started learning golf.
Interested in assessing your mindset? Check it here: https://blog.mindsetworks.com/what-s-my-mindset