Develop a Mindset of Growth

The mind continually provides us with thoughts, and without conscious input, the ideas we create will be based on the past and the history of our experience. Our thoughts, emotions, words, and actions come from two essential mindsets: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.  Each is present in most people. In some areas, we are fixed in our thoughts, and in others, we are more than willing to believe we can grow.  The challenge is to look at life and your attitude towards it and recognize what type of mindset you are using.  You may be OK with your thought process either way, but being conscious of your thoughts and the mindset they lead can help you reach your goals, develop your dreams, and enjoy life more. But that is a choice.

Fixed Mindset

In my life, I know I have spent plenty of time with a fixed mindset. It stemmed from never wanting to make mistakes and be seen as weak or less than perfect. Here are a few aspects of the fixed mindset:  1. Avoid challenges- because they prove we don’t know it all already.  2. We Hate change because we have to readjust and grow.  We would instead, the world think we knew it all and were perfect.  3. Focus on limitations, not enough, money, time, love, freedom, opportunity, or whatever else is seen as a limiting factor. 4. Criticism is seen as a personal insult rather than a chance to grow. I would rather hear insincere praise than mindful construction. 5. Believes either you have the talent to do something or don’t, no chance to develop the skill. 6. This leads to a lack of confidence in learning something new and developing a goal or a dream. You are stuck with what you have at the beginning.  See learning as something you do as a young person, not a lifelong process.

When you look at your mindset, there will be some of these characteristics. We are multifaceted and complicated beings with many layers. The trick is to look at yourself and what you think and ask if those thoughts are taking you where you would like to be? Are they making you your best? Or are they limiting you in some way? Only you can answer those questions.  I encourage you and myself not to limit ourselves and develop until this journey’s end.

Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is one of the possibilities and development in your life.  I try to develop this in all areas of my life. It is not a finished product but one that is continually growing and learning throughout the process.  And to be OK with not knowing something and becoming better at it.  To welcome new experiences and see what they feel like.  Some aspects of the growth mindset are 1. You welcome challenges. A challenge will provide new experiences and becoming a more well-rounded person.  2. Change is embraced, a natural part of life, and all things continually and inevitably change. Embracing change is embracing life. 3. Look for opportunities to grow and have new experiences.  4. Think anything is possible; with the right amount of preparation and effort, you can set, learn about, and accomplish anything you dream about.  5. Love learning and exploring new things. See feedback as a helpful guide, not a personal condemnation. See it as a lifetime process.   6. See the lessons in every failure, and don’t let it deter effort in future opportunities.

Developing a growth mindset is more complicated than it seems. We are programmed to be perfect from the time we are children. It is all the beginnings of it: stand in line, sit up straight, follow the rules, and do what you are told. When you are told what is good and evil, if you have any thought out of that narrow scope, you are labeled evil.  The growth mindset allows you to understand that nobody is perfect, and you can continually develop throughout your life. The only limits you have are the ones you don’t dare to move beyond.  There is the opportunity to keep growing and changing throughout life.

The Choice

You have to make today and all days hereafter to decide what mindset will be dominant in your experience.  Do you believe that what you know is what you know, and what you are now, you will always be?  Or do you see the endless landscape of possibility that exists if you dare to take steps to travel into it?  There will be a failure on the way, which is not a personal condemnation of you. It is a learning experience where valuable information about future movements will be determined. You alone can decide to have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.  The color and direction of your life will be determined by this choice you must make continually.

 “It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” -said Albert Einstein.

“When you take risks, you learn that there will be times when you succeed, and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” – Ellen DeGeneres.

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison.

“Failure is an important part of your growth and developing resilience. Don’t be afraid to fail.” -Michelle Obama