What is a ‘mindset’? Stripping this back to its bare bones, your mindset is your beliefs about yourself and your most basic qualities.
If you have a fixed mindset, it means that you tend to believe you have a certain amount of intelligence or talent which you are born with, and no amount of effort can change this. These kinds of people may spend a lot of time documenting their intelligence instead of trying to develop it.
A growth mindset, however, means that you believe the intelligence or talent you have is just a starting point. You believe that applied effort and dedication is the key to success. These kinds of people enjoy having opportunities to learn and thrive in the face of a challenge. They are not afraid to fail.
As you can see, out of the two, having a growth mindset is beneficial when applied to all areas of your life – whether in sport, at work or elsewhere. Here, we explore 7 ways you can work on developing a growth mindset.
1.Replace the word “failing” with “learning”
When you try something new, don’t worry too much about doing it perfectly first time. It can be helpful here to focus on the process rather than the end result. Should you fail, reframe your perception of failing as having the opportunity to learn and grow from your experience.
2.Use the word “yet”
When talking about your own abilities (and especially to children about overcoming difficult situations) don’t think, “I can’t do it”. It’s much better to reframe this way of thinking by adding one small 3 letter word: “I can’t do it yet.” This will enable you to see the bigger picture.
3.Take risks in the company of others
Stop trying to save face all the time and just let yourself mess up now and then. It will make it easier to take risks in the future and it will also empower others to step out of their comfort zones and try something new!
4.Don’t hide from your weaknesses
It can be easy to shy away from trying things you that know you can’t do. And whilst hiding from your weaknesses may seem “safe” – no fear of failure – this will prevent you from moving forward in your development. Embrace your imperfections and weaknesses, then work on them.
5.Try different ways of learning
There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all model’ for learning. We’re all unique and what works for one person may not work for another. There are many different ways of learning something new but the main ones are: auditory (listening), visual (seeing) and kinesthetic (doing).
6.Research “brain plasticity”
Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity as it’s known, refers to the ability of your brain to adapt and change over time in response to its environment. Synapses are found where nerve cells connect with other nerve cells in your brain and we are born with approximately 1,500. Depending on what we learn, these are added to or pruned back over time.
7.Celebrate growth and progress
Rather than being results-driven, it can be helpful to shift your focus onto the growth you achieve as part of going through a new or challenging process. No matter what the end result, you’re still learning and it’s really important to celebrate this!
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