Ultimate Guide to a Growth Mindset #Article

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In recent years, the topic of a Growth Mindset has become very popular. Some say that understanding this concept is the key to success in life and being able to thrive under adversity. And the truth is, this is one of the few topics that is based on decades of academic research and is not just some self-help mumbo jumbo.

To help our readers understand this concept, we have spent months researching it and here is our very in depth guide to fixed and growth mindsets. Dr. Carol Dweck became interested in students attitudes about failure and noticed that students reacted differently to setbacks – some students were devastated by even small setbacks, while others were resilient and used the setback to improve their performance.

What is a Growth Mindset?

People with a growth mindset believe that intelligence and abilities are not fixed and can be developed. People with a growth mindset see effort as the key to success and this helps them thrive and persist and be resilient when they face challenges. By contrast, people with fixed mindsets believe they are born with a fixed level of intelligence and abilities and can’t do much to change it, so they tend to give up when they face challenges.

Growth vs. Fixed Mindset

In brief, the idea of a growth vs. fixed mindset is that someone who is focused on growth sees things as opportunities and skills. The person with a growth mindset thrives on challenges. When they encounter a challenge, the person with a fixed mindset will quit and say “I can’t do it” while the person with a growth mindset will say “I can’t do it….yet” and then look for a way to improve her skills and figure out how to grow!

5 Benefits to Developing a Growth Mindset

Having a growth mindset positively impacts your life in multiple ways. It impacts the way that you see and view the world. What are the benefits of developing a growth mindset? Let’s review the top 5 benefits:

Growth Mindset Benefit 1 – You Keep Learning 

If you truly embrace a growth mindset, by definition you are embracing constant learning and developing new ways of thinking and also embracing new ideas. By contrast, people who stop learning (fixed mindset) tend to stagnate and stay at the level they are at.

Growth Mindset Benefit 2 – You Learn Perseverance 

As you learn new things, you adapt and change how you think. And that gives you a broader perspective on things. In the past, if you had a fixed mindset you mind become frustrated and give up when you encounter a challenge. But if you’re committed to growth you learn perseverance and how to push through obstacles and find new paths to success.

Growth Mindset Benefit 3 -You Learn How to Embrace Challenges 

Growth can be challenging. As you push yourself to grow, you are also pushing yourself to look at challenges differently and how to embrace them. Instead of experiencing “failure” you will now see opportunities and challenges as you become more resilient. And eventually you will even get excited about obstacles since they represent opportunities to learn and do new things!

Growth Mindset Benefit 4 – You learn how to Embrace Failure 

When you’re interested in growing as an individual, you start to see failure differently than you did before. Instead of experiencing “failure” and having it stop you from growing, now it represents an opportunity to embrace failure and be resilient as you learn how to grow instead. The mindset of embracing failure will take your life into an entirely different direction.

Growth Mindset Benefit 5 – You Become More Open to Criticism 

If you have an open mindset and are willing to grow, you are able to embrace feedback and criticism from others. You can use feedback to develop and change as a person and modify your behavior, skills and approach in life. It’s never fun to receive negative feedback or criticism, but with the proper open mindset you can take the feedback and use it to evolve yourself. 

Most people (with a fixed mindset) will react negatively and defensively to critical feedback. And that prevents growth. But when you have a growth mindset, you stand out even more because you can embrace the feedback and change instead of getting emotional and staying stuck. That helps you become the best version of yourself. 

And in work it will help you learn new skills, and get promoted! And so your brain becomes less adept at recognizing opportunities for improvement.

Original Link: namastenourished.com