Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, in her insightful book *Mindset: The New Psychology of Success*, explains that there are two types of mindsets: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. These mindsets shape how we view our abilities and personality.
A fixed mindset is the belief that our character, creative abilities, and intelligence are static traits that cannot change. People with this mindset think their basic abilities are inherent and will not improve beyond a certain point.
Before you can start to plan your success goals, there are many things that you need to understand before you can be sure that the goals you set are really the ones you want.
One of those things is to determine if there are any Limiting Beliefs that can stop you from actually achieving those goals.
I have a self-study Limiting Belief Program that you can go through to determine what your Limiting Beliefs are and how you can remove them.
You can read more and register for the program at Limiting Beliefs Program on my Confidence and Life Coaching website.
Start your journey on your path to success by identifying and removing your Limiting Beliefs so that you make the journey a lot easier.
Individuals with a fixed mindset strive to appear intelligent because they do not believe their intelligence can grow. They fear looking unintelligent, thinking that once labelled as such, they will always be seen that way. Common fixed mindset thoughts include:
- Either I’m good at something, or I’m not.
- I can’t learn now; it’s too late.
- There’s no point in trying if I’m going to fail.
- I always struggle with…
- I’m a procrastinator.
- I’m not creative.
- It’s hard for me to lose weight.
In contrast, a growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can develop with time and experience. People with a growth mindset think they can become smarter, and that their efforts directly impact their success. They understand that persistence is key to learning.
Those with a growth mindset see their basic abilities as just the starting point for their potential. This mindset fosters a love of learning rather than a constant need for validation. Common growth mindset thoughts include:
- I can always become better at something through practice.
- I can learn whatever I want or need to, exactly when I need to learn it.
- I see failures as opportunities to learn, reassess, and improve.
- I can always do better if I put in the effort.
- Determination and effort determine my outcomes.
- I enjoy learning and growing and see it as a lifelong pursuit.
A key difference between these mindsets is how they handle challenges. A person with a fixed mindset will often avoid challenges out of fear of failure and may shirk responsibilities. Conversely, someone with a growth mindset embraces challenges, finding them engaging and valuable for learning. They overcome obstacles and move on to greater achievements.
Another important difference is in handling mistakes and feedback. A person with a fixed mindset is embarrassed by mistakes, often blaming others or becoming defensive when criticized. In contrast, someone with a growth mindset views mistakes as learning opportunities. They are open to criticism, seeing it as a way to improve and do better next time.
If you recognize a fixed mindset in yourself and want to change, you can. It requires practice, determination, awareness of your thoughts, and anticipating your reactions to situations. With effort, you can develop a more open, growth mindset that leads to success in all areas of life.
To talk about any aspect of success or working with a Life Coach to help you to achieve success, you can book a 45-minute call by clicking on the blue button below.
Don’t try to do all of this by yourself, ask and receive the guidance that can get you moving towards your own success.
Nothing happens until action is taken.
To your success.
Michael
P.S if you want to find out more about my programs just check out the site Confidence and Life Coaching
P.P.S. If you enjoy reading these articles on my blog, I have more books that have more of this type of information that you can find out more about at Books to Read. You can buy these ebooks at many on-line book stores. The links to the bookstores are at the link above.
If you have an Amazon Kindle account, there are different books at Amazon – Michael W (author)
Now is your best chance to find my entire ebook collection for a promotional price at @Smashwords as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale! Find my books at
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