Mindset. It’s everywhere whether you know it or not. Growth mindset is one of the key differentiators between people who achieve their goals and those who don’t. Recognising a Growth mindset (and using it) dramatically impacts upon your performance whatever you do in life. Achieving your goals with a growth mindset is a lifelong habit worth investing your time in. But what is mindset? and how can you build your mindset muscle? We give take a look at mindset meaning and bring you the skinny on growth mindset Vs fixed mindset. Let the battle begin as we ask, what is mindset?
Growth Mindset for Kids. Your IQ does not define you (phew!)
School. it seems almost everyone has a horror story or two to tell. No wonder then that the genesis of mindset research began in schools. Carol Dweck, renowned psychology professor at Stanford University and mindset expert, experienced a classroom situation as a child that was so profound, it influenced the direction of her career.
This growth mindset example for kids will resonate with just about everyone who has ever been to school. Dweck’s teacher routinely seated children in her class according to IQ scores. It wasn’t pretty. Those with the lowest IQs were not trusted to carry the flag in assembly or even wash the blackboard (ok, we wouldn’t want that job either). Dweck remembers,
“She let it be known that IQ for her was the ultimate measure of your intelligence and your character…”
This experience triggered a life time of fascination with intelligence for Dweck. And why wouldn’t it? Dweck had noticed something about intelligence and success that was to set her on the road to defining mindset.
Her best selling book, ‘Mindset: The New Psychology of Success’, examines the theory that we all possess either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Which mindset you possess can have a profound affect on your life outcomes. Mindset impacts on your motivation to learn as well as your ability to set yourself challenges and achieve your goals.
What is Mindset? Growth Mindset Definiton
Whereas a fixed mindset is a belief that our abilities and talents are fixed at a set point and cannot be changed, a growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed and that we are capable of improving all areas of our lives by developing our strengths. The good news is that you can develop a growth mindset approach (hooray for Dweck!).
Growth Mindset & Neurons
When we ask, what is mindset? a great place to start is the brain. Neurologist, Dr. Harry Chugani, uses the following analogy about learning and synaptic connections in the brain,
“Roads with the most traffic get widened. The ones that are rarely used fall into disrepair.”
Your neural pathways are the roads. Growth mindset and brain plasticity then, are closely linked.
Dweck conducted research over two years with New York City junior high school maths students. Dweck noticed a downward trend for students with a fixed mindset and an increase in results for those with a growth mindset.
An eight week intervention was then implemented for some students who were taught how they could learn to improve results by understanding that the more they used their brain the greater it’s capacity to learn would be.
A control group was taught study skills but not Dweck’s theory about strengthening the brain. The students who learned about Dweck’s theory showed a significant inprovement in grades & study habits after only two months. Mindset was clearly powerful stuff.
Growth Mindset & Belief
Dweck attributed the improvement to a difference in motivation and the power of belief, the children who had learned growth mindset theory understood that they could have an impact on their mind.
The students were motivated by the thought that their efforts could make a difference to their abilities. Who wouldn’t like the idea of a growth mindset brain?
Whats more, researchers later asked teachers to pick students who had shown positive change. Although the teachers were unaware that there had been two groups, all the children they picked were from the growth mindset group. Dweck’s research began life in education but soon spread to a multitude of spheres.
Mindset is now used worldwide in education, business, sports psychology and by individuals everywhere who want to improve their abilities and achieve their goals.
So now we’ve answered ‘What is Mindset?’ are you asking yourself how you can develop a growth mindset? We thought so. Here are 4 steps to help you on your way.
How to Develop a Growth Mindset
We love that you can grow your own mindset. What we like even more is how Dweck has broken it down into four easy steps. Once you’ve identified an area of your life where you have a fixed mindset, apply these principles and you’ll be well on your way to a growth mindset.
To grow your mindset Dweck recommends these 4 steps to increase self-belief and motivation and develop a growth mindset:
Step 1: Learn to hear your fixed mindset inner dialogue voice. “Maybe you don’t have the talent?”, “You’ll fail.”
Step 2: Recognise that you have a choice. Your response to challenges, setbacks & criticism is your choice.
Step 3: Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice. ”Most successful people had failures on their way,” “if I don’t try I automatically fail.”
Step 4: Choose to act with a growth mindset approach:
1) take on the challenge wholeheartedly
2) learn from your setbacks and try again
3) when you hear criticism, think of it as information. Choose a growth mindset response, your mindset is up to you.
Here at Planet Positive Change we love to talk about all things growth mindset. Check out our free growth mindset resources
