Our life satisfaction is greatly influenced by our mindset. Our state of mind, assumptions and beliefs, are a powerful motivator determining our action or inaction. Holding a fixed mindset can close us down to new thinking and to finding solutions. Success lies in our ability to challenge existing ideas, be open to learning and embrace the action required.
Do you sometimes say, “That’s just the way I am” or “I’ve always done it that way”? Are you a “know it all” – thinking you have learnt all you need? At 14 I declared to my parents, “You can’t teach me anything, I know it all!” Imagine the attitude that must have gone with that thinking. Thankfully, leaving home at 17 brought swift changes to that closed mindset!
Do you have a fixed or growth mindset?
After decades of research on achievement, Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck made groundbreaking findings on fixed and growth mindsets, documented in her book Mindsets – The New Psychology Of Success.
In a fixed mindset, we believe that our intelligence or talents are fixed traits – that talent alone creates success. In a growth mindset, we believe that our abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – that brains and talent are just the starting point.
Dweck says that a growth mindset creates a love of learning and resilience that is essential for great success. Those with a growth mindset are motivated to exert effort and outperform those with a fixed mindset.
When we embrace growth we find many solutions behind previously closed doors – when you are open to learning!
Might be time to open that door.
