How to Develop a Growth Mindset

My husband was once in a job interview and was asked why he was a good fit for the job. He replied “I have developed a growth mindset.”

The interviewers immediately perked up and shared impressed looks. They hired him right away!

Growth mindsets are powerful tools, and the principle of growth mindsets is gaining traction in the world and workplace.

What is a growth mindset?

A growth mindset is the counterpart to a fixed mindset.

Fixed and growth mindsets are two different ways that we can view our own personalities. They represent an attitude that we have in regards to who we are.

A person with a fixed mindset feels like everything is set in stone. He or she believes they have a predetermined level of success they can achieve, characteristics they were born with, and limit to intelligence.

A person with a growth mindset feels like they and everyone around them has untapped potential. He or she can achieve the unimaginable, develop new talents, and grow in every aspect of life – intelligence, work, relationships, traits, etc.

These mindsets shape the basic beliefs we have about ourselves, which means that they can drastically affect our every day lives.

What does each mindset look like?

Fixed mindset: Gives up
Growth mindset: Tries again

Fixed mindset: Feels powerless
Growth mindset: Takes control

Fixed mindset: Thinks they’ve been beat
Growth mindset: Thrives on a challenge

Fixed mindset: Uses words like “can’t”, “never”, and “impossible”
Growth mindset: Says: “Let’s try again”

Fixed mindset: Believes their intelligence, character, and creative abilities are static
Growth mindset: Recognizes, seeks, and appreciates progress

Fixed mindset: Avoids failure at all costs
Growth mindset: Sees failure as an opportunity/springboard for growth

Chances are, you’ve probably experienced both types of mindsets. You can think of specific examples, in your life or others, of both fixed and growth mindsets.

Do any of the following sentences sound like something you’ve said or heard before?

“I wish I could do math, unfortunately it’s not my thing”
“I’m amazed by people who budget, I could never be like them”
“I flunked my chemistry test, looks like I can cross ‘becoming a doctor’ off of my list”

If any of these sound familiar, you’ve encountered a fixed mindset!

There are many examples in my own life of times when I used a fixed mindset.

One of my earliest was in 3rd grade. I made 2 friends, and then they moved away, so I ended up spending a lot of time alone in my room. After a while, I assumed I only had the capacity for 2 friends. I decided I preferred to be alone, and I figured that I didn’t know how to make new friends anyway.

Luckily, as so many mothers do, my mom could see my untapped potential. She asked me to have a weekly playdate with someone from school or the neighborhood. At first, this made me upset. I had developed a fixed mindset around making friends. I thought it would be impossible to change my ways, and I wanted to give up.

Little did I know that in a few short months, I would have gained a whole new group of amazing friends.

I also developed a growth mindset towards socializing! I realized that I loved to spend time with friends and could even learn how to make new friends.

This development carried me through many phases of life where I had to make new friends in new schools or neighborhoods. Thanks to this early lesson in mindsets, I realized that I could develop into a person who got along with all sorts of people.

I also realized that I LOVED being with people and that they energized me SO much. In recent years, I’ve tested 100% for extroversion. In retrospect, I’m so thankful that I didn’t spend my entire youth alone in my bedroom!

Developing a growth mindset is key.

Every person in history who should have given up but didn’t had a growth mindset.

Successful people decided to never quit. They believed that they could achieve the things they put their mind too. They believed in hard work, determination, and diligence. In the end, they accomplished incredible things and you can too!

How do I develop a growth mindset?!

Never fear, here are 5 tips you can start using TODAY to develop your own growth mindset!

1) Strip your vocabulary of the phrase “I can’t”.

First, stop saying “I can’t do this”.

Instead, try:

“I haven’t figured this out yet”
“I wonder what I should try next”
“At least I have learned…”
“Maybe I will try…”

If you tell yourself “I can’t figure this out” over and over again, you’ll start to believe it.

Additionally, if you say “I haven’t figured this out yet” you are telling yourself that there is still time to learn, ideas to try, and resources to use.

2) Face failure & take control

Next, quit being afraid to fail!

So often, it’s our FEAR that stops us from taking big leaps and betting on ourselves.

We fear failing – maybe because it’s costly, embarrassing, discouraging, or simply unpleasant.

Try changing your attitude about failing. Take a look at your past failures and consider how they became opportunities for you to get to where you are today.

Every success story is riddled with failure, and that’s OKAY!

When failure does come, try to avoid assigning blame by saying such things as:

“I could have earned an ‘A’ if the teacher didn’t hate me”
“I’m only mad because of you”
“She ruined my day”

Don’t get caught up on who’s fault it was and why it’s so terrible. There’s nothing you can do about the past, only the future.

Instead, focus on taking control. What will you do next? How can you move forward? What will you do differently?

“Next class, I’m going to change the way I take notes”
“I’m going to learn how to self-soothe and be a calmer person”
“I’ve decided to cheer myself up with a relaxing bath”

As you practice embracing failure and taking control of your situation and actions, you’ll be able to keep moving forward.

3) Set the right kind of goals

To truly have a growth mindset, you have to focus on who you are and what you can control. Make sure you are setting goals that follow the same attitude.

You might not want to set a goal to get an A in a class, because you don’t assign the grades. At the end of the day, a teacher could give you any grade they want, and if it’s not an A, you’ve failed your goal.

Instead, brainstorm goals that you have complete control over and can give your full efforts to. One idea is to set a goal to do your best in class by sitting in the front, taking great notes, or figuring out the best way to study for tests.

You might make work goals that include staying focused for x amount of time or learning x number of new names. Maybe you could make relationship goals based on how you communicate with people and how well you listen.

As you get better at narrowing down personal goals, you’ll also get better at learning what you have control over and what to do about it. You’ll be able to celebrate your personal development and growth, no matter what grade you end up with in class!

4) Track your progress

You learn something EVERY day, and it’s important to reflect on and remember that.

This can be as simple as taking a note in your phone at the end of the day, ie “I learned Rachael’s name”

It can be as big as dedicating a whole notebook to a specific topic you’re working to get great at, ie “My 2020 Cooking Journey”, “Gym PRs + Tips”, “Gardening Photo Album”

When you feel like giving up, you’ll have some concrete reminders of how far you’ve come and what you’ve learned already. This can help you remember that you have untapped potential!

*pro tip: as you track your progress, use a 3:1 self-improvement ratio. Think of 3 strengths that you have for every 1 thing you want to work on. This will help you to recognize the progress you’re making and how awesome you are. Don’t get too bogged down in the things you’ve got to work on 🙂

5) Deliberately practice

Finally, you’ve got to practice, practice, practice! Developing a growth mindset can take a long time, especially if you feel that you already relate to a lot of the fixed mindset attitudes.

That’s okay! Developing a growth mindset is all about focusing on small continuous progress, which is something you are totally capable of!

Don’t forget that your potential is unknown! Don’t be afraid to dream big and reach high. With hard work, you can do anything.

Best of luck!

Have you ever experienced a growth or fixed mindset? How do you use a growth mindset to achieve your big goals?! Tell me in the comments below!