Success does not happen overnight, and it certainly does not happen through constantly doing the same thing over and over again with no growth. One of the key ways to achieve sustained success in your career, school, or personal life is through developing a growth mindset. But what is a growth mindset, and how can we actually develop one?
What is a Growth Mindset?
The theory of a growth mindset is one where intelligence and ability can grow and develop in the long run with effort, practice, and learning from errors. This has been contrasted with a fixed mindset, which is where someone believes that one’s talents can’t be changed. It is a term that originated with psychologist Carol Dweck, who identified that people who have a growth mindset are also more likely to persist with tasks and eventually fare better in the long run.
Step 1: Accept the Challenges
Accepting the challenges is one of the first steps of a development mindset. Instead of viewing the difficult instances or activities as something that inhibits you from trying, view them as possibilities for growing and learning. All of the challenges can help you with growth, development, and ability. When struggling, you should remind yourself that learning only occurs when you experience challenges. Whether it is a laborious work project or a difficult academic course, challenges demand creativity and the development of skills.
Step 2: Learn from Mistakes
While failure is generally something to be avoided, with a growth mindset, it is a teacher, not a roadblock. When things do not turn out as you would have wished, it is a good practice to ask, “What can I learn from this?” By keeping your failures in mind, you can learn from them and become a better person. If you see failure as a kind of feedback and try again after learning more, you’re getting closer to having a growth mindset.
Step 3: Keep Applying Effort with a Positive Attitude
A growth mindset actually employs the idea that effort is progress. Instead of thinking of effort as draining or pointless, think of effort as part of success. Success consists of a mix of hard work and ability. As you continue to put in the effort, you will notice the difference in time; it may only be slight at first. Slowly, all of those small increments become a big difference. Slowly, mark your achievements and never feel afraid to go on.
Step 4: Seek Support From the People Around You
It becomes much simpler to have a growth mindset when there are individuals who encourage and support you. Be among those who rejoice in development and improvement. Besides encouraging you, they will provide constructive criticism as well as criticisms that will aid you in your development. Having a support group of people around you makes you think that people are rooting for you to be successful.
Step 5: Engage in Positive Self-Talk
What you say to yourself does matter. Phrases like “I’m not good enough” or “There is no way I can do this” are some of the negative self-statements that create mental roadblocks and prevent you from continuing to improve. Switch to positive self-talk and encourage yourself with statements like “I can improve with practice” or “Mistakes are opportunities to improve.” Positive thinking can help you work through challenges and eventually put you in a place where you can find different opportunities.
Step 6: Set Small, Achievable Goals
Another great way to build a growth mindset is to set small, achievable goals. Rather than trying to accomplish big compelling tasks at once, break them down into small, short goals. As you work through them, your motivation and interest will improve.
Set daily or weekly goals so that you can monitor your progress. Successfully completing those small goals will make you feel successful and still propel you toward the larger vision.
Step 7: Be Patient
The cultivation of a development mindset does not occur overnight. It requires consistency, time, and effort. In trying to develop the shift in mindset, be kind to yourself. Reward your achievements, no matter how trivial, and keep in mind that development is a process, not a goal.
Having a developmental mentality is one of the best ways to be successful. If you dare to challenge yourself, learn from your mistakes, be hopeful about the future, and invest effort, you will grow into the person you could have never imagined yourself to be. If you just continue doing this, you will find that you have reached a level of success that was once your highest potential.
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Writer,
Sudipto Banik
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE