What is the difference between a growth and a fixed mindset? If you are able to comprehend this then you will understand the difference between those who succeed in life and those that just do “average”.
I always tell my clients whatever you believe “Yes your right.” Our beliefs system shapes our reality and are directly responsible for our choices. Our limitations can always be tracked back to our belief system. Beliefs are created according to the events on our timeline. They are heavily influenced by our family origin and our cultural conditions.
Those of us with a fixed mindset believe that our personality, intelligence and capabilities are static and mostly unchangeable over time. A growth mindset, on the other hand allows us to take on new challenges, overcome adversity and failure and succeed without attaching any meaning to that struggle. Failure does not discourage these people but teaches them something that will lead to something fruitful. Those with a growth mindset have a blind faith that with determination and effort results will come.
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck and author of Mindset; The New Psychology of Success writes:
“The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life”
Dweck studied children and adults and came to the conclusion that effort is what makes you intelligent, talented and behold a pleasing personality. A growth mindset sees “failure” as not achieving one’s potential. Dweck divised experiment with kids and found that the ones who had the fixed mindset were to scared to make mistakes and believed the smart kids didn’t make mistakes. The outcome of this study is that the fixed mindset kids didn’t even try.
Bruce Lipton stem cell biologist and bestselling author of the Biology of Belief states;
“Your perspective is always limited by how much you know”.
He supports at a cellular level that our subconscious fuels our beliefs and our ability to take action. If these beliefs are formed by social, cultural and familial constructs then we could say that 90% of our thoughts are comprised of other people’s thoughts. The ability to become a critical thinker is the ability to rewire our subconscious and install a growth mindset.
