Is there such a thing as a growth mindset?

It’s the end of the year, and I’m feeling especially motivated to make new resolutions and possibly feel better about myself next year if I succeed.

I was online, like everyone else, looking for inspiration, basically making a mood board for 2023, when I came across something called the growth mindset.

“These are some other lame motivational things that never work,” I thought to myself as I read. But as I read on, I discovered it to be very interesting.

Now bare with me for a moment…

What is the growth mindset?

The growth mindset is all about how you see yourself. A growth mindset is the conviction that one’s abilities and skills can improve over time.

People with growth mindsets accept and learn from their mistakes rather than viewing themselves as failures.

Those with growth mindsets are more concerned with the process of learning and development rather than the outcome.

As I continued to scour the internet, I discovered that people with growth mindsets embrace mistakes and learn from them, whereas those with fixed mindsets avoid challenges and frequently have perfectionism traits.

They are afraid of failure and blame themselves deeply when mistakes occur. For these reasons, they tend to avoid taking risks or completely embracing new experiences.

I used to believe that perfectionism was a positive trait and that people with it achieved great things, but boy was I wrong.

Every time I tried to do something perfectly and it didn’t work, I would blame myself horribly and put off everything else I had to do because I was afraid of the outcome; it always resulted in procrastination.

And, as I’ve discovered, perfectionism is not the same as excellence.

People with a growth mindset welcome challenges, learn from their mistakes, see effort as a necessary part of the process, and lead with a desire for personal development.

How can we achieve this mindset

To achieve this mindset, the first step is to embrace new experiences as they come your way; you must be able to maintain a sense of adventure as you embark on new adventures, even if they are frightening.

Another thing to practice is saying “Yet.” When you’re thinking to yourself that you’ve failed at something or that you lack certain skills, try adding “not yet” and “yet” to the end of those thoughts.

You must also recognize areas for personal and professional development; accepting your areas for improvement provides valuable adaptability in a changing workplace landscape. It also prepares you for success in other areas of your life.

This mindset also includes learning to serve others. You must focus less on yourself, especially if you are a leader, and more on the team rather than your flaws.

You must also abandon perfectionism in favor of praising the process, have a different definition of success, embrace criticism, and identify things or beliefs that hold you back in order to challenge them and become the best version of yourself.

I thought it would be a great way to start the new year. Let us learn from what did not work and ensure that we continue to grow with this mindset in mind.