Do You Have A Fixed Mindset or A Growth Mindset?
As thoroughly agnostic as one may be, belief is still pretty dang important. We’re not talking deities and dictates here, but rather belief in our own capacity to learn and grow.
In her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck introduces the phenomenon of the growth mindset. A person with a growth mindset believes that, after badly botching the steps in a night of swing dancing, they can and will improve; or that if they didn’t get the job this time around, they’ll collect new skills, bolster that CV, and be future champs.
Unlike their counterpart, people with a fixed mindset—that’s the sort of folks who believe that if they fail at something once, they’re destined to fail forever—people with growth mindsets believe in variability and change. This is very helpful when recovering from a night of stubbed toes and sore hamstrings or a polite dismissal from a prospective employer.
On top of the eventual dance skills, people with growth mindset can expect other, less tangible dividends, too: better relationships, boundless growth, and—yes—greater happiness.
Read more about how to train your brain into a growth mindset in Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset. It’s one of our team’s favorites.
