how to unlock your potential: by Scarlett McQuillan

The basic beliefs we hold about ourselves are extremely powerful. Whether conscious or subconscious, they strongly affect what we do, what we want, and the outcome of either. Much of what we believe we comprehend about our personality comes from our “mindset.” Personal beliefs that can both propel and prevent us from fulfilling our potential.

In 1988 a researcher interested in this connection, Dr Carol Dweck, discovered that students’ mindsets— the way in which they perceive their abilities—played a vital role in their motivation and achievement. She found that if these mindsets were adjusted, she could boost the students’ achievements. Specifically, that those students who embraced a growth mindset would typically outperform others who tended towards a fixed mindset.

It’s clear then, that cultivating a growth mindset is desirable when it comes to maximising potential. 

Yet what does Dweck even mean by ‘fixed’ or ‘growth’ mindset? 

The Two Mindsets

Fixed 

A fixed mindset is characterized by the belief that our abilities, character and intelligence are fixed traits that cannot be changed. They are something you are born with, so if you’re not good at something you never will be. 

Those with a fixed mindset tend to shy away from challenges as failure would expose any deficiencies in these traits. Time and energy are constantly consumed by trying to hide perceived ‘weaknesses’ by proving themselves to others, whether it is in the classroom, workplace or relationships. They often view setbacks as personal shortcomings rather than opportunities for growth. 

Growth

On the other hand, a growth mindset is the belief that our abilities can be developed through dedication, hard work, effective strategies, teaching and by learning from mistakes. 

Individuals with a growth mindset typically achieve more than those with a fixed mindset. This is because they worry less about appearing a certain way (smart, talented, perfect etc), and invest their energies into learning and developing.  They understand that intelligence and skills can be cultivated over time, leading to continuous improvement, and failure doesn’t define you but is a chance to learn.

Everyone is a mixture of growth and fixed mindset, with the proportion of each continuously fluctuating with time and experience. A ‘pure’ growth mindset does not exist. However, you can cultivate a greater mental disposition towards it.

This involves addressing your fixed mindset triggers such as facing a challenge, receiving criticism, failing or achieve less than others. Causing feelings of defensiveness and insecurity, these triggers lead you to fall back on a mindset that inhibits growth.  

Staying in the growth zone involves identifying and working with these triggers. 

Ways to cultivate a Growth Mindset 

Embrace Challenges:

A passion for going outside your comfort zone and staying there- even when it gets tough- is the hallmark of a growth mindset.

This comes from understanding and valuing that the brain has capacity to grow and develop. That by seeking out challenges, by ‘stretching’ your brain, you can increase and redirect neural growth towards reaching your goals. In other words, something challenging is approached as an exciting opportunity for growth rather than a threat. 

Practice Perseverance:

Those with a growth mindset were noted by Dweck in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success “to have a special talent for converting life’s setbacks into future successes.”

Perseverance and resilience in the face of adversary is not easy to do, but try to reframe obstacles as temporary yet necessary parts of trying to master new concepts and skills. You could even use them as motivation to keep pushing forward.

Learn from Failure:

Failure is an inevitable part of any journey, and for both mindsets it is a painful experience. However, it doesn’t define you. 

Try viewing failure as a valuable learning experience. Analyse your mistakes, identify areas for improvement, and adjust your approach accordingly. By reframing failure as feedback, you will enable yourself to grow and evolve, and ensure future endeavours will be more successful.

Think ‘Not Yet’

Approaching something that is difficult, perhaps something currently too difficult for you to solve, can be done with two different mindsets.  Either you are ‘not smart enough to solve it’ or ‘I’ll be able to solve it, just not yet.”

This second, growth mindset, approach ensures you keep looking ahead to the promises of the future rather than the difficulty of now. It maintains self-confidence and reminds you that you are on a learning curve rather than reached a dead end. Celebrate and have faith in your efforts, strategies, focus and perseverance that will mean you get there; the current difficulty is just temporary.

Dweck has a very interesting Ted talk on Growth Mindsets you can watch here. The power of believing that you can improve | Carol Dweck - YouTube

Developing a growth mindset takes time and effort, and it can be hard not fall back to a fixed mindset when life gets tough. However, by understanding your own beliefs and thought patterns, you can begin challenging fixed mindset thoughts and replace them with growth-oriented ones. Surround yourself with positive influences, seek support from peers and mentors, celebrate your progress and believe in your ability to grow. Remember, success is not solely determined by innate abilities but by determination and resilience in pursuing it.

If you want more help on developing growth mindset, fostering resilience or using positive success strategies, come and visit Credo Academy to see if we are a good fit. With a mix of videos, coaching and podcasts options to choose from, you can find what works best for you and connect with our friendly network of professionals and students.