June 2022 - Headgym

Mindset

How you’re mindset can bring you material and mental success.

Growth vs Fixed Mindset

Your mindset in the current moment can change the results down the line drastically. Throughout history, the innovators that achieved great things all had a growth mindset in common. Examples of these people are Einstein, Thomas Edison, Elon Musk and likely any successful person you can think of. A fixed mindset will keep you in the same place ruminating. A growth mindset will propel you in any direction you want to go.

Differences in mindset:

A growth mindset will look to overcome and embrace a challenge when encountering one.
A fixed mindset will look for a way out or avoid this challenge.

When encountering a setback someone with a growth mindset will collect themselves and persist.
Someone with a fixed mindset may give up or see it as a failure when experiencing a setback.

When working someone with a growth mindset will focus on the quality of work and effort put in understanding results will come in time.
Someone with a fixed mindset may put minimal effort into seeing work as fruitless as it does not provide immediate results.

Criticism will be taken for what it is and learnt from if there is any value in a growth mindset.
Criticism may be seen as offensive and be ignored with a fixed mindset.

A growth mindset will find inspiration in the success of others and use it to motivate them.
A fixed mindset might feel threatened and envy the success of others.

These are ways you can work towards a growth mindset. When these situations arise focus on the growth mindset option. No one moves up in the world from natural ability and without setbacks. The people who succeed persist in the face of these setbacks and take every experience as a chance to learn.

How to change mindset

Initially, it’s understood that this mindset won’t come naturally and will take time to develop. You must make a point of noticing whenever you are having “fixed mindset” thoughts and remind yourself of the alternative. In so many situations this can prove useful when you feel like giving up or that you’re not in control. It is persistence and growth that is key, not innate skill or external factors, as much as it may seem like it. Just like persistence is key in those areas the same is key when changing your mindset, persist in correcting your fixed mindset thoughts with growth ones.

The image below shows the brain activity between the two mindsets in a study. The orange colour represents brain activity. When faced with a task the growth mindset displays much more activity and attention to error. This is scientific proof that one mindset is productive and works towards an obstacle while one disengages completely.