Can Your Mindset Lead to More Positive Life Outcomes?
"The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” These are the famous words of Siddhartha Gautama, aka Buddha, and this message remains consistent across Buddhist teachings until now. But we don’t have to embrace Buddhism to adopt the same kind of principle.
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All we need is a little shift of how we process our thoughts, and we’re good to go. But of course, it’s easier said than done, especially if you’ve tried it multiple times and you always fall back to the pits where you started.
But isn’t it fascinating to think that by just simply shifting your mindset, the flow of your life can completely change? Sounds like a total con, but this is science-backed, and you’re definitely in for a treat!
What exactly is a mindset?
Okay, before we lay all the magic of proper mind setting, let’s first define what a mindset is.
Have you ever been in a situation where you condition yourself, before a major event in your life, saying, “I got this. I can do this. I prepared well, and this will result in the best outcome.” That, my friend, is a “mindset.”
But as promised, to give this a touch of science, according to Carol Dweck, a renowned Stanford Psychologist, a mindset is defined as “a self-perception or ‘self-theory’ that people hold about themselves.”
Why is a mindset important?
According to Dweck’s book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” mindset is important because it profoundly influences how individuals perceive and approach challenges, setbacks, and opportunities in life.
Simply put, when an opportunity, challenge, and setback comes your way, you approach it with whatever mindset you have. A new job is being offered to you, but you think that you’re lacking enough qualities so you turn it down, demonstrating how mindset influences our decisions. Mindset plays an important role in our life because it serves as a compass to where we are headed next.
Types of Mindset
Dweck explained that there are two primary types of mindsets, which are:
Fixed Mindset: A fixed mindset is characterized by the belief that one's abilities, intelligence, and talents are innate and unchangeable. Individuals with a fixed mindset tend to view challenges as threats to their abilities, avoid taking risks, and may become discouraged by setbacks or failures. They often seek validation of their intelligence and talents rather than focusing on learning and growth.
Growth Mindset: A growth mindset is characterized by the belief that one's abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and perseverance. Individuals with a growth mindset embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, persist in the face of setbacks, and view failure as a natural part of the learning process. They are more likely to adopt strategies for learning and improvement and tend to achieve higher levels of success and resilience.
How can these mindsets influence thoughts, behaviors, and outcomes?
Individuals with a fixed mindset rely more on the thought that their abilities are “in-born” and unchangeable, so when challenges arrive, they view it as a threat to their self-image. As a result, their growth was limited and when exposed to new situations, they always tend to struggle. In a long-term scenario, these individuals will have a slower potential for personal and professional development.
Contrastingly, individuals with a growth mindset believe that their abilities can be developed through effort and perseverance. They embrace challenges as opportunities for learning and see failure as a stepping stone to success. Their mindset created resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to seek out new experiences, ultimately empowering individuals to reach their full potential and achieve greater success in various aspects of their lives.
Sounds like magic, you say? But nope, we’re going to prove you why.
Famous People and Their Mindsets
Michael Jordan, the world-renowned basketball player, is always used as an example of a person who used to have a fixed mindset.
Written in his autobiography, during his high school years, he was cut from his basketball team, and he blamed his lack of abilities as the reason. Jordan's mindset was characterized by a fixed belief in his innate talent and a determination to prove himself on the court before he decided to have a shift in his thinking and develop a growth mindset.
Thomas Edison, on the other hand, is often used as an example of a person with a growth mindset. He is renowned for his groundbreaking inventions like the electric light bulb, and despite the numerous challenges he faced while creating a lightbulb he can sell to the public, he took every failure as an opportunity to improve. His perseverance, curiosity, and willingness to experiment ultimately led to his success.
Can mindset dictate the flow of our lives?
By this time, you already probably know what the answer is– YES.
Say you have a fixed mindset right now. When things do not happen according to your plans and how you want it to turn out, you blame your innate characteristics. You always repeat narratives to yourself like, “I’m a failure. If only I was smart enough, confident enough, rich enough,” blah blah blah. And let’s assume you stay like that for the rest of your life.
How many opportunities will you let slip by? One, two, three, or maybe the opportunity to live the rest of your life successfully? Because in a fixed mindset, you are afraid to take any risks. People with fixed mindsets avoid any situations where they could potentially fail or be judged negatively. They take failures personally because failing for them, means “I am not smart enough to perceive this.” Individuals with fixed mindsets are born with non-adjustable qualities and wherever their qualities do not fit is not for them. They think that it’s not their initiative to adjust and fit into the world.
On the other hand, say you have a growth mindset. Along your way, you experience setbacks, challenges, hurdles, and failed attempts, but you take all of these as an opportunity to examine yourself, reflect on your actions, learn, and improve. You see failures as a natural part of the process to be better. So, imagine, while you’re trying to achieve one thing, you come across obstacles a thousand times, and you seek solutions a thousand times too. Even though you haven’t achieved your desired outcome yet, you’re already very far from where you started. You’ve already grown a lot, learned a lot, and developed a lot.
Instead of criticizing yourself for being not talented, not smart, and not skilled enough, you did not take it personally. Rather, you view things as a stepping stone to reach your desired places.
How to shift to a growth mindset?
Now that you know that leaving your fixed mindset behind is a major action you need to start as soon as possible, here are some effective ways to cultivate a growth mindset, according to Carol Dweck:
Embrace Challenges: Instead of avoiding challenges, actively seek out opportunities to stretch yourself and learn new things. Embrace the mindset that challenges are opportunities for growth and development.
View Failure as Learning: Rather than seeing failure as a reflection of your abilities, reframe it as a valuable learning experience. Analyze what went wrong, identify areas for improvement, and use failure as a stepping stone toward future success.
Effort is Key: Focus on the process rather than the outcome. Emphasize the importance of effort, perseverance, and hard work in achieving your goals. Recognize that mastery comes through dedication and practice over time.
Learn from Feedback: Be open to feedback, both positive and constructive. See feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow, rather than as criticism. Use feedback to identify areas for improvement and refine your skills.
Cultivate a Positive Inner Dialogue: Pay attention to your self-talk and challenge negative or limiting beliefs about your abilities. Replace self-doubt with affirmations and positive statements that reinforce a growth mindset.
Celebrate Progress: Acknowledge and celebrate your efforts and progress along the way. Recognize that growth is incremental and that every step forward, no matter how small, brings you closer to your goals.
Surround Yourself with Growth-Minded Individuals: Surround yourself with people who have a growth mindset and who support your efforts to grow and develop. Seek out mentors, peers, or role models who inspire and motivate you to reach your full potential.