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HARNESSING MINDSETS FOR GROWTH

Let us begin with some question for you:

Are some people born smarter than others?

Are some people born more resilient than others?

Are some people born more driven than others?


While you might have an answer in mind, the truth stands somewhere between a Yes and No.


We tend to look at factors for our development such as “Nurture vs Nature”, “Socioeconomic Leverage” or “a special DNA sequence or wiring”. While these factors do play a part in our development and hence our hunger for growth or success, there’s a more hidden factor.


It’s deeper than you think

One of the biggest factors for an individual achieving success or growth is the internal narrative they tell themselves. It’s how they view their current abilities and experiences and are able to view it as a never-ending pot of gold, always waiting to be explored and enlarged. Our self-perception and beliefs either spring us forward or coil us back.



OUR INTERNAL VOICES CREATE OUR LIVED EXPERIENCES

To further understand these mindsets, Otto C. Scharmer’s Theory U presents the three inner voices of a human being.

  • The Voice of Cynicism (VoC):

  • "The manager doesn't like me anyway, he's not going to listen to my idea"

  • The Voice of Judgment (VoJ):

  • "I knew the project would fail, if only they'd have consulted me earlier"

  • The Voice of Fear (VoF):

  • "If I fail, I will look foolish and loose any chances of getting the promotion."

We all go through it, but the human brain is so complex that when we start to acknowledge these voices, we find ways to cultivate them and reframe them, which is the first step to transitioning to a growth mindset.


There are two basic mindsets that shape our life: Fixed Mindset or Growth Mindset.


Fixed Mindset: Growth Mindset:

A fixed mindset assumes that your A growth mindset believes that

talents, character, abilities, and intelligence intelligence, talents, character,

are set in stone. and abilities are a bottomless pit.

Unchangeable. Limited. Finite. Opportunities. Limitless. In Progress.


As author Hlovate said, “You'll never reach perfection because there's always room for improvement. Yet along the way to perfection, you'll learn to get better.”

WHAT IS THE GROWTH MINDSET?

Allowing yourself to learn new things and accepting that you are not going to be the best at it from the start not only proves your resilience but also increases your motivation.’

Fixed mindset makes you say:

  • “I can’t do this”

  • “I am either good at it or I’m not”

  • "Feedback and criticism are personal"

  • “Failure is the limit of my abilities”

Whereas, a Growth mindset allows you to cultivate and reframe these statements in your head into:

  • “I can do this”

  • “I like to try new things”

  • "Feedback is constructive"

  • “Failure is an opportunity to grow”


LEVEL UP YOUR GROWTH MINDSET

In order to harness a growth mindset, you need to train yourself to reframe the thoughts that come from a fixed mindset and learn to be okay with failures and setbacks, changing your internal narrative from, “I can’t do this and never will be good at” to “let me see how far I can go and who I can get support from”.

Change comes from within thus, some steps you can take to work towards a growth mindset can be:


INTERNAL EFFORT

  • Start each day with an affirmation of your growth capacity.

  • Identify your emotional triggers

  • Trust your gut / intuition as it will guide you towards authenticity & courage.

  • View all experiences as an experiment. An opportunity to learn something new.


And once your thoughts are at ease, external effort can be done to further the growth mindset.


EXTERNAL EFFORT

  • Incorporate “YET” to statements like “I may not know everything about that topic YET, but I can learn”, “I’ve not done that kind of work yet, but I can give it a go try ”

  • Find ways to collaborate with others, learn from them and share your own insights.

  • Seek out feedback on your performance at home, work, friends, etc. Start where you feel safe.

  • Set proper goals and identify what steps you can take to work towards them.

  • Celebrate successes - yours and others.

While these seem like things you may already do by fluke, it pays to do it with intent. Look out for how your mindset and your attitude shifts.


Think of your growth mindset like compounding interest, the more you practice it and let it grow the bigger your returns will be over time.


So now we ask you:

What is ONE growth mindset action (internal / external) you’d like to incorporate?




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