The Growth Mindset
On the other hand, people with a “growth” mindset see each failure as an opportunity. People with a growth mindset understand that trying something new, especially if you fail at it, is a chance to learn and become something more. They don’t take being wrong personally, and they don’t feel the bite of failure, because they understand how today’s challenges can translate into tomorrow’s successes.
Growth mindset people think of their abilities and skills as vegetables in a garden that they can cultivate. Hard work and practice can pay off, eventually, if you’re willing to defer those successes to the end of a process.
Our mindsets often begin in childhood. If we were taught to value looking smart, or if we feared being judged, then we’re more likely to have a fixed mindset. If we were taught that learning is an adventure, and to be comfortable with some stumbles along the way, we’re more likely to have a growth mindset.
I think it’s about patience. I know that sometimes I don’t have as much patience as I wish I had. Having a growth mindset requires having the patience to let efforts yield fruit later. Ultimately, a growth mindset can result in us having a much more fulfilling life, if we’re willing to be comfortable waiting for it.
Where is Your MindSet?
What sort of mindset do you have, and how has it worked—or not worked—in your life? Are you willing to be satisfied with a little failure today as you work toward your goals for tomorrow, or are you stuck being happy with what you’ve got? On what is your mindset?
With a growth mindset, you can grateful for today’s situation even though you’re aiming for something different. That sounds like the right balance to me: remain to appreciate for all of life’s blessings while taking the steps to secure a brighter future.
By changing our mindset to one that values the journey to success, we’re more likely to reach that destination.
Jack Fallon
