How Fixed Versus Growth Mindset Affects Your Thinking and Behavior

Issue 4. December 23, 2022 ✨ Higher Power Coaching & Consulting ✨

If you’re not familiar with the concept of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset, understanding it can be life changing! Actually, the life changing part is moving from having a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

Here’s the gist: if you have a fixed mindset, it means you think you are the way you are and there’s no possibility of changing – your personality and abilities are fixed. You believe that if you’re smart, you’re smart and you don’t really need to do much to stay smart. Or that if you’re dumb, you’re dumb and there’s nothing you can do that change that.

But if you have a growth mindset, you believe that change is possible. You believe your intelligence can grow, and that you can change your longstanding behaviors. Which means you’ll put effort toward growing – whether that means grower smarter, more agile, more patient. Whatever area you’d like to change that’s not working for you.

If you believe change is possible, then you will TRY to make change. But if you believe change is NOT possible, you won’t even try.

As they say, whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right!

Perhaps you say things to yourself like, “I’m horrible at finances” or “I’m terrible at relationships.” If that’s what you think then you’re never gonna put in the kind of effort that’s required to make real lasting changes (especially not when it comes to very deep seated and long standing patterns like your relationship patterns or your financial habits).

The reason change is possible for humans, no matter how longstanding the behavior pattern has been there, is because of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity means the human brain has the ability to modify and adapt. It can do that in two ways – one is that the structures of the brain can change. That is – new neuropathways can be formed. The other is that the functions of the brain can change, i.e., what’s happening along those pathways.

Carol Dweck is the researcher who coined the terms Fixed and Growth Mindset. Her research showed that if people believe their brain can grow they behave differently when they have a setback than people who don’t believe their brains can change. Her team came up with research interventions to help people change from the fixed mindset to the growth mindset

If there’s a certain area of your life you believe you cannot change you might want to read Dweck’s book to learn more about how you can move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
 

Change IS possible. I’m living proof!

I’ve changed my life in so many different areas – physically, financially, emotionally, psychologically, professionally, spiritually – as well as my beliefs about what’s possible!