Choose Your “Fighter”: Fixed Mindset or Growth Mindset?
Every morning, we have a choice. We wake up as the glowing, morning light streams through our windows, crawl out of our warm beds, stretch our sleepy legs, and head to the kitchen to make a big cup of coffee. Then, as we sit down on the couch, warm mugs in hand, we make the biggest decision of our day… and choose our fighter.
We choose our mindset. Will we end the day as we started it, staying static, fighting growth, and convincing ourselves that we are incapable of transformation? Or will we fight to grow into the people we were meant to become by expanding our minds and believing that, at some time or another, our passions will benefit us in ways we never could have imagined?
Explore the Mindsets
A fixed mentality is limiting; it places confines on what and who we can be. When your mind’s made up, you are placing yourself into a position to be reluctant. A fixed mindset holds you back, and fear of failure hovers at the forefront of your thought patterns. It’s much easier to be too comfortable with the way things are, or to be unhappy with the ways things are, and still not make a change. If you view yourself as unchangeable, you won’t learn from your mistakes, you won’t see value in the effort, and you won’t see any progress.
A growth mentality, on the other hand, allows us to be absolutely limitless. It fosters this belief that your talents, intelligence, and mind can grow and develop beyond where they are right in this very moment. This mindset leaves room to improve, to be inspired, to exist as an even better version of yourself than you are now, to evolve into who you’ve always wanted to be. As the old adage goes, with a growth mindset, “The sky is the limit!”
Growth actively leans into the learning process, embracing the uncomfortable and using it as motivation. Setbacks are a challenge that demand to be met with resilience. When you have a growth mindset, you are invigorated by feedback from others. It acts as a springboard for success, encouraging your brain to pursue curiosity and pushing yourself outside the bounds of your comfort zone.
Tips for Making the Change
Flip the script. Rather than telling yourself that you are incapable of change, create a mantra to convince yourself otherwise, and repeat it forty times a day, if that’s what it takes! When you believe in yourself, you can do anything. Talk yourself up, because you’re limitless!
Remind yourself that you are a work in progress. Change might not happen overnight, but we have to start somewhere. We don’t just magically start at the top. It is a process. Everyday we climb just a little bit higher, learning just a little bit more about our perseverance, and growing into the person we were always meant to be.
Be curious. Be tenacious. Never stop learning. Keep an open mind. Take advantage of every opportunity; you were made for growth. Download Duolingo and get started on learning Italian, so you can order nutella gelato next summer in Positano with some serious confidence!
Pose some of the following questions to yourself:
- Do I get easily frustrated and tend to give up when I try something new?
- Do I feel that I am incapable of change and transformation?
- Have I ever put myself down so often that I discouraged myself from taking a risk?
- Am I easily jealous of others’ success?
- Do I believe that my potential has limits?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, it might be a sign that you may have a fixed mentality. Although your mindset may be working to convince you otherwise, you DO have the power to make the shift. Contact me today for help. Together, we can rewrite the narrative by pursuing a healthier state of mind. Which fighter will you choose?
For more thoughts on changing your mindset, read Evolve Or Repeat: The Choice is Yours
