We come across so many blogs, articles, social media posts, and videos every day trying to sell us on something or some things we need to be successful. The truth of the matter is that’s all fluff.

Success looks different for everyone, but if you took everyone that ever accomplished anything great and put them in a room together, they would all have one thing in common. It wouldn’t be how much money they had or how many TED talks and motivational videos they watched. It wouldn’t be how they looked or even whom they knew.

The one thing that all those people would have in common is their mindset – and that is a growth mindset. Keep reading to find out what a growth mindset is and how you can develop one!

Growth vs Fixed Mindset

Dr. Carol Dweck popularized the idea of growth and fixed mindsets over 30 years ago. People with a growth mindset view their skills and abilities, not as an end-all, but rather, as the beginning. They don’t see shortcomings as failures, but instead, as valuable lessons to be learned.

On the other hand, a fixed mindset is believing that the skills and abilities you have, and the levels at which they are, are stable and unchangeable. A fixed mindset is believing, “this is all I’ve ever been, so this is all I’ll ever be.” It doesn’t leave any room or possibility for growing and evolving.

While these two concepts are starkly different, the truth is, most of us have some combination of the two.

Self-reflect and think about who you are and how you handle difficult challenges that present themselves. Do you tackle them headfirst? Do you use the challenge as a test to better yourself? Or do you get frustrated and discouraged? Do you quit tasks that seem too hard or are out of your abilities and stick to things you know you’re good at?

If you answered yes to the first two questions, you’re doing great sweetie! If you answered yes to the next three questions, keep reading.

How to Develop a Growth Mindset

Now that you know where you stand, let’s talk about things you can do to develop a growth mindset and ways to improve the one you already have!

1. Learn to be Patient with Yourself

While it can be discouraging to not be good at something, you have to train your mind to see that the reward isn’t the end result, but rather the process. And what do we know about processes? They take time. Don’t be upset because you didn’t get the result you wanted or didn’t do as well as you planned. Rather, take pride and joy in working hard – not for the destination, but for the journey. Remember, good things take time.

2. Seek Out Role Models

Find people you’re familiar with who have achieved some pretty amazing things and ask them how they did it. Very few people get lucky on their first shot, so many of their stories will have something to do with learning, trying, failing, perseverance, etc. When you learn what they had to put into their journey and the mindset they had to adopt, you’ll understand how important it is to be open to growth.

3. Look Both Ways

Like driving, it’s important to look in both directions – backward and forwards. Look back at your past and how far you’ve come. Think about things you once thought were too hard for you but can now do with ease. Consider what it took to get to where you are now but remember the satisfaction of your hard work paying off. Now, look to the future. Think about where you want to go and what you want to accomplish. As you work through challenges and seek to improve, always remember those things, and the journey will become so much more pleasurable to you.

4. Ask for Feedback

Constructive criticism, and the correct application of it, are so important to developing and maintaining a growth mindset. It can be hard to hear criticism but trust the person giving it is knowledgeable and has your best interest at heart. When you adopt this way of thinking, you’ll be able to view feedback as a good and necessary thing. When that happens, you’ll never stop growing!

Simply put, if you ever want to grow, you need a growth mindset. The world around us is ever-changing and ever-growing, so why would you stay stagnant? Why would you stay good if you knew you could be great?

A growth mindset isn’t something we recommend or think you should try out – it’s a necessity!

Thanks, as always, for reading! We appreciate you oh so much! Check back next week for another great topic!