It is important to draw the distinction between fixed and growth mindset. Some of us grew up believing we couldn’t do things because they were hard and we struggled to much with it and had no real natural ability. This is fixed mindset because it is the belief that there must be some in-ordained ability within. It cannot be changed with this belief either you have the ability or you do not.
Growth mindset means you can improve with effort and even get better at things you once thought you had no potential at all . There is a way to reach your maximum potential even if it was once thought of as severely limited. Fixed means that we are unable to accomplish certain things because it is not in our nature. We are just not good at certain things. There is no real point in trying harder.
In Growth Mindset, effort is important because it explains that we must put in the time needed and do the work. We cannot just simply rely on innate talents.
The fix is in start an ultier growth pattern
Practice can overcome many of odds that have limited us before . It is possible to be better at whatever you want to be. This is at the core of a Growth Mindset despite challenges and obstacles we can improve.
If a ballet dancer is told she has natural ability she may begin to believe it. She may believe that is all she needs. If she does not succeed she may begin questioning herself and believe something is wrong with her. After all, she was led to believe she was born to succeed,
If that same person is instructed they can improve through effort. They know their ability is not predetermined entirely. They must work and practice to hone their abilities whether they are natural or not.
Carol Dweck has on her own website a comprehensive look at the science behind the Growth Mindset. She believes we have the ability to change from a fixed to a growth mindsets and points out case studies where it has shown progress after the switch. The website contains programs for kids in different subjects to teach this effort matters approach.
One program called Mindset maker is an online professional development portion that instructs teachers and other staff members such ideas as mindset theory and practice . There is also a section that contains a School kit for a growth minded culture within the school itself. And another section is where Learning Specialists conduct live training in your area for special events anyone interested should check the website and inquire for the certain fee.
Success without natural abilities whatsoever
Mindset in general is the ‘New Psychology Of Success’ Carol Dweck says. We can decide whether to stay stuck in the fixed condition mindset or believe that we can grow despite not having natural ability. At the heart of what makes the “growth mindset” so winsome, Dweck found in the interview in the article Brain Pickings, growth mindset “creates a passion for learning rather than a hunger for approval.”
Dweck adds “When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world — the world of fixed traits — success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other — the world of changing qualities — it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new.”
Fixed mindset can lead to constantly trying to prove oneself over and over. And can create unhappiness and insecurity if all is not accomplished.
Growth mindset says we can cultivate through efforts and improve all of our abilities. There is a belief in achieving based on work and a drive and initiative to improve.
James Gross, in this Stanford Alumni article, says that he has embraced Dweck study and has taken it into the realm of studying pure emotion.
His studies found that fixed mindset students had a tougher time managing their emotions and show poorer social and emotional adjustment. This article stresses in its tile there must be an Effort Effect even toward showing your emotions. Promoting this concept is to recognize it is in the trying that we find true success and show true progress and have healthier results.
Stanford professor Gross says it is important that we embrace this Effort Effect full throttle and try harder to express and develop what we are feeling. Of course this can be painful and it can encompass great disappointments . But confidence can be attained through the struggle and the realization that real achievement does not come easy.
Developing oneself comes from growth mindset. The possibilities are endless in this kind of thinking. We can achieve despite overwhelming odds.
Set skills for those mindset ills
Dweck says we can change our cognitive habits to the more fruitful growth mindset through exercises and activities.
For more information one can also Study the Mindset Kit which is a comprehensive way of learning all other key aspects of growth mindset . There are many different sections for teachers and students or anyone else interested in expanding their potential.
This can also be a second resource as it coincides with Dweck’s work but focuses on some specific aspects not explored for example: one article discusses a 2nd grade classroom being instructed on an art mindset lessons.
According to all these studies. It is directly applying the growth mindset and engaging in more effort that makes it the key reason to leading a more healthy productive life.
Maybe every high school student when entering college should engage in the Growth Mindset system. After all, as they enter college they will no doubt be taking classes that may be hard for them and seem like a daunting challenge. They will learn through effort they can pass those classes especially those which seem impossible. When they have been given the incentive of earning that college diploma, that will determine how much effort they will put in. If this is their goal, they must realize that this is the only way they will attain their degree. Watch as the wheels are set in motion for a life changing way of thinking.
And they accomplish their mission of becoming a four year college graduate.
