MINDSET: Fixed & Growth Mindset

Why we quit easily and lack motivation.


Perhaps you’re “naturally academically gifted” or perhaps like me
you have to work hard at school to achieve good results and even
then “good results” may not be that great. Many students believe
the reason they don’t get good results is because they are not
smart. As a result they give up easily and lack motivation. Why
bother working hard on a task if it is only going to end up
making you feel disappointed or worse a failure.


What successful people have that most people don’t
have. 


Successful people believe that failure is good! Yes, you read
that right. Michael Jordon says, “I’ve failed over and over in my
life and that is why I succeed”. Some people see failure as a
guide, clue, message, and information about what
to improve so they can achieve their
goal (they have a growth mindset). On the other hand, people who
quit easily at the slightest hint of difficulty believe that
failure is a reflection of who they are (fixed mindset).


What are fixed and growth mindsets?1. Fixed


Many students believe that intelligence is fixed, that each
person has a certain amount and that’s it. This has been
described as a fixed mindset. Students with this mindset worry
about how much of this fixed intelligence they possess. A fixed
mindset makes challenges threatening for students (because they
believe that their fixed ability may not be up to the task) and
it makes mistakes and failures upsetting (because they believe
that such setbacks reflect badly on their level of fixed
intelligence).


2. Growth Mindset.


Other students believe that intelligence is something that can be
cultivated through effort and education. They don’t necessarily
believe that everyone has the same abilities or that anyone can
be as smart as Einstein, but they do believe that everyone can
improve their abilities. And they understand that even Einstein
wasn’t Einstein until he put in years of focused hard work.
Students with this growth mindset believe that intelligence is a
potential that can be developed through learning. As a result,
confronting challenges, learning from mistakes, and persevering
in the face of setbacks become ways of getting smarter.


Develop A Growth Mindset.


What you think, your self-talk, in other words what you say to
yourself matters! Here are ten Growth Mindset statements.


You can learn more about this and other topics at
www.studysamurai.com