Choosing to grow or proving to be good? The 2 types of mindset

Carol Dweck has developed research on 2 mindsets that affect our success.

Have you ever been afraid to grow, without much clarity as to why? Who doesn't want to reach their full potential and go for their most cherished desires?

Then... Why don't we always make decisions that benefit our growth? That help us expand boundaries instead of staying in the comfortable and safe? The beliefs we hold can shed light on the question.

We know that the beliefs we adopt about ourselves, the world we live in and others powerfully influence the way we lead our lives, the achievement of the things we value and our ability to overcome difficulties.

It is necessary to We need to pay attention to the type of mindset that is guiding us at any given moment. or even in specific areas of life the decisions we make that may be limiting our ability to grow and act differently.

Carol Dweck's two mindsets

Carol Dweck, a professor at Stanford University in the United States, has focused her research on why people are successful and why they are not. why people are successful and how to foster success..

She has developed her work around mindsets and has investigated the consequences of seeing intelligence and personality among others (artistic talents, sports or business skills, other-person or relationship qualities) as something that can be developed or as fixed, deeply ingrained and immovable traits.

His research has shown that the beliefs that people adopt about their qualities affect the goals they strive to achieve, how they see success and failure, the importance they attach to effort and challenges, resilience in the face of difficulty, and even their ability to grow in their interpersonal relationships.The beliefs people adopt about their qualities affect the goals they strive to achieve, how they view success and failure, the importance they give to effort and challenges, their resilience in the face of difficulty, and even their ability to grow in their interpersonal relationships. He has studied two types of mindsets; the Fixed and the growth mindset.

Most people have a bit of both mindsets. They may also adopt a different mindset in different areas. The truth is that we can learn to change the way we see things.

The fixed mindset

People who adopt this mindset believe that intelligence, talents, skills, abilities, qualities, personality are fixed characteristics. You are born with a certain amount or you are the way you are without being able to do much.

This creates the urge to prove to oneself and to others over and over again that one is naturally intelligent enough, has enough personality, character, that one is special, even superior.

Your goal is focused on performing well and looking smart.. They worry about being judged rather than improving, so they hide their weaknesses instead of overcoming them. It is not enough to be successful, they need to be perfect immediately, at the first opportunity to try something. They don't give themselves the time to become, they have to already be what they want to be. The most important thing is the result, because that is what measures them.

That goal leads to a tendency to avoid challenges because if they risk and fail they believe that their image will be questioned and it will mean that they are not intelligent or that they do not have the capabilities, therefore, they prefer to stick with what they already know how to do well and even missing out on good learning opportunities. learning opportunities.

However, remember what the writer Mark Twain said: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by what you didn't do than by what you did".

Other characteristics are the following.

1. They give up easily in the face of obstacles.

Failure goes from being an action to an identity "I am a failure". Even, even minor corrections and mistakes can be seen as a tremendous failure..

2. Devalue effort

They believe that making an effort makes them look less capable or intelligent or as a sign of not measuring up. If they are free of this idea, they may strive to achieve their goals and are willing to do what is necessary, but as validation of their worth.

3. They ignore constructive criticism

It is more important to feel constantly validated by others than to cultivate relationships that challenge them to grow, that view their flaws with respect, help them work on them, and encourage them to learn new things. They are then less likely to get external feedback that will help them bring about needed changes.

4. They feel threatened by other people's success.

They feel that the success of others makes them look bad or like failures.

5. As a result, they may limit their development and not achieve their full potential.

Their beliefs feed back on themselves. They believe that you don't change or improve much over time, you are the way you are.

The growth mindset

People who adopt this mentality believe that intelligence, talents, skills, abilities, qualities, personality can be developed and cultivated through effort.

They believe that what is given to us by genetics is only the starting point for development. is only the starting point for development.. It can grow with time and from passion, training, discipline and experience.

Their priority is to learn, improve and enjoy the process. They are not concerned with proving how good they are. They value what they do regardless of the outcome.

On the other hand, these are some of their other characteristics.

1. They tend to accept challenges

They enjoy them and they are the way to improve, expand limits and knowledge, become stronger and smarter.

2. They face and persist in the face of obstacles

Failure, although a painful experience, is seen as an opportunity to learn and repair mistakes, not as something that defines them as people or their capabilities and worth.

3. They value effort

Effort bears fruit. It is seen as necessary to grow and master important skills.

4. They learn from criticism

Negative criticism is not perceived as a definition of who they are, but rather speaks to their current level of skill or performance. They know that they can change and learn how to do better and prefer relationships that challenge them to grow respectfully.

5. They find lessons and inspiration in the success of others.

They take themselves as examples, sources of information and learning to put into practice in their own journey.

As a result, they foster their development and mastery, reaching high levels of performance and achievement. They feel that they are the ones who build themselves up, which feeds back their positive beliefs and encourages them to and encourages them to continue learning and improving.

Making the choice to grow every day

Choosing to grow is more than a once-in-a-lifetime decision, it is a daily choice. Every step of the way we are faced with opportunities to embrace a growth mindset or a fixed mindset to what happens to us or what we do. If we want to grow we have to allow ourselves to change limiting ideas about our intelligence, capabilities, personality, etc.

This does not mean thinking that everything can be done, that it is desirable to change everything we do not like, or that we must take on every challenge that comes our way. It is the job of each person to determine when their beliefs are really acting as barriers to their development in the areas or goals they value and then make changes if they so desire.

However, in order to grow, it is necessary to stop living by an image that others like and to have the courage to explore one's own path, making mistakes, taking on new challenges, valuing effort and facing obstacles, but above all and facing obstacles, but above all enjoying and learning from life.

Bibliographical references:

• Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House; New York.