Fixed or growing?
Right now, consider an area of your life where you would like to improve. It can be any type of activity; professional, athletic, school, creative, etc. Do you have something in mind? Well, we’ll refer to that activity as X. Now consider which of these statements you agree with the most:
A: People who are good at X are born that way; Either you have it or you don’t.
B: The reason some people excel at X is mainly because of their drive, focus, hard work, and perseverance.
Which one did you pick? According to psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck in her book Mind Set: The New Psychology of Success, you will be much better off if you chose B. In the book, Dr. Dweck addresses two basic mindsets, fixed and growing, and how they impact. in personal development.
Our culture highly values the ability of standardized tests to predict future success. Take the IQ or SAT tests right and it is assumed that you will be the one who lives in the house on the hill. And if you are not showing athletic promise at the age of 7 or 8, you better forget it.
In fact, we seem to prefer the belief that our bright stars emerged virtually from the womb in a high-output state. And if you are unsuccessful at first, you are free from trouble, as it was not meant to be. However, is that so?
Many sports writers and fans agree that Michael Jordan was arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. If your gifts were completely genetic, why were you dropped from your varsity team in high school? Apparently some aspects of his game were lacking, but young Jordan did not give up. Instead, he found an understanding coach who was willing to work with him for a couple of hours before school every morning to improve his skills.
Obviously, Jordan had considerable potential for the sport he chose, however it was his passion for basketball, a belief that his skills could be developed, and a strong work ethic that made it possible. How often does some heralded child or adolescent prodigy turn into another “whatever happens to” so-and-so?
Dr. Dweck points out the following differences between fixed and growth mindsets.
Repaired: Your potential is established at birth. If you are good at something, you shouldn’t try hard. Failure is a signal to make excuses and blame, or just give up. A lot of effort goes into maintaining the facade of being smart, athletic, talented, etc.
Increase: It recognizes that while there are limits to anyone’s potential, it takes a lot of work and perseverance to even come close to reaching it. Setbacks are learning experiences and reminders to try harder. You would like to win like everyone else, but you can be satisfied with the knowledge that you did your best at the time, even if you don’t.
Tip for parents / teachers / anyone who deals with the very young: You can encourage children toward the growth mindset by praising their efforts, rather than traits like “you’re so smart.” Some research indicates that telling children they are smart encourages fixed mindsets and increases the likelihood that they will not apply when faced with a challenging task. as they will reason that smart people shouldn’t have to work too hard. Instead, watch and encourage perseverance and effort. Example, “I know you really put a lot of work into that project and it came out great!”