Distance your identity from specific performance outcomes and instead attach your identity, efforts, and motivation to the effort itself and the process of enjoying learning and getting better at anything. This prevents undermining performance when you inevitably encounter challenges.
When giving feedback to yourself or others, focus on praising effort, persistence, and the process (verbs) rather than attaching labels of identity like “smart” or “talented.” This is especially critical when performance is good, as identity praise can undermine future performance.
Always strive to give others and yourself praise that is correctly attached to genuine effort, regardless of whether the praise is given before or after a task or performance, as this consistently improves future performance.
Learn and internalize that stress can enhance performance and health. Understanding that physiological responses (elevated heart rate, narrowed focus) are mobilizing resources can shift your body’s response from debilitating to enhancing, improving performance.
When experiencing physical signs of stress (elevated heart rate, quaking, sweating), cognitively tell yourself that these are your body mobilizing resources, affording you an advantage in allocating attention to specific tasks or error analysis. This shifts your brain and body from a negative to a positive state.
When you make an error or get something wrong, direct your attentional resources towards understanding what the error was and why it happened, rather than focusing solely on the emotional response. This cognitive appraisal is a cornerstone of building a growth mindset.
Actively shift your internal dialogue from performance-based narratives (e.g., “I have a great memory”) to effort-related narratives (e.g., “I tend to spend a lot of time with information in different forms to build my memory”). This reinforces the idea that abilities are built through action, not fixed traits.
Ask yourself what you’ve been told you’re good/bad at, what you tell yourself you’re good/bad at, and why. This helps identify existing narratives and how your identity is attached to performance or lack thereof, setting the stage for mindset shifts.
Understand that the strain, agitation, frustration, and difficulty maintaining focus experienced during learning are not signs of failure but are the very conditions that invoke neurochemical and neural circuit changes for learning. Reframe these uncomfortable sensations as the learning process itself.
Actively seek help from others to understand why you didn’t perform as well as you liked, and also to gain perspectives on the specific efforts (verbs) that led to your successes. This external input can provide insights you might miss.
To solidify your own growth and stress-enhancing mindsets, write a letter to a hypothetical future learner (or yourself) explaining what these mindsets are, how they differ from fixed mindsets, how to adopt them, and how they can amplify performance. This act of teaching reinforces your own understanding and application.
In learning or performance contexts, it is most beneficial if both the teacher/mentor and the student/individual adopt growth and stress-enhancing mindsets, as this fosters an environment where abilities are seen as malleable and stress as a resource.
Recognize that your level of persistence and effort, and where you place your attention, are the only things you truly control. Direct these intrinsic motivations towards desired outcomes.
Cultivate the overarching mindset that mindsets themselves are powerful, have real effects, and can be developed over time with effort. This foundational belief supports the adoption of other specific mindsets.
Maintain proper hydration with adequate electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, potassium) for optimal brain and body function, as even slight dehydration diminishes cognitive and physical performance. Consider dissolving an electrolyte packet in 16-32 ounces of water upon waking and during physical exercise.
Engage in Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) or Yoga Nidra sessions, even for short durations like 10 minutes, to greatly restore levels of cognitive and physical energy.