Adopt a growth mindset by believing that your abilities and circumstances can change. This approach lowers the stakes when challenges arise, reduces the likelihood of shutting down, and contributes to personal happiness and well-being.
When faced with a setback or failure, interpret it as a piece of information that requires attention and a positive reaction. This perspective helps you actively figure out how to overcome the challenge rather than feeling shame or giving up.
Perceive effort as a positive and necessary process for getting better at something. This encourages you to redouble your efforts and continuously improve, rather than seeing effort as a sign of inadequacy.
Actively seek help and ask clarifying questions when you don’t understand something. This prevents a cycle of concealing misunderstanding that can lead to underperformance.
Adopt a mindset that views physical stress responses (like a racing heart or sweating palms) as signs your body is mobilizing energy to succeed. This reframing can actually alter your body’s physiological response to stress, turning it into fuel for performance.
When receiving feedback or performing poorly, look to the strategies and work of those who are doing better. This approach is crucial for learning and improvement, as opposed to comparing yourself to those doing worse to feel better.
Extend the growth mindset to others, entertaining the thought that even difficult or ’not-so-nice’ people can change. This belief can reduce aggression and revenge, fostering better interpersonal behavior and encouraging peace processes.
Understand that your own beliefs, including your mindset about growth, are not fixed and can evolve over time. This prevents you from being ‘put in boxes’ and encourages continuous self-improvement.
If you hold a position of power (e.g., manager, coach, mentor), actively create opportunities, provide resources, and offer support to help others grow. This makes a growth mindset a tangible reality in people’s lives, rather than just an expectation.
Identify and give a name to your internal fixed mindset thoughts or inner critic, acknowledging their legitimacy without suppressing them. Then, consciously choose to follow growth mindset thoughts instead, managing internal criticism effectively.
When talking to yourself or others, use verb or process phrasing (e.g., ’that’s good drawing’) instead of noun phrasing or fixed labels (e.g., ‘you’re a good drawer’). Noun phrasing implies fixed traits, while process phrasing conveys the potential for change.
Be mindful of using overgeneralizations like ‘all the time,’ ’every time,’ ‘always,’ or ’everybody’ in your self-talk or when describing others. These terms imply fixed and stable categories, reinforcing a fixed mindset.
When you catch yourself making a fixed mindset overgeneralization, add the word ‘yet’ to the end (e.g., ‘I’m not a good programmer yet’). This reminds you of the ongoing journey of learning and improvement, especially when coupled with a commitment to continuous effort.
Ensure your growth mindset is based on a genuine belief that change is possible and that there’s a realistic mechanism for that change to occur. This prevents it from being perceived as mere unfounded positivity or self-deception.
Instead of comparing your performance to others, focus on your own past performance and future potential. This helps you notice small wins, reinforces the belief in change, and allows you to appreciate your personal progress.
Make it a habit to acknowledge and appreciate how far you’ve come and revisit the steps you took to achieve past improvements. This helps combat a fixed mindset by making visible the changes you’ve already experienced, making future change seem more possible.