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“Change your mindset from fixed to a growth mindset for long-term success.”

Ever witnessed someone who is so rigid to his ways of life that he negates any new ideas? Well, we all see such individuals around us at least once in our lives. These people validate their terms and ways of life and hesitate to try and experiment with anything new. They believe that talent is inborn and effort would not make a difference in inducing a talent. This is why they do not strive to develop themselves and to learn new things. They do the ordinary and fail to see the power of uniqueness. On the other hand, there are people who view struggle and hard work as factors that determine success. These people are open to new ideas and perspectives. Also, they think out of the box and find out a non-ordinary solution to a problem. Which type are you? Let's zero in on both types so you can know yourself better.

Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset

People with a fixed mindset believe that they possess a specific trait by birth or don’t. They view intelligence as a fixed trait. Their belief revolves around the inborn talents and how they determine the success of an individual. On the other hand, individuals with a growth mindset view effort as a factor that determines talent. They believe that "if you strive to earn a talent, you earn that talent." The right strategy and true dedication can induce the required talent in a person. This difference explains how people with a fixed mindset validate themselves while those with a growth one tend to develop themselves.

Rarely excel at anything:

These individuals believe that they cannot enhance or change their abilities; hence, they focus on looking smart instead of being smart by learning new things. If a person with a fixed mindset embarks upon a new thing, i.e., ice skating, he will give up after falling twice, saying, "it is not my thing." Such people believe that putting in the effort is a time waste. They fear being judged hence give up immediately. If you give up on something so soon, how would you excel?

Reduces self-awareness:

How would you understand yourself better if you don't strive to grow constantly? You would stick to your mundane ways of life just to avoid the discomfort, pain, and negative emotions of temporary failure. Well, no pain means no gain.

Decreases opportunities:

People with a fixed mindset are not opportunists. A person who is so afraid to try new things would miss out on a lot of opportunities. He wouldn’t want to go out of his comfort zone to achieve anything. Shutting down opportunities is directly proportional to eradicating the probability of our success.

Poor life quality:

When a person starts validating his ways of life and becomes complacent, he becomes stagnant. This means that he would not grow and would settle for mediocrity. This would only encourage a poor quality of life in the future.

Negative emotions keep flowing:

If you have a fixed mindset, you will believe that the success your peers with a growth mindset are earning is due to their in-built talents. This would make you envious. Melancholy and dissatisfaction would become a part of your life, and you will become prey to negative thoughts frequently.

A person with a growth mindset believes that effort would yield his desired results. He does not shy away from new ideas and perspectives and constantly strives to develop himself. If he falls twice while ice-skating, he will not declare that "it is not my thing." Instead, he would seek to learn better techniques to skate and prevent falling. Practicing would make him perfect, and he would master the art of skating. He might become a professional skater, and this would lead him towards long-term success. He wouldn't be jealous of his peers and would not have to deal with any negative emotions. By now, it has been established that for long-term success, a man needs to switch from a fixed mindset to a growth one. How do we develop a growth mindset?

Identify your imperfections and embrace them:

To seek a solution to a problem, we must be well-aware of the problem first. Similarly, if we do not identify our weaknesses, how would we fix them? The first step towards developing a growth mindset is accepting that everyone has his unique flaws. Hence, the weaknesses must be acknowledged and embraced. By now, it has been established that for long-term success, a man needs to switch from a fixed mindset to a growth one. How do we develop a growth mindset?

View every challenge as an opportunity:

To have a growth mindset, you must learn the fact that every challenge would lead you to one of the two possible conclusions:

If success is not achieved, you would earn an experience and would be able to do better next time.

Try various learning methods:

You must keep trying new learning tactics to know which one works the best for you. One size doesn’t fit all; hence what helps you understand better should be used.

Stop seeking approval:

You sacrifice your potential for growth every time you prioritize approval over your learning.

Given better priority to growth as compared to speed:

Ever heard of the phrase "slow and steady wins the race"? You can be slow and steady, yet you can win the race. Of course, learning well is always better than learning fast. Do not prioritize speed over the quality of your learning.

Take constructive criticism:

For a growth mindset, start seeking advice from the people who have performed the task before you. Ask them to analyze your performance and evaluate if any changes are needed. Let them communicate your flaws and mistakes to you. This would only help you succeed.

Take a risk in front of others:

This is a good technique to develop a growth mindset. When you start taking risks in front of the people you know, instead of preventing yourself from potential embarrassment, it becomes easier to take risks in practical life. In a nutshell, it can be said that if you analyze yourself and find out that you have a fixed mindset, take immediate measures to switch it to a growth one. This is the only way you can succeed in the long run.

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