Growth Mindset Definition

It may be time to shift your mindset

Learning April 20, 2023

Growth Mindset Definition

What is Growth Mindset

Do you believe that your abilities, intelligence, and talents are fixed traits that cannot be changed or developed? Or do you see yourself as someone who can continuously grow and develop your skills and abilities through effort and persistence? These questions lie at the heart of growth mindset definition.

Coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, the term "growth mindset" refers to the belief that one's potential is not fixed, but can be developed through dedication, hard work, and resilience. In contrast, a fixed mindset assumes that abilities and intelligence are predetermined and cannot be changed.

In this blog post, we will explore the definition of growth mindset in more detail, examining its definition and characteristics.  Whether you are a student, professional, or simply someone interested in personal development, understanding the principles of growth mindset can help you to shift your mindset easily, achieve your goals, overcome obstacles, and lead a more fulfilling life. So, let's dive in and explore the power of growth mindset!​

Five Growth Mindset Definitions

1. Growth mindset is the belief that one's abilities and intelligence can be developed through hard work, dedication, and persistence. This mindset allows individuals to embrace challenges, learn from failures, and view mistakes as opportunities for growth.
2. Growth mindset is the idea that intelligence, skills, and abilities can be developed over time through effort, practice, and determination. People with a growth mindset are open to feedback, willing to take risks, and see obstacles as opportunities for learning.
3.  Growth mindset is a way of thinking that emphasizes the potential for change and growth. It involves a willingness to try new things, embrace challenges, and learn from mistakes. Individuals with a growth mindset are more likely to persevere through setbacks and achieve their goals. 
4. Growth mindset is a mindset that encourages a person to embrace challenges, persist through obstacles, and learn from feedback in order to continuously develop their abilities and achieve their goals. It is a way of thinking that values effort and hard work over natural talent or intelligence.
5. Growth mindset is the belief that intelligence, talent, and abilities are not fixed traits, but rather can be developed and improved over time through dedication and hard work. This mindset fosters a love of learning, a willingness to take on challenges, and a resilience in the face of setbacks.

Addressing Core Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs are beliefs you hold that keep you from doing what you want to do. The human mind has an amazing ability to come up with infinite reasons why you can’t do something. There is a good chance you have limiting beliefs stopping you right now and you don’t even realize it.
 
Limiting beliefs come in a variety of shapes and forms. They might be thoughts like:

• “I always mess up when I try this.”
• “I’m not good at this.”
• “It’s selfish or immoral for me to succeed.”
• “I’m not meant to be successful at this.”
• “If I try this, people will judge me.”

 
It could be any negative recurring thought that stops you. Regardless of what the specific thought it, this type of negative thinking will hold you back from achieving your goals. To eliminate them, you first need to identify and address them.
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• ​Calling out Your Limiting Beliefs: You can dispel these negative beliefs by calling them out and telling yourself they’re not true. Each of us has a different set of recurring negative thoughts. What are yours? Simply realizing when this is happening is a great first step for combating them.

 

• Rely on Examples: How do you tell yourself a belief isn’t true? A great way is to use examples. Look at your own experience and times when you’ve overcome challenges. Look at the lives of others to see how they overcame obstacles they were facing. For example, think of a time you were successful before. Did people judge you? They were probably quite happy for you. This helps you to realize that this limiting thought isn’t valid.

 

• Practice Positive Affirmations: Limiting beliefs are a habit of the mind. You can create new habits through positive affirmations. Instead of repeating to yourself that you can’t do it, tell yourself you can. If you suffer from a fear of success, tell yourself, “I am successful. I will succeed and this will help and inspire others.” Click on this link for a list of success habits quotes. If you’re not good at something, tell yourself, “I am learning this, and I can master it just like any other skill.”  Simply repeating these positive phrases can combat the negative self-talk.

 

• Adopt the Growth Mindset: Choose to consciously shift your mindset into a growth mindset and a way of thinking that helps you reframe negative thoughts into positive ones. It asserts that we aren’t static and fixed, but change and grow over time. This can be applied to any area of your business and teaches you to defeat the “inner critic” who says that you can’t do something.

 

• Revisit Your “Why”: It can help you see things in a positive light by going back to the “why” that lies behind your current efforts. Reconnect with your original vision and goals. Where would you like to be next year? See how far you’ve come and use this to fight back negative thinking.

 

• Visualize a Positive Outcome: The reward of what you try is well worth the risk. The worst that can happen is that you make a mistake. But a mistake is a great learning experience. If you grasp this, you can defeat the inner critic’s limiting beliefs and take action. 

Is It Time to Shift Your Mindset

If you are experiencing low energy, or are not in good spirits, you may want to consider altering your mindset. When you are down, it can be due to negative thoughts. Perhaps you start to dwell on everything that is going wrong. You may assume that you aren’t where you thought you would be and it leaves you longing for fulfillment.
 
When you start to have negative thoughts, you are setting the stage to beat yourself down. What’s worse is this situation continues to grow. Negativity feeds on itself. When you put yourself down, you will eventually put others down. You will look for others who share your negativity because misery loves company. As the negative energy thrives, you fall deeper into the mental abyss.
 
To turn this around, you first have to realize that it’s happening. No one likes to admit to doing something wrong, but negative thinking is wrong if you are engaging in it. You have to try and reflect on your life. Think back to when you were happy. Was it a couple of months ago or a couple of years? That will give you a good indication of when you started with the negative thinking. When you were happy, it’s unlikely you were thinking negatively.
 
Once you have identified that you have a negative mindset, work hard to introduce positivity into your life. Set up a bad thoughts money jar and whenever you say something negative, put money into the jar. You can do this at work, at home, or both. When you see the jar filling up, you know you have more work to do.
 
Avoid other negative people as much as possible. They will try to bring you back down, and you may even let them do it. Limiting your exposure to these people is a great step to take on your journey towards positivity. 

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About the Author

Mandy Fard is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, CMRW) and Recruiter with decades of experience in assisting job seekers, working directly with employers in multiple industries, and writing proven-effective resumes.
 
Feel free to connect with Mandy Fard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandyfard/
 
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