One of my favorite lines ever written is from an Australian poet named Erin Hanson. It goes:
“There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask "What if I fall?". Oh but my darling, What if you fly?”
The first time I read it, I asked myself: How much does self-doubt really influence our inaction? If the first thing we tell ourselves when we face a challenge is, "I can't do it," how many opportunities for growth have we lost?
I think the idiom "mind over matter," while deeply moving, is an oversimplification of the importance of perception. It's remarkably more nuanced than that, considering the amount of hard work it takes to develop the mindset that thrives in adversity.
That's what we'll be aiming for today: recalibrating your frame of mind. In the struggle between a growth mindset vs fixed mindset, the most important thing to remember is this: It's all in the mind. Let me show you what I mean.
The Science Behind Your Learning Process
It's literally in the mind.. or, more precisely, in the brain. There's a science behind the growth mindset, just as there is with almost every profound concept that develops our character.
To understand it, you need to familiarize yourself with two significant areas of the brain: the anterior cingulate cortex, or ACC, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, or DLPFC.
The ACC is partly responsible for reward-based decision-making, while the DLPFC is responsible for monitoring errors and adjusting our behaviors to correct these mistakes.
Here's where it gets interesting. A study conducted by Samantha DePasque aimed to determine which part of the brain is active when an individual is receiving positive and negative feedback.
The result? The brains of individuals with a growth mindset tend to be most active when the feedback includes how to improve themselves.
On the other hand, the brains of participants with a fixed mindset tend to be most active when receiving information about their performance. (See where I'm getting at?)
In other words, a growth mindset cares more about the process and improvement rather than the result. This is also why growth-minded individuals don't let imperfection get in the way of their success.
The Mind Behind The Mindset
The journey to unraveling what's behind fixed and growth mindsets began with a question. Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychologist from Stanford University, asked:
"Why do some people fail while others succeed?"
Part of her study was to give high school students a series of puzzles ranging from easy to difficult. While the results vary, several students approached failure as a learning experience. Dweck believed this to be the growth mindset view.
Dweck's research also found that while acknowledging talent is helpful, praising an individual's process is actually more beneficial to his/her personal and professional development or academic performance.
Commending someone's resilience, effort, and strategy is more rewarding for the brain than praising the results. These concepts are at the core of positive psychology.
Dr. Carol Dweck's book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, is also among our list of the top 10 positive psychology books you should read if you want to learn more about this subject matter.
Unboxing Growth Mindsets
Someone with a growth mindset views intelligence not as something you're born with but as something that evolves. It's something you can bend, flex, and stretch through practice and effort.
That's not to say that people with a growth mindset believe their brains to be infinitely expandable. It's actually how they perceive intelligence that matters.
By seeing intelligence as something malleable, you welcome constructive feedback, embrace challenges, and openly accept failure, as you believe these to be necessary for growth.
These qualities also boost your self-accountability, which is an indispensable aspect of personal and professional development.
Understanding Fixed Mindsets
People with a fixed mindset are the polar opposite of those with a growth mindset. They believe that intelligence is something that you are.
While you can try to expand and enhance intelligence, a fixed mindset assumes that you can only improve it within a finite range, even as you reach adulthood.
One of the biggest pitfalls of having a fixed mindset is self-doubt. Whenever a fixed-minded person fails, they immediately blame themselves, thinking they're just not smart or strong enough to do a certain task.
Someone with a fixed mindset might also actively avoid challenges out of fear that failure will expose their incapabilities. Learning how to bounce back from failure is the antidote to fixed mindsets.
"I Can" Power Vs. "I Can't" Limits
By now, you probably already have an idea of how vast the differences are between these two mindsets. But the contrast becomes even clearer when you recognize that their influence and limitations apply to so many aspects of your life.
Here's why stagnation starts with "I can't" and growth starts with "I can."
Developed IQ vs. Innate IQ
- Growth Mindset: Sees IQ or intelligence like a muscle; it gets stronger the more effort you put into developing it. It's not the case that growth-minded individuals somehow don't face intellectual struggles, but they recognize that these could be overcome with practice.
- "I can develop my cognitive function by learning more about the topic."
- Fixed Mindset: Sees IQ or intelligence as a natural ability—either you're born with a lot or a little. Fixed-minded individuals believe that a person's cognitive potential is predetermined and will not significantly evolve despite deliberate practice.
- "I can't overcome this challenge because I'm not naturally gifted. There's no point in trying."
Motivation vs. Resistance
- Growth Mindset: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. A growth mindset allows you to see challenges as learning opportunities. This positive attitude when facing difficulties will keep you motivated because of the prospect of personal growth, overall making you a more positive person.
- "I can approach this challenge with eagerness because I'll learn something new even if I don't succeed initially."
- Fixed Mindset: Better safe than sorry. A fixed mindset causes people to stay inside their comfort zone and resist changes. These individuals also tend to stick to familiar tasks where they know they already excel, thus guaranteeing favorable results.
- "I can't step out of my comfort zone because I'm not sure if I'll perform well outside of it."
Effort vs. Inertia
- Growth Mindset: Michael Jordan once said, "I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Recognizing the value of effort and dedication is an integral part of a growth mindset. It's the belief that success is driven by hard work and not fate or circumstances that characterizes an "I can" attitude.
- "I can put in the effort to overcome this obstacle, and with perseverance, I will succeed."
- Fixed Mindset: Since a fixed mindset makes people assume that their abilities are predetermined, it may also cause them to view effort as something futile. What makes this worse is that some fixed-minded people tend to attribute their success to luck instead of hard work. Focusing on yourself and respecting your achievements is how you silence self-doubt and boost confidence.
- "I can't continue facing this challenge because my limited abilities will eventually lead me to failure."
Acceptance vs. Guilt
- Growth Mindset: Recognizes that failure is part of success, not its opposite. It's the personal development that you want to achieve ultimately. So, even if the outcome is not the best, accepting failure as a tradeoff for growth is untroubling. The first step, always, is learning how to forgive yourself for your mistakes.
- "I can accept failure and not let it define me, using the experience to refine my pathway to success."
- Fixed Mindset: Views setbacks as reasons to feel guilt or shame. Regardless of the circumstances, fixed-minded individuals see mistakes as testaments to their inherent limitations. Aside from low self-esteem, the negative self-perception may also prevent them from taking risks in the future.
- "I can't move forward and face new challenges because this one mistake proves I'm not good enough."
Inspiration vs. Comparisons
- Growth Mindset: If others can do it, so can you. Growth-minded individuals see others' success as a source of inspiration and motivation. By adopting this mindset, you will see how resilience, perseverance, and effort work for others, which means they should also work for you.
- "I can become successful because others have already faced challenging times and emerged victorious on the other side."
- Fixed Mindset: There's not enough success to go around. A fixed mindset may lead people to feel threatened by others' success. Some of them may even think that the achievements of their colleagues or competitors are a reflection of their inadequacies. This is sometimes evident in someone's tendency to downplay others' (or their own) accomplishments.
- "I can't be successful because the limited pool of recognition means there's no room left for me."
Feedback vs. Personal Attack
- Growth Mindset: A growth mindset person will never ignore feedback. They understand that constructive criticism is essential to growth, as it highlights areas where they can improve. Some of them would even actively seek feedback because they want to be better at what they do. It's the failure to learn from a mistake that's deplorable, not the mistake itself.
- "I can appreciate this feedback because I know it's how I can address my shortcomings and become a better version of myself."
- Fixed Mindset: A fixed mindset sometimes causes an individual to assume that feedback, regardless if delivered positively or negatively, is a personal attack. They think any form of criticism is an assault on their character and capability. Changing your perception of constructive criticism will form feedback loops that transform your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
- "I can't listen to their feedback because it shows that I'm not good enough and that my effort is unappreciated."
