While a positive mindset will make you believe in your abilities, a negative mind will make you concede victory even before you have begun. If you have the zeal to achieve the extraordinary, you need a growth mindset. A growth mindset has an unparalleled charm that makes accomplishments a habit. Who would not want such an attitude in life, isn’t it? We will even pay hefty sums of money to win such a progressive and audacious mind! You must be wondering what a growth mindset signifies and how it is different from our usual approach. Well, in this post, we will delve deep into the meaning of growth mindsets. Besides, we will exhibit the outstanding merits of developing such a mindset. Let us unleash the fascinating power of a growth mindset. 

What is a growth mindset?

Many people opine that intellect, intelligence, and learning abilities are innate qualities of an individual. Further, they assert that these characteristics are fixed and cannot be uplifted. However, the abstract of growth mindsets challenges such assertions that are put forth by people who believe that intelligence is static. As defined by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, US, growth mindset is a notion that states intellect can be improved. Proponents of growth mindsets believe that intelligence is malleable. Besides, they put forth the argument that efficiency, brainpower, and reasoning can be upscaled with hard work.

Do you often give up on challenges in an effortless manner? Do you look at failures as lessons, or do you find motivation in them? Someone with a growth mindset will find opportunities in hurdles, be receptive to feedback, and reap positive influence from setbacks. Imagine how strong a person’s perceptions can be with such a conducive mindset. As you would have figured out by now, a growth mindset is driven by prolific self-believe. With a mindset like this, anyone can overcome the tendency to quit too soon. In the context of the cut-throat competition and constant stress in today’s world, this seems like a priceless ability. Isn’t it? With such traits, you can develop a winning attitude in your persona and pass it on to people around you.

People who endorse a growth mindset are full of persistence and the zest to keep working hard. They feel that even if their excellence is not natural or they have missed out on some learning opportunities in the past, they can make up with hard work, dedication, learning, and feedback. They do not see talent as an intrinsic characteristic, but they are keen to develop their personality’s prerequisite talents. If you are a business leader or an entrepreneur, you will agree that having such people in your team can be a surreal idea. You will not have to worry much about productivity and skill development in these workers. They will ascertain their performance and development on their own. Next, let us look at how a growth mindset is different from a fixed mindset.

Growth mindset versus fixed mindset

Humans are known to have two essential mindsets that play an active role in forming their perspectives. While we have already discussed a significant part of what growth mindsets are, fixed mindsets are the exact opposite. The following are the characteristics of people who have a rigid or fixed mindset.

1. For them, intelligence is a static ability that cannot be improved

2. They are not receptive to change and are uninterested in constructive feedback
3. They feel insecure when they see their peers succeeding and growing in their verticals
4. They give up easily and are not much keen to put additional effort

Contrary to that, those would growth mindsets have the following viewpoints.

1. They believe in the power of hard work, as stated above
2. They are happy to learn from constructive criticism and feel that feedbacks are vital
3. They see the brighter side of failures and have the courage to bounce back stronger
4. They are happy to see others accomplishing their goals and also extend cooperation to others
5. They promote a greater sense of willpower and conviction and hence achieve more than their counterparts.

So, if you get a chance to choose between the kind of people you would want to be around, what will you choose? Of course, you would want to be around people who have a growth mindset. Their positivity can even motivate you to view things positively and give your best irrespective of the outcome. Even in the professional sphere of life, you would want to vibe with colleagues who can impart enchanting positivity to the working environment. Finally, if you are a business owner, you would love to have employees who will look after their employee engagement. You would want to be like these people who have a growth mindset. Everybody should adopt a growth mindset for the positive changes it promises. You should be keen to encourage such a mindset in yourself as well as people around you. We have already seen some mind-blowing traits of a growth mindset. To add more, let us glance at some more meaningful benefits of having a growth mindset.

Merits of having a growth mindset

1. You become a more confident person

When you start believing that you can modify the narratives of destiny with your conviction, your flamboyance is enhanced. You, by default, start feeling more confident to tackle all situations in life with prudence.

2. It instills leadership skills in your personality

People with growth mindsets do not limit their perspectives to work for their individual growth. Selflessly, they invest efforts to add value to the pursuit of others. They are happy to contribute to the success of others. This is a trademark quality of exceptional leadership.

3. It leads to better cognitive development

Having an attitude towards life driven by a growth mindset leads to enhanced brain development. There is enough empirical research that backs this claim. As per NCBI, growth mindsets influence the processes of brain development. Further, these brain processes have a positive effect on motivated behaviors.

4. It helps you in stress management

According to a NeuroLeadership Institute study, having a growth mindset can help you at mastering better stress management. This is because a growth mindset will digress your focus from negative thoughts and replace them with positive ideas.

To encapsulate, it is time that the world now recognises and propagates the charm of growth mindsets. Business organisations and other institutions should now develop growth mindsets an integral part of their training modules. If people are steered in this direction from a young age itself, they will overhaul the world for the better. A growth mindset is a mindset worth romanticising!