When I read Mindset it was like a wake up call for me. I suddenly realized a lot of things about myself and those around me and who have come in and out of my life. How we all see things and why we react to certain things in a particular way at different times and how we are formed and how we form our own paths based on our mindset.
In her book Dr Dweck puts into perspective in a very black and white way so as to be as overly simple as she can so as to best be understood while getting her point across in a pedagogical way. She defines 2 specific mindsets: The Fixed Mindset and The Growth mindset.
She means that Fixed Mindset people have the belief that we are born with certain skills and talents and that we cannot change who we are or develop new skills beyond our current means, we are unable to become more intelligent then we already are and should therefore not strive beyond our current means or socioeconomic and cultural surroundings. Where Growth Mindset people believe in constant learning and continual growth, that we can learn and develop new skills and even increase our IQ through dedicated practice and long term goals.
We can have a fixed or growth mindset in different areas of our life, intelligence being one area, physical prowess another, relationships, career development, talent and personality a few others.
Most of us are either Fixed or Growth Mindset as a whole in all areas of our lives and often can sway between the two at times. We are also able to develop and choose which mindset we wish to adopt and with the right mentality can nurture a growth mindset mentality for ourselves, our friends and families and even those we work with, our children and others around us.
We grow up being formed by our parents, our surroundings, our teachers in school, our culture and socio economic upbringing, our peers and so forth. All of these external inputs add to what become our core beliefs, about ourselves and about the world around us.
For example our view on money, religion, politics, education, relationships are all areas where our views and beliefs get ingrained from an early age and we either follow or revolt against them as we grow up, without really analyzing why we feel a certain way. These emotions, feelings, thoughts and opinions follow us through our lives and determine how we perceive and react to the world and the actions we take.
If we have a fixed mindset on these topics then we often have the idea of scarcity where we believe that other people's success detract from our opportunities and chances to succeed. If one person makes money, then we cannot make money, if someone books a job then we have more competition for work, if that person gets into a good relationship then it is harder for us to find a person to be loved by and so forth.
If however we have a growth mindset and are brought up with the idea of abundance then we realize that it is our own actions that lead to results and not external results that lead to our ultimate well being. We are in control over how we choose to react and deal with any given circumstance, we see that life is not happening to us, but rather that we are a part of life itself. We see that there is plenty of money, love, luck and opportunity for everyone and we are a part of the process and can thus contribute to the understanding and lessons presented to us through experience and the ability to develop skills as needed so as to proceed towards our desired goals.
When we begin to take responsibility for our actions and our lives we see that luck is just what happens when opportunity meets ability and the willingness to be open to seeing that opportunity when it arises, or learning from missed opportunities so as to be ready the next time it presents itself.
We are constantly given the chance to choose. Choices are in front of us every second of every day. We decide how we spend our time and our energy and when we come to understand that it takes the same amount of time and energy to focus on something negatively and not do what is needed as it does to think positively and then take action, then we are presented with the opportunity for self growth.
The thing about talent is that we all have it. It is what we do with it, the action we take and the results we achieve constantly over time that defines us. We owe it to ourselves to reach our full potential and to live in line with our true selves.
I have made the decision to dedicate my life to constantly focus on developing my own growth mindset and to keep expanding my skill set while following the path of self discovery and acting with purpose, determination and grit while living a life of service and gratitude.
This book and the realizations that have come from reading it only strengthen my
understanding I have of my own mission statement and personal WHY:
“To inspire and help people to unlock and achieve their true potential while constantly striving towards my own self improvement and living by example”
I feel that everyone needs to read Dr Dweck’s book, and as such have already purchased it and lent my own copy out to several friends and will continue to recommend it to everyone who has not yet read it.
You can order your own copy HERE
