In life, change is inevitable. The world is constantly evolving so being able to adapt and grow quickly is becoming a desirable skill that organisations are looking for. The concept of mindset, particularly the distinction between growth and fixed mindsets, has gained significant attention in recent years. As generations have changed and evolved, the importance of cultivating a growth mindset has become increasingly evident. With technological advancements, globalisation, and social changes, a fast-paced and dynamic landscape is developing and if you can’t adapt, you won’t survive. In this blog, we look to explore the significance of a growth mindset, shed light on the obstacles that can hinder personal growth and provide effective techniques to overcome these barriers.

Mindset Explained

Mindset refers to our internal narrative and the way that our thought process dictates actions, responses and ultimately our attitude towards life. A growth mindset is characterised by a belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication, effort, and learning from failure. It’s having the ability to view things from more than one perspective and looking for opportunities. In contrast, a fixed mindset assumes that abilities and intelligence are fixed traits, limiting our potential for growth and often we experience life having our “blinkers” on.

Many factors can influence our mindset, from our upbringing and environment to social media and friends. These factors can interact and influence each other, and we may have unique combinations of influences that can shape our mindset. Some factors may be beyond our control, but our mindset can be developed and changed with conscious effort and a commitment to our personal growth.

• Upbringing and Environment: The environment in which you were raised, including family dynamics, cultural background, and societal influences, can shape your mindset. Beliefs, values, and attitudes learned during childhood can have a lasting impact on our mindset and behaviours.
• Personal Experiences: Past experiences, both positive and negative, can shape our mindset. Successes, failures, challenges, and setbacks all contribute to how we perceive ourselves, our abilities, and our potential for growth.
• Significant Event: We are used to curve balls being thrown at us in life, but sometimes life strikes us with a thunderbolt that can shake us up completely. These thunderbolts are what we refer to as significant events. For example:
  • A traumatic experience
  • The death of a loved one
  • Divorce or relationship breakdown
  • Redundancy
  • Becoming a parent
• Role Models and Influential Figures: The presence of role models and influential figures can shape our mindset by providing inspiration, guidance, and a sense of what is possible. Positive role models can instil a growth mindset by demonstrating resilience, determination, and the importance of continuous learning. However not all role models and influential figures are positive. Some can have a negative influence on our mindset such as a controlling or absent parent, a biased teacher or a manipulative leader.
• Social and Peer Influence: The people we surround ourselves with, including friends, colleagues, and mentors, can influence our mindset. Positive, supportive, and growth-oriented social circles can encourage and reinforce a growth mindset, while negative or limiting influences may hinder personal growth.
• Media and External Messages: Media such as television, movies, books, and social media, can shape our mindset by presenting certain narratives, expectations, and societal norms. Being mindful of the media we consume and critically evaluating the messages we receive is essential in creating a healthy and growth-oriented mindset.
  • Which influencer on social media (unknowingly to you) dictates your views?
• Personal Beliefs and Values: Core beliefs and values play a significant role in shaping our mindset. People with beliefs that align with a growth mindset, such as the belief in personal development, resilience, and the ability to learn from failures, are more likely to adopt a growth-oriented mindset. On the flip side, people who are aligned with a fixed mindset, such as fear of failure, lack of accountability and limiting self-beliefs are more likely to adopt a restrictive mindset.
• Self-reflection for Self-awareness: By engaging in self-reflection to develop our self-awareness, enables us to examine and understand our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. This introspection can lead to a deeper understanding of our mindset and the ability to identify and challenge limiting beliefs or negative thought patterns and behaviours.

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Benefits Of A Growth Mindset

Developing a growth mindset takes time and effort. However, the benefits of a growth mindset make it worthwhile as it profoundly changes our lives for the better.

1. Increases Resilience: Life is filled with ups and downs and when faced with adversity or setbacks, we can easily give up. A growth mindset helps us bounce back from setbacks and failures. Instead of viewing challenges as obstacles, with a growth mindset, we see them as opportunities for learning and growth. This resilience allows us to persevere through difficulties and maintain a positive attitude.
2. Embraces Learning and Personal Development: In the words of Albert Einstein: Once you stop learning you start dying. With a growth mindset, we have a need to continuously learn and develop new and existing skills. We see learning as a lifelong journey rather than a fixed endpoint. We are always looking for ways to improve our knowledge and skills, embrace challenges, and actively pursue personal growth.
3. Improves Problem-Solving Abilities: Things in life are seldom just black and white and with a growth mindset, we are more likely to approach problems with a flexible and open mindset. We are willing to try new strategies, seek feedback, and adapt our approach based on the situation. This mindset nurtures our creativity, innovation, and effective problem-solving skills.
4. Increases Motivation and Achievement: We are all motivated by different things and a growth mindset fuels intrinsic motivation and a belief in our ability to improve. With a growth mindset, we are more likely to set challenging goals, face obstacles head-on, and put in the effort needed to achieve success. We live with purpose and stretch ourselves to exceed our expectations and be high-performing.
5. Improves Relationships and Collaboration: Humans are social creatures and having a growth mindset promotes a positive and supportive approach to relationships. With a growth mindset, we are more likely to value and appreciate the efforts and successes of others. This mindset fosters collaboration, teamwork, and a willingness to learn from and help others, leading to stronger and more fulfilling relationships.
6. Reduces Fear of Failure: The fear of failing can be crippling, however with a growth mindset, we view failure as a natural part of the learning process and an opportunity for improvement. Having a growth mindset reduces the fear of failure and encourages us to take calculated risks, explore new opportunities, and step outside of our comfort zones.
7. Brings Greater Adaptability to Change: Change is scary, but having a growth mindset enables us to embrace change and see it as an opportunity for growth rather than a threat. This mindset allows individuals to adapt to new circumstances, embrace new ideas, and navigate transitions with a positive and proactive attitude.

Obstacles That Hinder Personal Growth

Imposter syndrome is a pervasive fear of being exposed as a fraud or phony, despite any genuine success that we have achieved. We don’t want to be found out! This phenomenon often leaves us doubting our abilities and shying away from taking risks or pursuing new opportunities.

Limiting beliefs are ingrained thought patterns that restrict personal growth and can prevent us from realising our full potential. A limiting belief is a thought or state of mind that we think is the absolute truth and stops us from doing certain things. These beliefs don’t always have to be about ourselves, either. They could be about how the world works, ideas, and how we interact with people. Limiting beliefs can change our lives, but never for the better. They create self-doubt that prevents us from chasing after our dreams. They stop us from forming healthy relationships with people. They stop us from creating change in any area of our lives. Having primarily negative beliefs puts boundaries and limitations on things in our lives and keeps us within our comfort zones.

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Top Tips To Overcome Barriers

1. Embrace self-awareness: Recognise and acknowledge your thoughts and self-perceptions. Understand that imposter syndrome and limiting beliefs are common experiences shared by many people. They do not define your abilities or potential.
2. Challenge negative self-talk: When faced with self-doubt, challenge the validity by asking the question: “Is it true”? For example, “I can’t do this”. Replace the negative thoughts with more positive and empowering affirmations for example, “I can’t do this yet”. Remind yourself of past accomplishments and focus on your strengths and growth potential.
3. Fail forward: Embrace failures and setbacks as opportunities for growth. View challenges as learning experiences that can enhance your skills and knowledge.
4. Ask for support and feedback: Surround yourself with individuals who believe in your potential and provide constructive feedback. Engage in mentorship programs, join professional networks, or seek guidance from trusted mentors to gain different perspectives and insights. The key to success here is all feedback is useful, even when it is hard to hear.
5. Set realistic goals: Break down larger goals into smaller, achievable milestones. Celebrate each milestone achieved, as it reinforces a sense of progress and motivates further growth. Don’t forget to stop and reflect on what you have achieved and be proud of what you have accomplished.
6. Build on your self-development: Engage in lifelong learning by pursuing new knowledge. Acquiring new skills. Staying up to date with industry trends. This commitment to personal growth not only enhances your abilities but also opens doors to new opportunities. You have the world at your fingertips with online courses and coaching; books and articles; TED Talks and blogs like this.

Belief Busting:

Belief Busting is one technique that can help you on your growth mindset journey.

STEP 1: Identify a limiting belief you would like to change. Make a list of all of the things you can think of that provide evidence that supports your belief.

STEP 2: Identify an alternative belief that is more empowering. If you’re having a hard time identifying a more empowering belief, ask yourself: What if I believed the opposite? You want to choose a new belief that is believable.

STEP 3: Unstick the emotional superglue. Sometimes we become emotionally attached to our limiting beliefs. We experience benefits or emotional payoffs for keeping our limitations around, which makes them sticky. Ask yourself: What is the emotional payoff for holding onto this belief? Be honest with yourself. Write down everything you can think of that may be an emotional or practical benefit.

Next, ask yourself: do these benefits outweigh the costs of keeping this limitation – Yes or No? If your answer is YES, then you will most likely NOT be able to change this belief because you are too attached to it. If your answer is NO, it’s time to celebrate because you’ve just dissolved the super glue!

STEP 4: Create doubt by reframing your evidence. You believe what you believe because you look at the evidence and come to a conclusion. But what if the evidence was wrong, incomplete, or you just weren’t seeing it clearly? That would make you question your conclusion, and that’s exactly the point of this step. For each piece of evidence you identified for your limiting belief, ask yourself the following questions:

• Could this be untrue?
• Is there more to the story?
• What is an alternative explanation?

STEP 5: Find evidence to support your new belief and build up the supporting evidence to solidify your new belief. You want to build enough evidence that will make this new belief stick. It can take a bit of time to develop and build on this new belief. Sometimes the old limiting thoughts may pop back up. You may need to remind yourself of this new belief multiple times, or even read it to yourself regularly. But through repetition, you will be able to banish that limiting belief for good!

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Wrap up

Change in life is inevitable and you need to nurture your growth mindset to ensure your survival. By understanding the power of the mind, and recognising and overcoming barriers, we can unlock our true potential. It’s never too late to start growing – personal growth is not limited by age or circumstance; it is a lifelong journey of self-discovery and transformation.

Do you want to develop your mindset or support your team’s growth and development? Reach out to info@teallearningsolutions.com and check out our different courses here.

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