Do you often try new things and push yourself into uncharted territory in your development?

Or do you tend to stick with what you know?

Your answer to these questions reveals your mindset.

Let’s explore what these mindsets really mean.  Why are they important?  How to determine which one you have?  And how to change your mindset.

Fixed Versus Growth Mindset

In a fixed mindset, people believe they are either born with talent or they’re not. They’re naturally good at something or they’re not. For these people, intelligence is a fix trait.

Individuals with a growth mindset believe talent comes through effort. They believe anyone can be good at anything; that their abilities can be developed through dedication, perseverance and the right strategy.

Individuals with a fixed mindset seek to validate themselves.  With a growth mindset, you focus on developing yourself.

In a growth mindset, you believe you can develop any ability through dedication and hard work. Because of this belief, you have a desire to learn.

Self-Test

Carol Dweck offers a self-test in her Mindset Book.

Read each of the following statements and decide whether you mostly agree or disagree with it:

1. Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t change very much.
2. You can learn new things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are.
3. No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit.
4. You can always substantially change how intelligent you are.

Questions 1 and 2 reflect a fixed-mindset. Questions 3 and 4 point to a growth mindset.

Which mindset do you have?

Okay, now comes the fun part — at least, from a growth-mindset perspective.

How You Can Change Your Mindset

Let’s say you identify that you have a fixed mindset in a particular area of your life. What can you do about it?

As you now know the distinction between a growth and fixed mindsets, this gives you a new choice.

You can become more creative, more intelligent, more athletic, more artistic, and more successful by focusing on the process, not the outcome.

So, instead of worrying about winning the championship, commit to the process of training like a champion. If you are worrying about writing a bestselling book, commit to the process of publishing your ideas on a consistent basis. Instead of worrying about getting six pack abs, commit to the process of eating healthy each day.

It’s not about the result, it’s about building the identity of the type of person who gets to enjoy those results.