Trying new things can be hard as you may have set expectations for yourself. You may want to try something new like a diet or workout plan. Another experience could be a difficulty with a task at work or home. You may have developed a poor attitude and feel like giving up quickly due to frustration. Are you saying things like “I’m not good enough, this is too hard, I can’t do this?” If you are, you’re stuck in a fixed mindset.

The Fixed Mindset

A fixed mindset occurs when you feel down about yourself and you give up trying. It can sneak in upon you while watching others succeed or getting negative feedback. When you hit a wall you easily back down from the challenge. A fixed mindset lets you believe you can only do so much and are not good enough. Being in a fixed mindset is only going to deter your process. For instance, if you are not doing something because you feel like you will fail, your mindset is fixed. Thinking something is too hard and quitting after the first try is also a fixed mindset. For you to feel better and achieve these tasks or goals you must change how you think.

Growth mindset

Developing a growth mindset is hard for most people as you are the ultimate decider of your fate. You are in charge of where your happiness goes and what you want to achieve. It will take time, but consistency and hard work will ultimately help you succeed. A growth mindset looks at challenges as a way to learn, obstacles as a stepping stone, criticism as a form of perspective, and improving in the future. Watching others succeed should only drive your motivation more!

Developing the Mindset

Now how do you develop this mindset you may ask? Well you must begin looking at situations from a different perspective. When you start a task and it becomes hard or you begin to struggle to step back and encourage yourself to think positively. Thinking ‘what am I missing? Or I can use a different strategy to succeed’ these thoughts will guide you to look at things differently. Now I know failing may be discouraging I get it I have been there. Letting this one failure affect how you proceed is what will slow you down from improving and learning. Having a growth mindset lets a person improve and grow as a person. They are more new things to try, more opportunities to be creative, and seek challenges.

Challenges

One of the main challenges of having a growth mindset is the people around you. If you receive negative feedback many people absorb the information and it affects your process. When you adopt the growth mindset you take this information and process it making sure that you learn from the criticism and use it as an opportunity to improve. People around you may say you can’t do it or it’s too difficult for you. That is when you adopt the ‘I can do this mentality’, and I will do it even it takes time. Believing in yourself is a vital part of the mindset. Making yourself a priority and doing what is right for you.

Changing the Thinking

Fixed Mindset	Growth Mindset
I can’t do this.	I can do this, or I can learn to do this.
It is too hard.	It may take me some extra time, but I will keep looking for a solution.
I always make mistakes.	I can learn from my mistakes and improve the next time.
I give up.	Let me take a break and approach it with a different strategy later.
I can’t figure it out.	Step back. What could I be missing?
My friend is great at it and I suck.	Maybe my friend can teach me to be better.
It’s good enough… I guess.	Could I have done better?

I have used the Growth Mindset to overcome the fear of failure. Sometimes just giving up is just going to hold you back. When I developed the growth mindset it helped me overcome my fears and begin doing things I love. This mindset has helped me gain the confidence to begin writing and sharing how I have come to be happier with myself. It has also encouraged me to spend more time in the gym and achieve some of my fitness goals. I hope by not giving up and trying new things you will challenge yourself to grow and learn about yourself for future endeavours. I hope you have gained a new perspective on the challenges you face and use this positive approach the next time you can!