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Which Mindset Are You?

Which Mindset Are You?
Written by Elaine J.
February 5th, 2010
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Mindsets are beliefs. They are the beliefs people have about themselves, including beliefs on their basic qualities, talents, personality, and intelligence. There are two types of mindset in this world. The first type belongs to people who believe that these qualities are fixed (unchangeable) traits which have been given to them from the beginning. They do not realize that these qualities can be developed upon because they are clouded by their closed mindset.

The second type of mindset belongs to people who believe that the qualities they posses are the qualities they have been given to start with, and they can hone these qualities and make them (and in turn themselves) better. They believe that whatever talents or intelligence they posses can be cultivated through a life of hard work and practice. This mindset is known as the growth mindset.

The fixed mindset tends to leave people in a stagnant state in terms of growth and development as a person. Since they believe talents and intelligence are a given, they believe that if you have it then you are set, and if you don’t then you are unfortunate. They do not see that those who are presently less talented than they can actually surpass them if they worked on it. So instead of trying to better their given talents, they spend time making sure the talents and intelligence they already possess do not go away. As a result, they always seem like they have something to prove. Surely you can recognize the type.

Growth mindset, on the other hand, does not care about how much talent or intelligence you begin with. It focuses, rather, on what you can do with these talents and intelligence. They see their qualities as things that can be developed because they understand and know that the people in history who’ve been considered the greatest, smartest, and best, actually all got there through hard work, dedication, and a passion for growth and being better than they currently are. People with a growth mindset are never stagnant, they are always moving and changing for the better.

Given the two very different mindsets, it’s easy to see how there are times when brains and talent can actually get in the way of a person’s success. Sometimes what is really needed is a shift in the way one views their abilities; not as unchanging talents, but as skills that can be further perfected all the time. Success needs effort behind it, and only the growth mindset understands this.

Article Written by Karen L. Brooks