Having a fixed mindset can be harmful to a person’s wellbeing and mental health. It can also slow progression with work and mental growth. Living and learning to grow and improve ourselves is normal and healthy but it helps to have a growth mindset, but how can this be achieved? Many people believe that you can’t develop a growth mindset, but that you are born with or without it. This is where they are wrong, it isn’t easy but there are many ways to help you develop a growth mindset.
Recognise your weaknesses.
Being able to acknowledge and accept your weaknesses is extremely difficult, but the rewards are worth it. By recognising your weaknesses, you can learn to live with them and put them aside, or you can overcome them by focussing your energy onto it.
Seeking approval
In todays modern world, we are all guilty of seeking approval from others, but this is very detrimental to your wellbeing and self-esteem. The younger generations are most prone to this as they have grown up with the constant presence of social media. This has affected lots of lives, and although it is a fantastic tool, it is important not to abuse it and let it control you. Many people don’t recognise that they are critical of yourself. They don’t seek approval from other but themselves, and this can be even more damaging. Make sure you find the balance between self-motivation from self-criticism.
Patience
Having a growth mindset involves a developing a wide variety of traits, one of the most important being patience. If you are working towards a goal and it is taking longer than usual, you must be patient. The goal is not the only achievement, but also what you are gaining from the process and journey to achieving the goal.
Take risks
One of the most common barriers stopping people from developing a growth mindset is fear. Taking risks is a scary thing, it’s why we feel the way we do about it, but without risk there is no reward. It does sound cliché but not taking risks is knowingly missing out on opportunities to grow and develop yourself as a person. Go into things with confidence and an open mind.
We recently discussed ways to cultivate a growth mindset in our most recent podcast. To learn more about growth mindsets, the benefits and more ways to help you get there, visit our podcast page, or search us on all major podcast outlets.