Viktor Frankl, an Austrian Holocaust survivor psychiatrist wrote: “When we cannot change the situation we face, the challenge is to change ourselves.”
Let's reflect:
Do you find yourself in situations where you don't know how to move on?
Are you facing challenges that seem insurmountable?
Are you afraid of failure and that's why you don't consider new opportunities?
If so, you may have adopted a fixed mindset that makes you unable to face challenges and overcome setbacks. People with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities are unchanging, while people with a growth mindset are open to learning and adapting.
In this article, we share tips for developing a growth mindset by recognizing our strengths and weaknesses. We also offer strategies for accepting challenges and setbacks as opportunities for personal growth. We encourage you to listen to the episode to learn more about developing a positive self-image and cultivating a growth mindset.
What is the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset?
A Fixed Mindset person holds that intelligence, character, and creativity are static qualities; they believe they were "born" with certain talents, abilities, or intelligence levels and that they will no longer change.
In contrast, the person with a Growth Mindset believes that they can always improve. Trust in personal success based on effort and work to give your best at that time. He builds on what he has achieved, stepping up his skill levels and expertise.
More broadly, fixed mindsets believe that abilities are unchangeable. This thinking leads to low self-esteem, fear of failure, and makes it difficult for people to take risks and move forward in life.
While growth mindsets believe that skills can be developed and improved with effort and practice. They rely on trial and error. And when it is necessary to fall, get up and continue.
People with this mindset are focused on learning and see challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles. They recognize their strengths and weaknesses and remain open to learning new things and growing from them. With a growth mindset, people take risks. They face setbacks because they believe that any challenge can be conquered with determination and hard work. They accept them as opportunities for personal growth. They see mistakes as part of the process and an opportunity to learn rather than something to be ashamed of. No matter how daunting it may seem, they know that if they put in enough effort anything is possible!
People with a fixed mindset avoid risks. They tend to give up easily. They tend to be more concerned with appearing smart rather than developing intelligence through learning experiences. They experience more stress when faced with difficult tasks. They believe that they cannot change their skill set. This prevents them from acting to overcome the obstacles that come their way.
Those with a growth mindset are more focused on learning new skills that will lead to success in whatever endeavor they undertake, whether it's mastering a language or taking on a new job role at work.
What can we do to develop an open mind to learning? According to experts in this field, it is vital to accept challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth. Because life is full of difficulties. If we fall on the first try and stay there, we are headed for failure. It's like when we were learning to walk. We didn't walk on the first try. We fell many times. Many others use supports such as walkers, the wall, a chair until we finally walk without falling and on our own. Neither you nor I gave up, because we walked!!! So, understanding that failure is part of the learning process, we can use every setback as an opportunity to learn and grow. The first step is therefore to look for lessons in every setback. Acknowledging mistakes is difficult, but it is necessary if we are to learn from them and move forward. Ask yourself what you could have done differently and how you can improve your performance in the future. Instead of staying in the wrong and blaming yourself for what didn't go well. Doing this will help you stay focused on improvement instead of dwelling on the negative. Second, set realistic goals and expectations. It's important to challenge yourself with goals that are achievable, but go beyond your usual limits and without setting yourself up for failure. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and keep your motivation high so you don't get discouraged or overwhelmed by bigger tasks. Third, recognizing our strengths and weaknesses helps us better identify our potential and find areas for improvement. For example, it helps to be aware of what triggers negative thoughts about ourselves and to analyze the root cause of those thoughts. It could be past experiences or comments from others that have led you to believe that you are not capable of success. Once we understand the reason behind our doubt, it is important to combat it with action.
What can we do to succeed with the challenges and obstacles that surround us?
Accepting challenges and setbacks is key. By viewing them as opportunities to learn and grow, you'll be more likely to overcome them.
Feedback is essential for personal growth. If you're not open to hearing what others have to say, you'll never be able to improve.
Positive self-talk is a fantastic way to build self-confidence and keep negativity at bay. Affirmations like "I am capable of reaching this goal" or "I will succeed no matter what" can help us stay focused on the task and remind us of our potential for success.
A growth mindset doesn't mean things will always be easy. You have to work hard if you want to see results.
Rome wasn't built in a day and neither are successful people. It takes time to reach your goals, so be patient and don't give up.
Change your negative words or thoughts to positive ones, for example: if you say "I give up"; try "I'm going to do it another way"; or if you think "This is too difficult"; try "This will take longer than I thought." "Luisa is better than me" say "I'm going to learn from Luisa"
It's important to celebrate your progress, however small. This will help you stay motivated and focused on your goals.
Finally, creating an action plan for personal growth is essential to developing a growth mindset. Setting goals that push us out of our comfort zone, but are achievable with hard work and dedication. Also, we should consistently challenge ourselves by setting new goals as soon as we achieve the ones set before them, this ensures that we are constantly striving for something bigger than ourselves.
By understanding our own strengths and weaknesses, recognizing triggers for negative thinking, combating self-doubt with positive affirmations, and creating an action plan for personal development, we can develop a growth mindset that will enable us to reach new heights in any endeavor we undertake! let's chase!
Remember that changing a fixed mindset to a growth one is a process that takes time and effort and continuous dedication. Developing a growth mindset doesn't happen overnight, but if you stay consistent, eventually your hard work will pay off!
Start by doing the necessary, then the possible, and suddenly you find yourself doing the impossible.”
San Francisco de Asis
