How to Have a Growth Mindset

“I can’t do that, I am not smart enough, I don’t have enough time, I am just not good at that, I am not lucky like them.” Did you know that all of these are examples of a fixed mindset and this type of mindset doesn’t get you far in life? If you are wondering how to go from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset keep reading as I share steps on how to go from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. 

There were many times in my life when I had to shift my mindset from a fixed mindset to growth mindset. One of those times was when I made the decision to leave the Amish culture (listen to the full story here). I had to have a growth mindset in order to see that even though everyone was telling me not to leave and it looked impossible at the time I didn’t let that hold me back from doing it. I didn’t stay in the fixed mindset of “I don’t know how or this is too hard or this is unfair that I am going through this”. If I would have stayed in that fixed mindset I wouldn’t be where I am at right now.

The first step to having a growth mindset is understanding what the difference is between having growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. If you are not sure what the difference is, check out this video where I explain the difference between the two different mindsets. 

After you understand the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset then you can take the following steps to work towards having a growth mindset which will help you go much further in life than a fixed mindset ever will.  

Awareness. Most of the time we aren’t even aware that we have a fixed mindset on something unless someone points it out to us. This is why it is so important to have a level of awareness. It will help you see where you are having a fixed mindset so you can shift it into a growth mindset instead. If you are not aware of your thoughts and beliefs that are of a fixed mindset then you won’t be able to have a growth mindset. You can’t fix or change things that you are not aware of. Take time to be aware of the thoughts and beliefs that are running through your head, write them down or record them on a voice recorder. 

Get honest with yourself. It’s easy for us to be in denial where we are at with our thoughts and beliefs. As long as we are not honest with ourselves then we really don’t have to show up and do the work and as long as no one knows then we don’t have to be held accountable for it. However if we get honest with ourselves we can see where we are in a fixed mindset and where we need to shift things and start taking action. 

Ask questions and get curious. Ask yourself why you think the way you are thinking or have the beliefs that you have. Where did the thoughts and beliefs come from? Where did the programming come from and does it serve you? If it doesn’t serve you ask yourself how you can shift the thoughts and beliefs to come from a place of growth. Keep asking questions and if you still don’t get an answer ask a better question. (Check out this podcast episode on how to ask a better question.)

Start shifting your views and perceptions. How are you viewing the challenges in your life, hard or as growing and learning? Do you view failures and mistakes as negative things instead of growth? Have an open mind on things. Look at the things that you view as the only way they should be and ask yourself if that is really the way it should be or could there be another way? 

Stop seeking approval from others. You don’t need anyone’s approval to do what you want to do. A fixed mindset will think that you need approval from someone else but a growth mindset will not need approval from others. Ask yourself where you are seeking approval and why you are doing it.

Take responsibility for yourself. It is really easy to blame all our circumstances on others and we can even justify why we are doing it but the reality is, you need to take responsibility for where you are at. It doesn’t matter what happened to you in the past or where you came from, you are still responsible for where you are at and the direction you are headed too. Drop the blame and commit to taking responsibility for where you are at right now and the direction you are going in regardless of the past and your present situation.

Keep working on it. Take time to do the work each day, even if it is five minutes a day. Commit to showing up and working on your mindset. Mindset takes work and like anything else that you are trying to improve in life, you have to keep putting the work in to get the results that you want to get.

Let me know in the comments below what you are going to implement today to have a growth mindset.