Today we are focusing on the idea of “Growth”. In particular, inspired by a book Jeff has been reading by Dr. Carol S. Dweck called “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” today I am going to share with you 6 tips we’ve put together to help you develop a growth mindset in your health and wellness journey.
First, What Is Fixed Mindset Vs. Growth Mindset?
Someone with a “fixed mindset” (either overall, or in specific areas of life) assumes that their skills and talents are natural, static abilities. They believe they were born with a particular capacity for intelligence, wealth, fitness, character, creative ability, etc. and that they cannot change that capacity in any meaningful way over the course of their life.
Someone with a “growth mindset,” on the other hand, thrives on challenge. They believe they can expand their knowledge base, improve themselves, and step out of preconceived notions. They see failure as an opportunity for growth and for stretching their existing abilities.
A lot of our behaviors and, ultimately, our scope for success comes from these two mindsets.
How Do We Change Mindset From Fixed To Growth?
1. Reward action before talent.
Believe in yourself. It may take a while, it may not be easy, but you CAN grow your talents and change. It is never too late! Instead of rewarding traits (“He’s a great basketball player because he’s 8 feet tall.” or “You’re really smart!”), reward actions (He has an incredible jump shot, I can tell he’s worked hard on it.” or “You took a smart approach to solving that problem!”). Whatever you do, don’t blame genetics. You are more than the sum of your parts.
2. Find a role model.
Do you ever feel alone or like you are the only one going through a particular experience? Having a mentor, someone that has overcome similar challenges, can help greatly. Besides sharing their story and opening your mind to ways they rose above obstacles, they can also be a sounding board or a support system as you try to overcome obstacles of your own.
3. Clearly establish your why.
Dweck’s research showed that students with a growth mindset had a greater sense of purpose. Keep the big picture in mind. When going through your health journey be honest with yourself. – Don’t allow yourself to have blanket and arbitrary statements like “I want to lose xx pounds” as your why. Dive in. Remove the numbers and focus on feelings. What do you want to feel like? What do you want to do? – Keep up with your kids? Quit feeling self-conscious in your clothes? Find your why? Knowing your why, can help you greatly focus on the growth needed to get the tasks to that why accomplished.
4. Embrace challenges, failures, and imperfections.
Having a growth mindset means seizing opportunities for self-improvement. Attempt new things, work with different learning strategies to grasp something new, just try. There’s no one-size-fits-all model for growth. What works for one person may not work for you. The biggest thing here is replacing the word “fail” with the word “learn”. If you try something and make a mistake, you didn’t “fail” you “learned something new”, and that is a wonderful thing! Disassociate improvement from failure.
While you’re at it, enjoy the process. Don’t run from your weaknesses or you’ll never overcome them.Work on something little by little, taking your time, enjoy it. When you prioritize approval over learning, you sacrifice your own potential for growth.
5. Embrace the word “yet.”
Learning fast isn’t the same as learning well, and learning well sometimes means allowing time for mistakes. Dweck says “not yet” has become one of her favorite phrases. Whenever you’re struggling with a workout routine or a meal plan that makes you feel great, just tell yourself you haven’t mastered it yet. This doesn’t mean you never will, but it’s a journey. You don’t grow and change habits overnight.
6. Celebrate growth in others.
Once you appreciate growth in yourself, you’ll want to share that appreciation with others. Celebrating others’ success is not only a lot of fun, but it can motivate you to pursue even greater success yourself.
The Giosis are passionate about helping you grow, so we will be focusing on bringing you more growth-minded tips and content. We truly believe growing in your personal health and wellness opens the door for growth everywhere else in your life. When you feel good and treat yourself well, amazing things begin to happen. There are no rules, no restrictions, nothing holding you back. You can grow in anything. Where do you want to start? Figure that out and tell us how we can help you. We are here for you. Message if you want someone to chat with about your wellness journey!
“ It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be.”