YOUR MINDSET: The Factor That Determines Your Failure Or Success In Life
Having the growth mindset (the belief that you are in control of your own ability, and can learn and improve) is the key to your successful breakthrough. Yes; your prayer, hard work, perseverance and persistence are all important; but they are not as important as having that underlying belief that you are the only one, in control; of your own life, shape and destiny.'
It's known as cultivating the growth mindset for success: which means to develop a "positive mental attitude." Success is a journey and not a destination, it is a lifestyle and never an event. So don't dare to think that you'll soon arrive at some place, called success...
There are no failures in life, we only have a bunch of men and women that have not learn the ways of success: this is one big truth that most people won't like to believe, but it does not stop it from being the truth that it is. Failure and success are both the product of one's mindset. Failure is never the writing off of success, but a pointer to success; where success is not what you become but who you are. The Bible admonishes that you train up a child [a success] in the way that he or she should go, so that when they are old; they will not depart from it. (See Proverbs 22:6).
Success has a way; and you must learn it, if you wish to succeed in anything that you have found to do. Jesus has told us that He is the way... (John 14:6). The only differentiating factor between success and failure is the mindset: what is mindset? It is the way, in which a person's mind is programmed or conditioned to work; believe, conceive, process and deliver...
It is very important to note, here; that the human mind is a very powerful tool: everything you do as a person, has a link to your mind; and that, is what determines whether a person will fail or succeed...
There are, however, two types of mindset; according to Carol Dweck, (Professor of Psychology at Stanford University), she discovered the two types of the mindset that we have; as the fixed mindset and growth mindset. Simply put, the fixed mindset is a limited or MINDSET; but the growth mindset is unlimited.
THE TWO TYPES OF MINDSET...
The difference between humans, whether they are black, white, Indian or colored; is basically, the quality and size of their respective minds. The mind is the faculty of thinking; in the humanity, it is the processing room of a human being and the most powerful organ, of any living thing.
The animals, both the domestic and wild beasts, do also have minds, but theirs are not as organized, creative, functional and intelligent, as that of a human being. The human mind is very powerful. The human mind can believe, conceive, process and deliver anything and everything that it can receive; which is the main reason why the Bible admonished that we should mount guard over it. (See Proverbs 4:23).
The root of the English word "mind" is of a Latin origin. The word is "Anim:" it is the derivative of the word "animal." An animal is a living creature that can move, breath, communicate and interact; with their kind and the others that's coexisting with them, in the ecosystem.
An ecosystem is simply an environment, where living organisms live, in coexistence with each other: broadly defined, it can be referred to as the universe; yes, the earth is an ecosystem. The earth is made up of majorly three elements; the air, the land and the seas. And we have animals that strive in the air, the ones that survive on the land and others that strive and survive inside of the seas: we equally have the humans; that strive as the animals, also; in the air, the land and the seas...
The humans were the only creatures that's given the authority to control the earth and the circumstances of it. But then, there are mainly two classes of the human beings; the intelligent and the unintelligent: the intelligent humans are those that has the growth or flexible mindset, while the unintelligent ones have the fixed or static mindset.
The fact that we mainly have two classes of human beings, suggests the two types of mindset that we have been taught about by Prof. Carol Dweck; the Fixed Mindset and the Growth Mindset. The Fixed Mindset is the mind that is fixed or static, in reasoning; it referrers to the mind that have been programmed and conditioned to think in a particular way, believing that it cannot advance or grow. The Growth Mindset, on the other hand, refer to the mind that is flexible ad advanced in reasoning. It is a mindset that is not limited, it believes that there's always room for advancing. It is also known as the "success mindset", while the fixed mindset is seen as the "failure mindset."
THE MINDSET
The mindset is defined as the established set of attitudes held by someone, the set of pattern or principles; in which a person's mental attitude is conditioned or programmed to think and function. Everything that a person will be or do, will be from the programming or condition of the person's mind: the mind is a very powerful tool, it is the thinking faculty of the humanity. The mind is an information-processing entity.
A mindset is a series of self-perceptions or beliefs people hold about themselves. These determine behavior, outlook and mental attitude. For example, believing you are either 'intelligent' or 'unintelligent'. Two mindsets have been identified by Carol Dweck, (Professor of Psychology at Stanford University).
A person's usual attitude or mental state is his or her mindset. If you have an environmentalist mindset, you probably bring your own bags to the grocery store... Sometimes, a mindset spreads between people in a group and colors the entire group's outlook - psychologists call this group-think.
According to Dweck, there are two basic mindsets: fixed and growth.
Mindset -- a strong and positive one -- is essential to developing healthy self-esteem. It is an important tool that affects our daily self-dialogue and reinforces our most intimate beliefs, attitudes and feelings about ourselves.
Our mindset affects how we see the world. If yours is distorted, so will be the way you see yourself and others. Our beliefs and thoughts shape the way we behave, even if we don't realize it. Developing the right mindset is crucial to succeeding in life.
Your mindset is rooted in your experiences, education, and culture from which you form thoughts which establish beliefs and attitudes. Those thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes lead to certain actions and with those actions you have experiences. Those experiences gives your mind new information to process.
The mind is one thing that has always fascinated and puzzled us. It is the only thing that we can be certain of existing, yet, apparently, we do not know exactly what it is, how it occurs, and why it occurs. This is in contrast to things outside the mind, such as houses, cars, and even other people, which we cannot be certain that they really exist – they may be just illusions – yet, apparently, we know what they are, how they occur, and why they occur. What is more, the phenomena of qualia and consciousness, such as the red color as it appears phenomenally red in our mind and our phenomenal conscious awareness and experience of that red color, have always been baffling – what is their nature, how and why do they occur, and cannot there be just the mind without them?
Fortunately, with centuries of studying these matters, first by philosophers and later also by neurologists, neuroscientists, and other scientists in related fields, we now have a wealth of scientific evidence and concepts that are complete enough to form a theory that can answer these great puzzles.
The Basic Theory of the Mind
Based on this wealth of scientific evidence and concepts, the theory has been formed. Its essence is as follows:
1. From the physical properties of the mind and those of the brain (the alive, processing brain), it can be concluded that the mind always occurs, exists, and functions with the brain and that the brain always occurs, exists, and functions with the mind. Both never occur alone without the other. They are a unity. Each is the intrinsic, equivalent, but different (non-material vs material) aspect of this unity. (Chapter 1)
2. From the physical properties of the mind and those of the brain’s information-processing processes, which are non-material processes, it can be concluded that the mind is the composite of the information-processing processes of the brain
GROWTH MINDSET...
“Mindsets are an important part of your personal, but you can change them. Just by knowing the two mindsets, you can start thinking and reacting in new ways.” Here are some pragmatic ways to cultivate a Growth mindset: Choose a Growth mindset.
Remember, I told us that there are mainly two classes of the human being; the ones that are intelligent and the unintelligent ones.
Those intelligent ones, are the ones that have cultivated the growth mindset; for success, while the unintelligent ones; are possessing the fixed mindset, which is why they are limited in productivity.
Scholars are deeply gratified when their ideas catch on. And they are even more gratified when their ideas make a difference — improving motivation, innovation, or productivity, for example. But popularity has a price: people sometimes distort ideas, and therefore fail to reap their benefits. This has started to happen with my research on “growth” versus “fixed” mindsets among individuals and within organizations.
To briefly sum up the findings: Individuals who believe their talents could be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts). This is because they worry less about looking smart and they put more energy into learning. When entire companies embrace a growth mindset, their employees report feeling far more empowered and committed; they also receive far greater organizational support for collaboration and innovation. In contrast, people at primarily fixed-mindset companies report more of only one thing: cheating and deception among employees, presumably to gain an advantage in the talent race.
FIXED MINDSET...
What is a Fixed Mindset. A fixed mindset describes children (and adults) who believe their intelligence, talents and personalities are fixed traits that cannot grow. They believe we are born with a certain level of ability (or special skills) and we are unable to improve our level abilities over time.
The fixed mindset is the most common and the most harmful, so it's worth understanding and considering how it's affecting you. For example: In a fixed mindset, you believe “She's a naturally born singer” or “I'm just not good at dancing.”
A fixed mindset means you believe intelligence, talent, and other qualities are innate and unchangeable. If you're not good at something, you typically think you will never be good at it. Not surprisingly, your mindset plays a major role in your motivation, resilience, and achievement.
In a fixed mindset, people believe their qualities are fixed traits and therefore cannot change. These people document their intelligence and talents rather than working to develop and improve them. They also believe that talent alone leads to success, and effort is not required.
Well, while growth mindset communicates that you can change yourself and the world around you, your fixed mindset helps you realize that sometimes you need to take care of certain responsibilities, even if you don't want to do them. It helps you with fitting into the world and the ways of society.
A fixed-minded person usually avoids challenges in life, gives up easily, and becomes intimidated or threatened by the success of other people. This is in part because a fixed mindset doesn't see intelligence and talent as something you develop—it's something you "are". Fixed mindsets can lead to negative thinking.
How Can You Change a Fixed Mindset?
1. Do Not Blame. ...
2. Aim for Self-Awareness. ...
3. Avoid Negative, Fixed Mindset Self-Talk. ...
4. Ask for Feedback (and listen to it) ...
5. Do Not Overreact to Failure (keep it in perspective) ...
6. Reflect and Reassess. ...
7. Do Not Compare. ...
8. Celebrate Effort (process not product)
GROWTH MINDSET VERSUS FIXED MINDSET...
Science once told us that the human brain stops developing in childhood, however, we now know that the brain is constantly evolving and changing. Many parts of the brain respond to experiences and our ‘software’ can be updated through learning.
Despite the neurological facts, some people still think that you’re stuck with the talents and ‘smarts’ you’re born with. Psychologist Carol Dweck, from Stanford University, was the first researcher to explore the idea of fixed and growth mindsets.
In Dr. Dweck’s seminal work, she described the two main ways people think about intelligence or ability as having either:
A fixed mindset: in this mindset, people believe that their intelligence is fixed and static.
A growth mindset: in this mindset, people believe that intelligence and talents can be improved through effort and learning.
People with a fixed mindset typically believe that their level of intelligence and abilities are innate. In Dr. Dweck’s own words, fixed mindset people beleive that “they have a certain amount [of intelligence] and that's that, and then their goal becomes to look smart all the time and never look dumb”.
For people with a growth mindset, however, they understand that not knowing or not being good at something can be a temporary state—so they don’t have to feel ashamed or try to prove they’re smarter than they currently are.
Dweck states that in a growth mindset, “students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching, and persistence.”
SEVEN STEPS TO DEVELOPING YOUR SUCCESS GROWTH MINDSET...
Your mindset is the sum total of all your attitudes, points of view, and beliefs, as well as your feelings; about yourself and your abilities...
Now, we’ll look at seven ways for anyone; from kids to adults, to get in touch with their growth mindset. You can make your mindset stronger by gaining some more knowledge of yourself and what makes you tick.
1. Listen To Your Self-Talk: you will need to become aware of your self-talk, the ongoing voice in your head. Almost everyone has an internal monologue. Paying attention to it may seem difficult. Yet the prize or reward, is increasing the amounts of self-knowledge you can use and apply. This results in a much more powerful you.
When you become aware of your inner monologue, you can erase and replace the thoughts that don’t help you.
Furthermore, listening to your self-talk can make you much stronger as a thinker and a communicator.
2. Be Focused On Your Work: Learn how to do focused work -- doing work without distraction. The cell phone has proved to be a major distraction from work. If your phone takes your attention away from your necessary tasks, get into the habit of turning it off whenever you have any type of focused work to do.
It may not be easy to turn off your phone. Many high school and college kids say it’s the hardest thing for them to do. Why? Because they’re so used to indulging in distractions, or because they’re afraid they’ll miss messages from friends or family.
Adults often have the same issue, known as FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
At least try 30 minutes or more at a time without your phone. Unless you have an emergency brewing, you can always afford to miss messages for that long.
You can do your best if you concentrate on your work without distraction.
Do you realize how few people do focused work when at home? Can you turn off your phone and stay away from the refrigerator, the TV, and other distractions?
Do this, and you can excel at your work of any kind. You can be at the top of your game.
3. Be Smart In Your Work: don’t work harder, but work smarter. If you’re not accomplishing what you’re after, don’t think that harder work by itself is going to make the difference. Instead, figure out how you can approach your work in some different and more creative ways.
For example, find out what part of the work is most interesting to you. Then do that part first. Get involved with it deeply. Chances are the other bits and pieces are then going to become more interesting.
According to the business experts, the concept of hard work is overrated...
4. Don't Avoid Challenges: learn how to embrace every challenge that shows up in your work.
Can you be honest with yourself?
Acknowledge any bad habits, lack of interest, or areas of boredom you may have. That’s the first half. The second half is to replace them with positive habits and interests.
If you’re a student, campus counselors can help you with such issues. Make an appointment at the Counseling Center to discuss your problems with boredom. Students are incredibly fortunate to have free and easy access to trained therapists.
Do you avoid challenges? Would you rather stick with what you’re used to, instead of trying new things? If that’s true of you, your mindset is at least partially a fixed one, that is, a somewhat frozen and closed one.
When you have a growth mindset, you always embrace new ideas and new ways to work...
5. Don't Seek Approval From People: don’t look for the approval of others to validate you. Become more independent.
Focus on how you can support your own learning and growth....
In our society, for you to succeed in the workplace, sometimes you must have validation from people in authority.
However, if you’re in the habit of seeking the approval of others in your personal life, you’ll find satisfaction hard to get.
Instead, seek ways to get more self-validation.
Accomplish something valuable to you, perhaps something you’ve been avoiding. Then congratulate yourself, sincerely and with feeling. That way you’ll be validating yourself, and you’ll be ready to go forward.
You may be proud of yourself, but don’t allow yourself to look down on anyone.
What do you gain from feeling superior?
It’s important to remember that nearly everyone has great amounts of positive potential waiting to be put into effect.
Many people don’t understand that about themselves. However, just a glimmer of realizing this can open a person to pursuing new and greater things for themselves.
Many people are success stories waiting to happen. You can be one of them...
6. Let The Excellence Of Other People Inspire You: be inspired by the greatness of others. Contemplate what others have done for themselves, and let it help you feel more confident about what you can do.
When you think of someone great, find out how they went about accomplishing their greatness. Then reflect on how you can accomplish your own.
Say to yourself, “If she can do it, so can I.”
If you’re striving for excellence, you might keep pictures of people you admire for their creativity and determination. You can post these pictures on your wall, on your online pages, etc.
You can also read books by and about those people.
Your appreciation of these people can help you be more positive and more creative.
Appreciate yourself for appreciating others!
7. Learn How To Read And Write: become enthusiastic about reading and writing.
Research shows that many highly successful people read, or at least skim through as many as fifty books a year, Also note that high achievers not only read about their areas of interest, but they also write about them.
They write personal journals, blog posts, letters to editors, letters to friends and associates, and more. They even write books. Yet they don’t necessarily think of themselves as writers. They do see themselves as communicators. They’re always sharing, communicating, and asking for feedback about what they write.
One of the best ways to enhance your mindset is to start your own blog or website. You don’t have to be an executive or a great writer to do this.
Even if you’re just a student or a young professional, use the Internet to go public with your goals and dreams.
Don’t worry if what you write is not always perfect.
Make yourself visible! Go online. Create a blog or a YouTube channel. It’s a great confidence booster and attitude enhancer.
You may be surprised how happy this kind of self-expression can make you...
TEN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROWTH MINDSET AND THE FIXED MINDSET...
A growth mindset means that you believe your intelligence and talents can be developed over time. A fixed mindset means that you believe intelligence is fixed-- so if you're not good at something, you might believe you'll never be good at it.
Growth and fixed mindsets are both discussed by Carol Dweck, a researcher on human motivation.
Such self-conceptions are crucial in self-regulation and the ability to improve.
A fixed mindset entails the belief of static traits and that talent is the key to achievement. On the other hand, a growth mindset involves hard work and the zest for improvement which is correlated with success.
The following discussions further look into their distinctions...
The ten differences between the growth and fixed mindset include...
1. Challenges:-
A fixed mindset views challenges as threats since it prefers comfort zones while a growth mindset looks at them as opportunities for learning.
2. Weaknesses:-
People with a growth mindset acknowledge their weaknesses which makes them wiser. By knowing what they have to improve on and their limitations, they can better adjust their learning styles. On the other hand, those with a fixed mindset deny their weaknesses and are often intimidated to do something about them.
3. Goals:-
Having a growth mindset harnesses optimistic yet realistic goals since you become more comfortable in dealing with your weaknesses. However, having a fixed mindset often leads to pessimistic and/or unrealistic objectives as limitations usually overshadow possibilities.
4. Intelligence:-
A fixed mindset views intelligence as something pretty much set for each person since it believes that someone is born either smart or stupid. On the other hand, a growth mindset considers the brain as capable of change and thinks of intelligence as largely capable of amelioration.
5. Peer Pressure:-
Individuals with a fixed mindset often yield in response to peer pressure as they often seek social approval while those with a growth mindset stick to their goals and are largely courageous in not sacrificing their potentials.
6. Persistence:-
People with a fixed mindset easily give up and they tend to think, “what’s the point?”. On the contrary, those with a growth mindset keep in mind that they have long-term goals which guide their current decisions and efforts.
7. Traits:-
A fixed mindset puts the spotlight on traits as it assesses a person’s potentials based on inherited characteristics while a growth mindset evaluates aptitudes as founded on experience and practice.
8. Locus of Control:-
Those with a fixed mindset get swallowed up by their failures and often attribute them to external factors such as luck, weather, and authorities. As for those having a growth mindset, they see failures as enlightening experiences which can make them wiser and they have the empowered view to take control of situations since their locus of control is internal.
9. New Tasks:-
Having a fixed mindset often leads to fear in response to new tasks since challenges are seen as avenues for downfall. On the contrary, having a growth mindset generates excitement in the face of unfamiliar projects as these are seen as chances for improvement.
10. Reflection:-
As compared to those with a fixed mindset, those with a growth mindset more often practice reflection on their day to day experiences to maximize their learning.
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