The next powerful addition to your life toolkit
Defining Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is a lens that allows you to see any challenge as conquerable. It comes from brian’s attribute of neuroplasticity, the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. Our brain is a muscle and it only gets stronger by training it. Essentially growth mindset = the attitude one can master anything you put your mind to (by practicing and training)
Excelling in Math class is the perfect example of how a growth mindset works. You can only ace your math exam if you have practiced solving questions beforehand.
It is to also be noted that there will always be skills and talents you are naturally good at. But that can’t limit the skill set you can develop. On the same note, your natural talents won’t be any good if you don’t practice them.
Practice is key here.
Doors open when you’re in growth mode
A growth mindset truly opens almost all doors. When you approach any task with the mindset that you can do it, you will truly do it. Often people hold themselves back from experiences and opportunities because it’s not their thing or they don’t know about it. That limits their ability to grow → hence not practicing a growth mindset. Growth mindset also gives you the independence to be able to do things on your own as you feel confident you’ll figure out whatever that’s hard to do.
Growth mindsets help you realize that there is no cap on growth. Truly. I often hear people hype themselves up by saying ‘These are my growing years’ referring to the 16–30-ish age range. They have already convinced themselves that after hitting 30 something, I can only stay or be one thing or person. Most people above 55 lose the will to keep up with the latest trends (in technology or otherwise) because they have convinced themselves their learning time is over. SO many times I have had my parents depend on us (the kids) on operating a computer or their own gadget.
Growth mindset is an asset now more than ever.
A growth mindset was never before as important as it is now. As Yuval Harrair puts it, our immediate future will have no constant but change. Professionals will dissolve and appear within a decade. If we have to live relevant lives, practicing a growth mindset is the only way. One should have the mental agility to cope with changes and adapt to them. Learning quickly is a key skill we all should work on.
Making growth mindset our worldview:
Practicing a growth mindset starts from changing the narrative. What you tell yourself is important, and what you have to tell yourself is that you can do anything. My mother says this often about getting things done, ‘ You have to make up your mind’s mind’. Start by reframing your learning status from, “ I can’t do this “ to “ I can’t do this yet.” Simply rephrasing your sentence tricks you into believing that you can do it, it’s just a matter of when.
See failures as opprtunities for learning and growth. Here reflection and then action is important. You’ll only ‘fail’ if you don’t apply what you learned. Being open to feedback and criticism is important too, it helps you identify your blind spots.
Reflection can help you be intentional about what you can do better. At the end of every day, ask yourself:
- What did I learn today?
- What is the best thing I did today?
- What can I do better tomorrow?
This will help you grow on a day-to-day basis and help you move closer to achieving your goals.
Hey! Thank you so much for reading this. Hope you found it valuable.
I am Mahnoor, a 15 y/o ambitious kid from Pakistan. I am constantly learning about the world and myself and often write about the passions I develop. My interests include Nanotechnology, SDGs, tech for good, mindset development to name a few.
You can find out what I have been up to here, and connect with me here.
