The Difference Between Fixed and Growth Mindsets
This blog, as well as our previous post, is a modified excerpt from our free online course, Creating a Mindset that BOOSTS Success, so be sure to check that out after you finish reading; I think you’ll find a lot of value in it. For now, let’s talk mindset, and how you can adopt the right one for your business or practice.
It’s been said that there are two different kinds of mindsets: growth and fixed. Let’s start with some simple definitions, then we’ll apply them to real-world scenarios.
A growth mindset is when you believe your most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. This creates a love of learning and resilience.
A fixed mindset is when you believe basic qualities like intelligence or talent are fixed traits, and that talent alone creates success without much effort.
What does a real-world application of a mindset look like?
Entrepreneurs have to be able to think outside the box in order to overcome obstacles in the way of their success. As new problems arise, solutions need to be created. Similarly, if you were to have a patient whose symptoms point to one illness, but test results show otherwise – you need to dig deeper and be unconventional, otherwise your patient won’t get better. You need to take this same solution-oriented approach with your business.
You’ve probably already adopted a growth mindset when it comes to treating your patients, because it’s a more obvious requirement – you pursue their wellbeing without hesitation or reserve, because it’s that important to you. You may not, however, have naturally developed this same type of drive when it comes to your business, and that’s my goal here; to help you understand why a growth mindset matters to you and your practice, especially if your goal is to have the thriving practice of your dreams.
How to develop a Growth Mindset:
1. Believe You Can
As cheesy as it may sound, the best way to start is to believe that you can. If you believe you can, you will. Our minds are constantly seeking ways to prove that the things we believe in are true. We gather supporting evidence and dedicate ourselves to personifying the ideals we hold, so believe in yourself and your goals – you can and will succeed.
2. Focus
What will it take to be better? Focus on the journey itself, not the result. Often people who focus on the result, suffer from being afraid to look bad, and will make decisions to keep themselves from “failing” versus doing what it actually takes to keep themselves growing.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
Failure is one of those things that so many avoid at all costs; with the wrong attitude, it can make us feel stupid, unskilled, or unworthy. However, we should invite failure into our lives! While it obviously feels better to win, failing comes with so many more juicy, impactful benefits. We can learn so much about ourselves and our craft through failure, so long as we maintain the right mindset: the growth mindset.
Having a growth mindset means putting in the effort, embracing challenges, making mistakes, and encouraging feedback. We actually refer to these as the Four Pillars of a Growth Mindset. One of the best ways of maintaining a growth mindset and adopting these pillars is to really understand your why. That is, the overarching reason as to why you pursue your goals and what it is at your core that gets you out of bed in the morning.
Understanding and nurturing your why will open the door to a new level of commitment and optimism for you, making it impossible not to hold a growth mindset!
So take what you’ve learned and apply it to your practice today – believe you can, focus yourself, and embrace failure; you might be surprised by how quickly things can change for the better.
If you got something from this blog, be sure to check out our free online course, Creating a Mindset that BOOSTS Success where we go into greater detail about the importance of having a growth mindset when it comes to building a successful business or practice.
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