Attitude to Learning

Growth Mindset

According to Stanford researcher Carol Dweck, there are two types of mindsets: a growth and a fixed mindset.

In a growth mindset, people have an underlying belief that their learning and intelligence can grow with time and experience. When people believe they can get smarter, they realize that their effort has an effect on their success, so they put in extra time, leading to higher achievement. They believe their abilities and intelligence can be developed with effort, learning, and persistence, and that their basic abilities are simply a starting point for their potential. They do not believe everyone is the same, but they hold onto the idea that everyone can become better if they try.

In a fixed mindset, people believe that their basic abilities, intelligence, and talents are fixed traits, and that they cannot develop and improve them. They also believe that talent alone leads to success, and effort is not required. People with a fixed mindset always want to appear intelligent, because they believe that they were born with a fixed level of intelligence that cannot be modified.

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My Story: Since I was a child, I have been shy and lacked confidence. I would characterize myself as being risk-averse, and I have to actively challenge this mindset. One of my biggest fears was/is public speaking, and I have tried to address this by presenting at conferences and speaking up in meetings and Spanish classes. I tell myself that I have two choices: try and possibly fail/not be as successful as my perfectionist self expects OR not do it and miss out on a opportunity for growth. I also try to reframe it, and rather than think about myself, think about what I could learn and share. Of course, this is far easier said than done, but I will not give up! I also always liked art but labelled myself as non-artistic. This limiting belief meant that I did not try and develop my skills, but in the last few years, I have challenged this by learning how to draw using videos from the internet and a lot of practice. Almost anything is possible if we believe in ourselves!