MINDSET: The New Psychology of Success
Andrea Seydel Live Life Happy Unconventional Book & Coaching Club
Introduction:
Carol Dweck, world renowned Stanford University Psychologist, teaches us how we can learn to fulfill our potential. From decades of research on achievement and success has discovered the power of our mindset. Dweck explaining why it's not just our abilities and talent that bring us success but whether we approach our goals with a fixe or growth mindset. If you are a teacher, manage people at work, or are a parent, this book is an essential read. It is also for anyone who would like to increase their own feelings of success and fulfilment.
MINDSET
This book is about the power of people's beliefs. They may be aware of or unaware of their beliefs but they strongly affect what we want and how we get it.
Simple beliefs about ourselves guides a large part of our lives. What we typically think of as part of our personality actually grows out of this "MINDSET."
The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. Seems crazy that a simple belief can have power to transform your psychology and as a result, your life.
Believing that your qualities are carved in stone- is a FIXED MINDSET- creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. Eg. I'm not a gymnast. She was born a gymnast. I can't do a cartwheel.
The GROWTH MINDSET is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through effort. Everyone can change and grow through application and experience. Eg. I bet through practice I could learn gymnastics. If I practice I can learn to do a cartwheel. Adding the word "YET" to "I can't" statements shifts it from Fixed to a Growth mindset.
FIXED Vs. GROWTH
Which Mindset d you have? Do you agree or disagree with these statements about intelligence: 1. Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can't change very much. 2. You can learn new things, but you can't really change how intelligent you are. 3. No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it. 4. You can always substantially change how intelligent you are. Question 1 & 2 are fixed mindset questions. 3 & 4 are growth mindset questions.
Look at these statements about personality and character and decide whether you mostly agree or mostly disagree with each one: 1. You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change that. 2. No matter what kind o person you are, you can always change substantially. 3. You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can't really be changed. 4. You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are. Questions 1 & 3 are fixed mindset and questions 2 & 4 are growth mindset.
EXERCISE: Pretend you were about to learn a new language and you've signed up for a class. A few session into the course, the instructor calls up in front of the class and rapid fires questions at you... FIRST: Put yourself in a fixed mindset. You ability is on the line, you feel pressure and tension. What are you thinking and feeling? SECOND: Put yourself into a growth mindset. You're a novice and that's why you are here. You're here to learn. Teacher is a resource for learning. Did you feel tension leaving and your mind open up. GOOD NEWS... YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR MINDSET!!
A fixed mindset limits achievement. It fills people's minds with interfering thoughts, it makes effort disagreeable, and it leads to inferior learning strategies.
LEARNER Vs. NON LEARNER
Is success about learning or proving you're smart? NON-LEARNERS- Decide things are too hard and not worth the effort. Worried about making mistakes and evaluate themselves. Become afraid of challenges and not being smart. Fixed mindset non learners want to make sure they succeed. LEARNERS- believe they can get smarter. That success is about stretching themselves. Growth mindset is about becoming smarter and learning.
What would you choose? Loads of success and validation? or Lots of challenge? People with growth mindset thrive on challenge. The bigger the challenge the more they STRETCH and GROW. Problem is with a fixed mindset it is crucial to be perfect now. Eg. Bad Mark- "I did bad and have to learn more" vs. "I am bad. Growth mindset allows for the idea of POTENTIAL.
MINDSETS CHANGE THE MEANING OF FAILURE: Even in Growth mindset- failure can be painful. But is define define you. It's a problem to be faced, dealt with, and learned from. Fixed mindset- the loss of one's self to failure can be permanent, haunting and traumatic, leading to blame, fault finding and making excuses. Leading eventually to not wanting to even try.
MINDSETS CHANGE THE MEANING OF EFFORT: From the point of view of the fixed mindset, effort is only for people with deficiencies. If we are not good at something then we have to try really hard to get good at it. Growth mindset is taking ability and practice. EFFORT IS TERRIFYING FOR FIXED MINDSET- Geniuses are not support to need effort. Just needing effort casts a shadow on your ability. It robs you of your excuses.. Once you try you don't really have an excuse for failure. With a growth mindset you turn knowledge into action.
What creates a Fixed or Growth mindset?
Talent: Just because some people can do something with little or not training (Talent/Abiltiy) it doesn't mean that others can't do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training. Talent myth, you either got it or you don't. Fixed mindset.
Every word and action from parents/teachers sends a message. What are the messages being sent? Are you a permanent trait or am I judging you? or are they messages that say, You're a developing person and I'm interested in your development.
How soy ou use praise? Remember that praising children's intelligence or talent, sends a fixed mindset message. Instead try to focus on the processes they used, their strategies, effort, or choices. Practice process praise with children, staff, co workers, partners. Even some coaches sometimes focus on end results outcome praise. Adapting a growth mindset helps develop people's potential.
Summary:
You can grow your mindset! People are all born with a love of learning, but fixed mindset can undo it. Think of a time you were doing something and then just gave up because it was too hard or you didn't want to be judged. Next time this happens, don't fool yourself. It's a fixed mindset. Put yourself into a growth mindset. Picture your brain forming new connections a you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going.
It's tempting to create a world in which we are perfect. But challenge is actually where and how we grow. Also how do you act when you feel depresses or down? Do you work harder at things in your life or do you let them go? Next time you feel low, put yourself in a growth mindset- think about learning, challenge, and confronting obstacles- think about learning.
Is there something in your past that you think measured you? A test? Being rejected? Focus on that one thing. Feel the emotions that go with it. Now put yourself into a growth mindset perspective. Look at your role in this. Ask yourself " What did I (or can I) learn from that experience? How can i use it as a basis for growth? Carry that with you instead!!
For a full highlight of this book visit my Live Life happy Podcast https://apple.co/2oJDiio or website at andreaseydel.com
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