Click here to learn about the power of developing a Growth Mindset.

Introduction

Every one of us has a default mindset, and you may have heard the word “Mindset” mentioned by others. However, what does it actually mean?

Your mindset is your style of thinking and reflects how you see your world. This is unique to everyone and is influenced by the life experiences you have had and the words and actions of adults around you as you grow up and mature.

The majority of people are not aware of the mindset they use to interpret their reality, however, it can genuinely influence how successful you are.

To make significant change to your life and level of success will depend solely on your determination to invest your time, and money, to adjust how you see yourself, your capabilities and the opportunities that present themselves.

In essence this looks simple as a process. Below we have summarised a 5 step process structure which we use as a successful template in our client coaching.

Process Structure

Step 1. Identify your current mindset

Step 2. Challenge any negative or fixed mindset aspects

Step 3. Set your Goals (SMARTER)

Step 4. Relapse

Step 5. Bounce Back

Whilst the process looks simple, do not be complacent – some elements can present quite a challenge. 

You can make significant progress by yourself. However, we would recommend enlisting the help of a friend or family member or giving consideration to investing in the assistance of an experienced coach, as you will need someone who can help you refocus from time to time. For some having an independent person can be more effective as you seek to maintain your progress over time and need someone to help you be accountable.

Step 1. Identify your Current Mindset

In her book, “Mindset, Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential”, mindset guru Carol Dweck, gives us insights into the two key types of mindset. 

Each and every one of us uses at least one of these regularly.  The situation you find yourself in and the type of challenge you are faced with may change the type. However, the majority of those who are unaware of the concept will default to just one on most occasions.  

So what are the two types? The two recognised types of mindset are Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset. In essence the difference between the two is:

• A growth mindset means that you believe your intelligence and talents can be developed over time. Whereas;
• 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. 

Let’s explore those in more detail.

Fixed Mindset

Identified by:

• Innate IQ (Believes intelligence is what you were born with and cannot change)
• Resistance (Avoids accepting a challenge so they won’t be embarrassed by failure)
• Inertia (Believes that talent is fixed and effort is irrelevant)
• Guilt (Sees early setbacks as permanent failure and giving up quickly)
• Comparison (Views success of others with jealousy and considers that as a threat to their own success and as luck of others)
• Criticism (Interprets feedback as a personal attack and ignores constructive criticism)

Growth Mindset

Identified by:

• Developed IQ (Believes intelligence can grow and develop over time) 
• Motivation (Embraces challenges and risks of potential to fail)
• Effort (Believes effort leads to mastery and embraces opportunities to learn and grow)
• Acceptance (Sees failures and setbacks as temporary and persists to achieve goals)
• Inspiration (Sees the success of others as inspiration to achieve success themselves)
• Feedback (Sees as opportunity to grow and welcomes constructive criticism)

The process of establishing your existing mindset is not an easy one. It involves being personally vulnerable and brutally honest with yourself. This can feel incredibly uncomfortable, so be prepared for that. However, until you are equipped with this understanding it will be impossible for you to move forward and start to grow.

It is recommended that you work with your “key person” to build an environment where you feel safe speaking out your most inner thoughts and concerns. They will not give you “the right answer” – only you can identify that. Their function here is to encourage you to think more widely and creatively about your thinking style. They will use open questions to encourage you to think in more depth, maybe even use a “devil’s advocate” approach to challenge you if your thought process starts to get too concentrated on a negative path. This is one of the reasons that an independent person is recommended, as friends and family may be reluctant to be firm with the right level of challenge. 

Once you have your honest evaluation of your mindset you can move forward to Step 2.

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