I'm going to be running a workshop on mindset this coming weekend at a Business Retreat. Mindset is absolutely fascinating and I'd like to share a little about it with you guys so for the next couple of weeks, expect to see a weekly post on mindset with some links to interesting and easily accessible work on it.
Carol Dweck wrote that in a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Most people have a mixture of a fixed and a growth mindset in most areas, but if you find that you are 'stuck' somewhere, have a think about what mindset you have about that area. If you believe that you'll 'never' be any good at something or that you've 'never' done x, y or z so you will never be able to, then you have a fixed mindset in that area. If you're reluctant to try something because you fear failing, that's an indicator of a fixed mindset.
But you can change your mindset. And here's a fascinating talk on the power of changing your mindset.