Moving From a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset
I’ve sat here staring at the screen for some time trying to figure out how to write about the Fixed and Growth Mindsets. Truth is they are pretty important if you want to grow in any way. But not the sexiest thing to write about.
So I can say this: If you find you are more inclined toward a fixed mindset than growth, you don’t have to stay there. There are ways to overcome a fixed mindset. And I’d recommend you do this before starting any type of therapy or coaching. Otherwise, you’re going to be throwing your money away because you simply don’t believe you can change. (But don’t worry - any good therapist or coach will assess this when you start working with them and help you through that process!)
In fact, I have an assessment that will let you know where you land on the Fixed vs Growth Mindset spectrum. If you are interested, leave a comment or email me at beckyfunkcoaching@gmail.com.
There are three steps to move you from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset.
Identifying your triggers: In what situations is your fixed mindset more prevalent? Is it a certain situation or interacting with people in certain situations?
Changing your perspective: One example of what that looks like is if you find yourself thinking What if I’m not good enough? I’ll be a failure, change that to Everyone starts out not being good and successful people fail along the way.
Taking action: Just what it says. Take one area where you find you have a dominant fixed mindset and be curious about it. Study it.
What did you learn from that experience?
What could you do differently next time going forward?
And then create an action plan. Set a goal for what you want to be able to achieve in that situation.
What would help you achieve this goal that you haven’t tried?
What do you need to learn or what information do you need to gather?
What steps will you take? And write them out. When will you do each step? What do you need for each step? What is the goal or outcome you are hoping to achieve at each step?
Here’s an example: Let’s say you freeze when you are taking a math test. You’ve realized math is a trigger and has been an issue for you for a while. You tell yourself: I’m just not smart enough. I’ll never understand this.
Here is what the action steps could look like:
What did you learn from that experience?
Taking math tests is difficult.
My anxiety gets so high right before a test that I can’t think straight.
There are some questions that I don’t recognize studying.
What could you do differently next time going forward?
Talk to my teacher or guidance counselor about my test anxiety to see if there are ways to navigate this (there are!).
Talk to my teacher about how I’m studying to see if there are suggestions. Also talk to her about why I don’t recognize some of the questions.
Go to my teacher for extra help. (And know that it’s ok to ask for help - teachers love helping students who want to learn!)
Goal: Find ways to alleviate my test anxiety and prepare better for my next test.
What would help you achieve this goal that you haven’t tried?
Schedule an appointment with my guidance counselor to talk about test anxiety. Do what he tells me to do.
Talk to my teacher about my struggles on my test and get some extra help leading up to the next test.
What do you need to learn or what information do you need to gather?
I need to learn tools to navigate test anxiety.
I need to organize my notebook better and keep a planner to track my homework assignments.
What steps will you take?
Next test: In 2 weeks.
Schedule guidance appointment tomorrow. Goal: Learn how to navigate test anxiety.
Practice daily the techniques my guidance counselor gives me. Goal: So I know them well for the test.
Send email to my teacher tonight. Goal: Learn what I can do to better prepare for the test.
Purchase planner by end of the week. Goal: Better track my assignments. In the meantime, write them down on a sheet of paper.
Spend 10 minutes studying every night. Goal: Get more familiar with the material. Do tough problems.
Do all of the homework assignments. Goal: Practice as much as I can.
It might seem like a lot, but it’s always doable and growth is always a good thing! And try to get some support around you. Always good to have someone cheering you on!
