What is your mentality?

Do you have a fixed or growth mindset?

Personally, I would say that I have a growth mindset. This is probably due to my background as an athlete and my current activity as a Project & Event Manager, both of which have in common that I am constantly putting myself out there, facing challenges and constantly improving. I believe that with commitment and dedication we can always improve, our skills can be trained and developed to achieve performance growth. Change and new projects are opportunities to measure ourselves and learn new skills.

And when new challenges do not go as expected, you must accept negative feedback as an opportunity to improve. Failure is a source of learning, and you must use failure to move forward. If you have a growth mindset, you are also likely to believe that you can overcome any obstacle: just decide to learn from the experience, work harder and try again until you reach your goal.

In fact, according to research by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, a person with a growth mindset will never say “I can’t”, but rather “I can’t yet”. Carol Dweck states that it is not intelligence, talent or education that distinguishes successful people: it is their mindset or the way they deal with life’s challenges.

A fixed mindset, based on the belief that you are born with a certain level of intelligence, with certain inclinations, merits, abilities and talents that you cannot possibly change, can prevent you from expressing your potential properly and limit you to the activities you know you can do well.
Whereas a growth mindset, based on the belief that it is always possible to improve oneself, can help you achieve your goals and bring out your potential: with effort, perseverance and passion, you can develop both your natural qualities and new skills.

The good news is that we can all turn a “fixed mindset” into a “growth mindset”. Mindsets can be trained and changed. However, let us remember that changing mindsets is a challenging task that requires dedication, perseverance and patience.

Let us also keep in mind that this kind of “mindset” is not the magic solution to all problems. The real power of the “growth mindset” lies in the confidence it instils in yourself and your abilities.

Although the brain is an organ, it needs to be trained and stimulated like a muscle to remain effective.