By now we understand how the way we think can help us to learn and grow. Your mindset allows you to create the reality in which you choose to live, based solely on your own perception.
How you see growth and change can dictate how successful you will be in life, how you navigate challenging situations, and whether or not you have the ability to pivot when necessary.
And it all comes down to the type of mindset you have.
RELATED: Protecting Your Peace: 8 Meaningful Ways to Invest In Yourself
What is a growth mindset?
People with a growth mindset are confident in their intelligence and talents. They are willing to step out of their comfort zone to reap substantial rewards.
If you have a growth mindset, you believe that your abilities can be developed over your lifetime, with no limits on how much you can evolve over time.
Individuals with a growth mindset aren’t put off by hard work. They praise the process of acquiring new information and know that no matter how good they are at something, talent can be developed as long as they live and breathe.
What is a fixed mindset?
On the flip side, people with a fixed mindset think that their amount of intelligence, abilities, and talents stay the same and don’t have the capability to expand.
Someone with a fixed mindset avoids challenges because they are afraid to fail. This mindset tells you that there is no point in effort or practice because you are destined to fail.
Individuals with a fixed mindset don’t have the motivation or dedication to see goals to fruition. A temporary setback can easily become a permanent disappointment.
It is important that people with the lesser of the two, a fixed mindset, make the changes needed to develop a growth mindset and change the way they navigate life.
There are several benefits to having a mindset of growth and development. A national experiment revealed that high school students who adapted a growth mindset improved their academic performance and were more motivated.
Studies have also shown that students who learned to have a growth mindset had a higher grade-point-average than those with a fixed mindset.
A growth mindset has been known to reduce burnout and psychological problems like anxiety and depression, and result in fewer behavioral problems.
RELATED: Money Matters: Increasing Your Value Without a Traditional Education
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
Fixed and growth mindsets are two opposite sides of the same coin.
Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychologist from Stanford University, first explored the concept of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. Though science has told us our brains stop developing around the time we are in childhood, she disagrees.
Dr. Dweck wrote a book entitled “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” in which she talks about how humans can fulfill their full potential.
This article was originally posted on YourTango. To learn the differences between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset and how to change yours, click here.
RELATED: How to Manifest a Better Life Than You Ever Thought Possible