How to Change Your Fixed Mindset
If you’ve spent any time around the worlds of business, education, or wellness, you’ve probably heard the term “growth mindset.” It’s everywhere, in TED Talks, corporate training sessions, and motivational quotes on Instagram. But like many buzzwords, its meaning often gets diluted by repetition.
Let’s fix that. Because once you understand what a growth mindset really is and how it works, you’ll start to see that the difference between stagnation and success often comes down to one thing: perspective.
What Is a Growth Mindset?
Around thirty years ago, psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck began studying how children responded to failure. She noticed something striking: when faced with setbacks, some children bounced back with determination, while others felt defeated and gave up.
Dweck identified two distinct patterns of thinking: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.
Children with a fixed mindset believed that their intelligence and abilities were set in stone, that failure was proof of their limits. In their eyes, mistakes weren’t stepping stones; they were stop signs.
By contrast, those with a growth mindset saw failure as feedback. They believed that ability could be improved through effort, strategy, and persistence. They didn’t see a poor grade or a missed shot as permanent failure, they saw it as information, an opportunity to learn and grow.
This simple difference in belief had profound consequences. The “growth” children kept trying, improved over time, and eventually outperformed their peers.
Why a Positive Attitude Isn’t Enough
Many people mistakenly assume that being positive or open-minded means they already have a growth mindset. But as Dr. Dweck warns, that’s what she calls a “false growth mindset.”
Having a growth mindset isn’t about optimism, it’s about intentional effort. It’s not something you declare; it’s something you develop through experience, reflection, and perseverance.
You don’t either have a growth mindset or you don’t, we all carry a blend of both. Our thinking shifts between fixed and growth depending on context, stress, and self-awareness. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is recognition, to catch yourself when your thinking hardens and gently redirect it.
The Science Behind Change
Here’s the good news: your brain is far more adaptable than you might think.
Thanks to advances in neuroscience, we now understand that the brain has an incredible capacity to rewire itself, a phenomenon called neuroplasticity. This means every new skill, every reframed thought, and every moment of persistence literally reshapes your neural pathways.
In simple terms: your mindset isn’t fixed because your brain isn’t fixed.
That’s powerful. It means growth is not an abstract idea, it’s a biological reality.
How to Shift from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset
1. Don’t Confuse Optimism with Growth
Optimism is believing things will get better. Growth mindset is making them better through effort, feedback, and learning. Acknowledge that you don’t automatically “have” a growth mindset, you have to practice it.
2. Celebrate Effort and Strategy, Not Just Results
Praise yourself (and others) for the process, the thinking, persistence, and problem-solving, not just the outcome. But don’t ignore results entirely. Failures provide crucial feedback. They show you where to adjust and improve.
3. Redefine Failure
Failure isn’t a verdict; it’s a teacher. When you stumble, take a pause and ask: What is this trying to show me? The best entrepreneurs, artists, and leaders aren’t fearless, they’re relentlessly curious about their failures.
4. Recognise Your Fixed Mindset Triggers
Everyone has moments when insecurity or defensiveness takes over, especially when facing criticism or comparison. Dr. Dweck calls these fixed mindset triggers. They show up as thoughts like:
“I’m just not good at this.”
“They’re better than me.”
“What if I fail again?”
Awareness is the antidote. When you can spot those thoughts, you can separate your identity from your performance and choose a different response.
The Real Reward of a Growth Mindset
The beauty of adopting a growth mindset is that it changes your relationship with challenge itself. You stop asking, “Can I do this?” and start asking, “How can I learn to do this?”
People with a growth mindset don’t just achieve more, they enjoy the process of becoming more. They embrace discomfort because they know that’s where growth happens.
Whether you’re building a business, learning a new skill, or simply navigating life’s inevitable setbacks, your mindset is the engine that drives everything.
So the next time you face failure, remember this: your brain is listening. What you tell it, defeat or direction, will shape what happens next.
Final Thought:
Growth mindset isn’t a motivational slogan. It’s a discipline, one that transforms the way you approach work, relationships, and life itself. When you stop seeing challenges as limits and start seeing them as invitations to evolve, there’s very little you can’t achieve.
Author’s Note:
Kingsley Noel is a UK-based entrepreneur and founder of several ventures including NEUCLO, DENVIO, LEARNFIELD, FARMLOVERS, YOUNGBRIT, and NOVO. His work and entrepreneurial journey have been featured in Leicester Mercury, Yahoo News, Business Live, FOX, CBS, NBC, and other major media platforms.
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