GROWTH VS FIXED MINDSET // Can A Growth Mindset Help Your Mental Health?

What's going on? Welcome back to my channel. Do you have any idea what kind of mindset you have? Mindset is one of those things that, because we can't see it, it's not something that we tend to give a lot of intentional attention to because unless it's causing a problem, it's just not something that we really pay a lot of attention to. We don't think, think about it and work on it unless the way we're thinking is causing us an issue or you're working with a therapist or a coach or a professional that's specifically working on your mindset. So it's just not something that gets a lot of conscious attention because unless it's causing an issue, we don't pay attention to it. But I want you to think about what kind of mindset you have, and we're going to talk about a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. Before we do that, we need to identify what a mindset even is so that you can understand why this is even important. Your mindset in general shapes how you think, how you act, how you respond, and how you view others, how you view other people in the world around you. It's a belief system and a set of attitudes that you have toward yourself and your life and the world around you. So it literally shapes your. Your world, it shapes your life and has a huge impact on how you function day to day, how you cope with stress, how you deal with problems, how you interact with others, and everything that pretty much goes into being alive. So if what you believe, your mindset affects how you think and feel and act and interact and cope and. And live life, then you do need to know and you do need to pay attention to whether or not you have a more fixed mindset or if you have a more growth mindset. Now, just like anything, there's a range. Usually people aren't necessarily just one or just the other. They can kind of fluctuate a little bit. But we tend to lean more toward the fixed end or more toward the growth end. And if you're more of a fixed person, there might be some holes that you can work on so that you can develop more of a growth mindset and that you can practice it and it can positively impact your life. A more fixed mindset tends to be more limiting. People who have a fixed mindset tend to view things as unchangeable. You're either born with something or you're not. You're either good at it or you're not. Failure is looked at as more of a permanent thing. People with a fixed mindset tend to avoid challenges. They're not seeking out opportunities to grow like you would in a growth mindset. So with a more fixed mindset, it can kind of put you in a box. It can be limiting. You don't want to try new things or challenge yourself or put yourself in the position where you might not do well or you might feel fail or you might get embarrassed or you might look bad. There's just this view that I can or I can't, I will or I won't. I'm good at it or I'm not, and if I fail, that's it. If I'm frustrated, I'm going to give up. It's very black or white. All or nothing tends to be very limiting when we're talking about living and coping and growing as a human being and developing good mental health. So with that more fixed mindset, when it comes to your mental health, you might be limiting yourself. You might not be open to the opportunities that are going to push you and help you realize your potential, and it's going to kind of keep you stuck, which might impact your mental health, your mood, your relationships, your ability to pursue work or other opportunities. So we look at fixed mindset not in the sense of good, bad, right or wrong. But it can be more limiting when, when we're talking about life and mental health as a general sense. When we look at the growth mindset end of this mindset spectrum, it's a little more freedom. People who have a growth mindset tend to seek out or view opportunities as a chance to grow, as a chance to push themselves. They're willing to put themselves in positions where they might not do well, where they might fail or fall on their face or get embarrassed because they view feedback as an opportunity to grow and learn. Not that it feels good, nobody wants to lose or not do well. But somebody with a more growth mindset tends to be more willing to do that stuff because they view it in a different manner. Their perspective toward not doing well, failing, looking bad, or just those things that challenge us, they're viewing them as an opportunity to grow, not necessarily as an opportunity to fail. And oh my gosh, what if it doesn't go well? So there is a little more freedom and opportunity and willingness to learn and put yourself out there. When we're talking about the growth end of the mindset spectrum, there's a few things you can ask yourself if you're wondering if you're more on the fixed end or if you're more on the growth end. And again, to be able to identify any holes that you might want to fill so that you can work toward more of your potential and take chances and put yourself in the position to give yourself those opportunities to. To grow as a person and level up in life or just achieve whatever you want to achieve. But you have to be open and willing to put yourself out there and challenge yourself and get the feedback. So someone who's on the more fixed end of this, they're saying things to themselves such as, why even try? When I'm frustrated, I give up. It's easy for them because they were born that way. Again, this idea that we're either born with something or we're not, we're good at it or we're not, there's not an intense willingness to learn because that more fixed black or white thinking that you either have it or you don't. So if you're more on the fixed end of this, you're looking at other people and what they've achieved. And you're like, that's because they were born with it, or that's because their parents are xyz, or that's because they have xyz. Not in the sense of a growth mindset. If you are on more of the growth mindset end of it, you. You're saying things to yourself like, what else can I do? If this isn't working, what else can I try? Instead of the why even bother? It's what else can I do to make this work? Let me think outside the box. Let me ask for help, but what else can I do here to make this work for myself? You're also looking at other people. If you're more on the growth mindset end of this, and you're looking at those people who inspire you or who have achieved something, and you're thinking, I wonder how they did it versus they were born with it, or it's because of their parents or their situation, right? Instead of limiting yourself, if you're on the more growth end of the mindset spectrum, you're looking at other people as inspiration and wondering how they accomplished that thing or did that thing, not attributing their successes to just this fixed idea that they have it or they don't. And on the more growth end of it, you're thinking that your attitudes and efforts are going to determine your ability to succeed or achieve the things you're wanting to achieve, not you were born with it or you're not, or you have good genes or you have bad genes, that black or white thinking isn't as prominent as it is when somebody is more of a fixed mindset. With this, you're thinking that if you put the work in and you're consistent and you make the effort, you're bound to get better and learn along the way. Not I'm good at it right now or I'm not. Why even try? If you are on the fixed end of the mindset spectrum, you might not believe this, but your mindset can be learned and unlearned, shaped and reprogrammed. That's what therapists and coaches and professionals who do this work are here for. We're here to help you reshape your belief system and the way you think so that you can realize your potential and achieve the things you want to achieve and do the things you're setting out in life to do. Your mindset is going to determine a lot of the efforts that you make and the things that you accomplish. If you're struggling with something and you're thinking, why even bother? Or, you know, from what I just said that you're on the more fixed end of the mindset spectrum, maybe you need to work on the thing you need to work on, but also think about how your mindset is contributing to your efforts and your frustration and your success or lack of success along the way. Your mindset has a huge impact on how we function in the world. So your mindset, your belief system is going to impact a lot of what you do and how you interact with people, how you think, how you act, how you respond, and how you feel about life in general. So if this is something that you need to work on, look it up, do some research, start to put some attention into your mindset and identify some holes in your game that could help you start to move maybe toward the growth end of it. Put yourself in positions to maybe fail or not do well or get the feedback that, yes, might be hard to hear, but that's how you're going to learn. So look at your belief system, look at your mindset, look at how it's impacting you, and then figure out if you need to really ramp up some things or if there's some things that you need to shift so that you can be the person that you want to be. Because sometimes even, even the smallest shift can have the biggest impact on your life.