Get Used to Doors Closing in Your Face Unless You Get Out of This Mindset Here are three tips that can change the way you approach situations and help you start thinking with a growth mindset.
By Mark Klekas Edited by Mark Klekas
Key Takeaways
- How much does raw talent play a factor in your success?
- Why embracing tension is the best thing you can do for yourself.
- Learn the power of "yet."
There is no guaranteed formula for success. We often think that natural abilities, raw talent and a little luck are enough to make anyone successful — they're not.
Your mindset and approach to challenges and critical moments can be even more important than the hard skills you've acquired. The best way we've seen it described is, do you have a growth mindset? Or a fixed one? Although these terms are nothing new (they were first coined in 1988), executive coach and speaker Amy Chambers is an expert on the matter, and she argues that adopting a growth mindset can be one of the most important skills you learn on your way to success.
"After years of observing countless people with both mindsets, I can attest with zero hesitation that growth mindset individuals create more happiness and success in their lives than fixed mindset individuals," Chambers says.
Here are five steps to get yourself out of a fixed mindset and start putting yourself in a position to learn and achieve more. If you like the advice offered by Chambers, you can check out her recent book here.
Related: Check Out Amy Chambers' YouTube Channel For Motivation Content
1. Learn the power of "yet"
A hallmark sign of a fixed mindset is not incorporating optimism or the capacity to improve when talking to ourselves over time. From Chambers' experience, including "yet" when talking about our skills or abilities is a simple but effective way to keep doors open.
Because people with a growth mindset don't view their abilities as static and unchanging, they're not as concerned with making mistakes, struggling or failing, because they know those results aren't lasting. Individuals with a growth mindset understand the power of the word "yet." They'll often say things like, "Well, I haven't done that yet, but I'd like to try," or "I'm not that kind of person yet, but I plan to be someday."
2. Assume things will go wrong, and be ready for it
People with a growth mindset understand if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. But that's part of the process of growing and learning.
If anything, people with a growth mindset view tough situations as a sign of progress. We are meant to be stretched, Chambers argues. However, only a few recognize that for something to stretch, it requires tension.
Related: 6 Ways to Become a Better Listener
Think of it like a rubber band, Chambers says. The elastic nature of the rubber band is what makes it so effective. When we stretch a rubber band, we apply tension and stress to it. It's the same process of stress and tension we apply to our muscles when we lift weights at the gym.
This is how strength is built. It's a repeated process of adding stress and tension to something. Then, we allow it to rest and recover. Then we repeat the cycle. If you're not putting yourself through a bit of stress and tension periodically to stretch yourself, how are you supposed to grow? People with a fixed mindset tend to view tension or discomfort as something that should be avoided at all costs. Instead, lean into it and be like a rubber band.
3. Remember that natural talent is a myth
When people talk about their favorite sports heroes like Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan, they say, "They're so talented. They were born to play." But Chambers believes that it was their dedication and hard work that made them some of the best players in basketball history — not just their raw talent.
Related: This Overlooked Leadership Trait Makes All the Difference in Your Ability to Captivate an Audience
"Sometimes, it seems people almost enjoy making these statements because it helps justify their behaviors. If we can look to successful people in positions of fame and power and point to DNA or genetics as the reason, then we don't need to try as hard. If success is hardwired at birth, then why exert effort towards endeavors we don't seem to have a natural talent for, right? Concluding that our favorite celebrities or sports heroes possess innate gifts that we don't effectively let us off the hook for our laziness or lack of effort."
If you take the time to listen to sports heroes, celebrities and billionaire businesspeople, you'll find most of them report the same thing: They put a lot of work into honing their craft. If you are trying to get out of a fixed mindset, remember that your tenacity and dedication are what matters. Your skill set is constantly evolving, so don't put yourself in a box because you aren't talented from the start.
Conclusion
Having a growth mindset is more than just staying positive in trying times. It's a promise to yourself that you have untapped capabilities. And regardless of the situations you come across, you are arming yourself with a mindset that allows you to think openly and tactfully about how to improve yourself and your position.
Check out Amy Chambers' book, 7 V.I.R.T.U.E.S. of Exceptional Leaders which is out now. Buy it now from Good Reads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Walmart
