How A Growth Mindset Can Change Your Life
Transforming your life with 1 skill
Hey everyone, Skanda here! Welcome to the Grey Zone, where things aren't always black and white. We're all about exploring ways to manage your mental health, eat well, and stay fit. Here, we'll unpack these topics and empower you to craft your unique journey. Returning explorers (you awesome 53!), welcome back!
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to effortlessly achieve their goals, while others struggle?
Consider this:
Short growth mindset interventions for 9th graders led to lasting benefits—better grades and increased enrollment in challenging math courses for over four years.
In another study, Claro et al. (2016) analyzed over 160,000 students in Chile, discovering that a growth mindset was a key predictor of academic success.
And yet another study found that students trained in growth mindset were more likely to tackle challenging tasks and persist through difficulties.
So, what exactly is this growth mindset? How did it change their lives? Why does it matter?
Growing up, I was taught to learn out of fear—fear of bad grades. If I couldn’t grasp something, I was told I wasn’t trying hard enough or that my brain just couldn’t handle it. This fixed mindset restricted my potential and stunted my growth.
Today, let’s explore why you might look at others and think, “Wow, they’re so smart and talented, that’s why they succeeded,” while you tell yourself, “I definitely can’t do that and get there.”
What is Mindset?
A mindset is a person’s established set of core beliefs and assumptions that shape their behavior and perception.
These beliefs essentially form a lens through which we view reality, influencing what we expect, understand, and aspire to do—in other words, how you perceive the world.
Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset
A fixed mindset involves the belief that intelligence and abilities are static and unchangeable. This leads individuals to avoid challenges and give up easily, thinking effort is futile.
Conversely, a growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort and learning. This mindset fosters persistence and resilience in the face of setbacks, viewing them as opportunities for growth.
I grew up in a household that embraced a fixed mindset. The statements I often heard were:
"You’re a natural at this; it comes easily to you."
"You’ve got talent, no wonder you’re so good at it."
"Math isn’t for everyone, but you have the brain for it."
"You’re either good at it or you’re not, and you are."
Let’s go through a very simple experiment as to how this fucks up a kids/adults growth
A task was given to kids which was split into an easy and a challenging phase.
Researchers randomly assigned fixed or growth mindset praise after the first easy phase:
Fixed Mindset Praise: "You did really well on your test. You must be very smart."
Growth Mindset Praise: "You did really well on your test. You must have worked really hard."
When offered a more challenging task, about 90% of the children praised for effort (growth mindset) chose to attempt it, while over 80% of those praised for being smart (fixed mindset) opted out to avoid failure.
I was the fixed mindset kid, and I would have 100% backed out of the challenging phase because my parents would have called me an idiot for not doing well.
The “You did not try hard enough”
At this point, many of you might argue that you've tried to adopt a growth mindset, only to be told, "You didn’t try hard enough."
Here’s why that’s deeply flawed: By saying "try harder," you’re essentially affirming someone's negative self-assessment, implying that their doubts are valid, and they just need to push harder.
Instead, imagine hearing, "You're on the right track. You’ve put in great effort; let's keep going and explore new strategies." That’s a statement I never heard growing up.
I’ve spoken with many high-performing individuals, and I believe the key difference isn’t that they’re necessarily smarter or more talented (though many are). The real difference lies in mindset.
They’re able to keep going, even after repeated failures, constantly course-correcting along the way.
In contrast, I would try something a few times, decide it wasn’t for me, and move on.
This difference stems from an inner voice that constantly whispers, “This is too hard for you; find something easier.”
Data suggests that growth mindset becomes more effective, the more challenges you face.” – Dr. Yeager
How to Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Let’s look at some practical ways to apply a growth mindset and how it can transform your life.
Seek Help: Individuals with a growth mindset pay more attention to errors and corrections, leading to better learning and adaptation.
Write About It: Write a letter to someone explaining how stress can enhance mindset and how growth mindset works to internalize these concepts.
Seek Growth-Minded Mentors: When mentors or teachers, along with students, adopt a growth mindset and a stress-enhanced performance mindset, it creates an optimal learning environment.
Detach from Performance: Shift from praising talent to recognizing effort. Replace "you’re talented" with "you put in a lot of effort."
Read Success Stories: Explore the stories of people who have used a growth mindset to achieve their goals.
Here is a fantastic thread where people share experiences of their growth mindset.
Dr. Carol Dweck - the original researcher has a fantastic book called Mindset that goes into in-depth knowledge of fixed vs growth mindset.
There’s also a 9-minute TED Talk by her with over 6 million views that I highly recommend.
A person is made by their belief. As they believe, so they become.(Bhagavad Gita 17:3)
I’ll write part 2 soon, exploring how our mindsets affect fitness, diet, and general life, along with some of my favorite experiments in the world of science.
We’ll also delve into how a new culture of “know-it-alls” is emerging, while what we need is a culture of “learn-it-alls.”
And as usual, we’ll explore how social media is impacting our mindsets (damn those influencers) and why keyboard warriors love to critique everything.
That’s it for now! I hope you start applying the concept of a growth mindset in your life. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Regards
Skanda
“You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work.”
Resources
https://fs.blog/carol-dweck-mindset/
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1578&context=master201019