By Amy King
If the way you are currently living, your performance and how your body, looks feels and moves is frustrating and you’re looking to make a change and can’t quite figure out what you need to do, then you be on the cusp of a breakthrough…
… And that could be you are on the first stage of unlocking a new type of mindset - The growth mindset.
Which sounds simple enough, however like any muscle your brain has been conditioned to think the way you currently do, and it loves predictability and certainty…
So, changing our current mindset can is challenging and feel overwhelming because we are stepping into unknown territory.
We also get exposed, because we start to become aware of the possibility that we actually do not know that much, as summarized by the following diagram.
That’s enough foremost people to allow fear to take over and keep going back to what they were doing… even though they know what they are doing is not working… and at some point, something’s gotta give.
For you though, there’s at least a seed of thought that the pain of staying the same and the reward of a better way is enough to harness your sense of enacting some personal agency… or in simpler terms – jump in the driver’s seat.
If that’s the case then this short beginners’ guide, will share with you the most important considerations of your transition to a growth-oriented mindset.
And before we begin, let’s be open to the idea that deploying a methodological, gradual approach can help you transition seamlessly into a growth-orientated mindset.
In this short beginners’ guide, we’re going to tell you the most important considerations of your transition to a growth-oriented mindset.
💡Did you Know?
The term “growth mindset” was coined by the psychologist Carol Dweck, in her book called
“Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”.
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In rudimentary terms a growth mindset is more oriented towards realizing that your talents, knowledge and skills are not really fixed.
They are ever-flexible and can be worked on and changed throughout any point of your life.
So, in essence it is believing (or at least being open to the possibility) that you can do and achieve more if you put in the time, work and effort.
Consistently.
For further clarification the term mindset is loosely defined as a set of attitudes held by someone and when it comes to us individually it commonly associated with our self-perception, or the “inner story” which we believe about ourselves.
For instance, believing that you are bound to be an athlete, or bound to be out of shape for your whole life, are both a type of mindset.
Both of these can be true, as each mindset will push you towards certain thoughts, emotions and actions, which will produce a result, equivalent to the beliefs that created it.
Before we talk about what a fixed mindset is, here is a brief summary of the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset. Which do you see yourself being more aligned with at the moment?
Fun Fact
Most of the stories we believe about ourselves weren’t created by us,
we simply adopted them from our friends and family growing up!
On the flipside of the growth mindset, is what we refer to as the “fixed mindset”, which as the name suggests is mostly fixed on limited and disempowering beliefs.
A fixed mindset means we believe that our skills, intelligence, general qualities, and talents are fixed traits and cannot be changed. This attitude can often result in resistance to learning or attempts to improve our skills.
So, a person with a fixed mindset may say for example:
“I believe that my [intelligence, personality, character, skills] are inherent and static. Locked-down or fixed. My potential is determined at birth. It doesn’t change.”
So, seeking regular treatment from an allied health professional is highly recommended as part of your well-being regime and essential for athletes. I see a sports therapist at least once a fortnight.
Often a fixed mindset isn’t always a conscious choice, since it is built on the foundation of limiting beliefs, which we all absorb like a sponge during our early years.
However, whilst it may not be our fault that we have unconscious beliefs it is our responsibility to become aware of them and then to make a conscious choice to adopt beliefs that serve rather than hinder us.
Learning to recognize and overcome our own mental and emotional blocks helps us foster the right conditions for sustainable change and is therefore the key to unlocking your transformation.
… and as you have probably already inferred, moving towards a growth orientated mindset is something you can control!
Your belief system or mindset helps shapes your reality because on the foundation of your beliefs and mindset, lies a set of behaviors and habits.
Each type of behavior and habit you have is linked to a certain belief you hold about yourself.
As you move towards growth orientated mindset, you’ll start to recognize your behavioral patterns.
Building awareness around these patterns is the first step in being able to make a conscious decision and make a change for the better, in real time when a behavior or habit manifests.
However, it is important to note that certain habits and behaviours can overtake our ability to consciously realize what we’re doing and how it affects us. Especially, when the underlying beliefs are deeply rooted in our subconscious and / or trauma.
That is whole another deeper topic that may eventually become relevant for you, however it isn’t necessary for you to focus on in the beginning.
The point being, is that there are steps and layers to your journey… it’s not a one off… in the same way that starting to train consistently and eating well is unlikely to make you an Olympic gold medalist in a single season.
… and to call out that just making a conscious decision isn’t always going to change a habit. So be gentle with yourself.
So, the first step to adopting a growth-orientated mindset is to simply build the habit of becoming aware of your unwanted behaviours.
One of the ways to build that habit is to engage your inner observer, through introspection.
Introspection is essentially the observation of one’s own thoughts, feelings, emotions and reactions.
And though it is an important way to fostering a mindset that serves you better, the modern-day world tends to deprive us of opportunities to look within.
We are so over saturated with distractions, to-do lists, activities and things to consume, we rarely get a chance to look within.
In the context of recognizing certain traits, behaviors and thought patterns, engaging in introspection is essential and can only happen if we create intentional space to be mindful in the moment and to also take time to reflect.
Things like meditation and journalling can help us create that space. However, that is hard to do without structure. So, in my experience simply asking yourself questions can help you start.
The best part is that you can simply ask the question to yourself without putting pressure on yourself to answer them straight away.
Simply, planting the seed will help your mind mill away at the question until you hear an answer… ever had a revelation whilst brushing your teeth or driving?
Here are some questions that can help you start to activate a growth mindset.
When you realize that most of your daily life is predictable and revolves around automatic emotions and behaviors, the game changes.
Once that breakthrough comes in, you come to realize that you can always take different decisions and create a different end result.
As soon as you see behind the curtains of your own reality, the mental shift starts happening, accompanied by a flurry of realizations and personal breakthroughs.
Once you are in that vortex, there is nothing left to do but to support its development.
That support, of course, relies on your conscious decisions and a breakage of your normal habits (and especially the toxic/limiting ones).
When it comes to kicking your brain into growth mode, there are some additional things to remember and look out for in yourself and in your environment.
Here are 5 tips and considerations to help you install a new set of empowering beliefs!
#1 Become aware of the negative or critical thoughts.
Most of us are prone to giving in to negative opinions and thoughts that seem to be true. There is a bit of science that suggests that we are wired this way as a survival mechanism.
So, its important to recognize when these thoughts arise and simply ask… is that really true? Or to ask, what else might also be true?
Of course, it would be exhausting to do this all day, so just start with a thought that comes up the most often for you and apply a bit of critical thinking to it.
If you are not yet used to thinking in terms of growth, challenges and obstacles may seem frustrating and the effort to get over them feels like too much.
Fostering a growth mindset, suggests that it is possible to find a desire for new, unknown and challenging endeavors.
Building a wonder for what you can learn helps reframe or move through feelings of frustration.
In many instances, failure is the end because it is us who decide to cut everything off. Giving up in the event of failure after the first go is a learned mechanism we have often built because we want to avoid pain and other darker emotions.
If you think about it, a child doesn’t stop from trying to walk or ride a bike, the first time they fall over or fail. Children often do not judge themselves if they don’t get or do a new thing right the first few times.
So as adults, just because an action such as moving your body more, eating better or attempting a personal best seems simple and straightforward, it doesn’t mean that we will nail it the first time or even every time.
Failure is your friend, but the judgement or the meaning you have associated it with is not.
When we start to look at failure as simply part of the learning process, it becomes an important feedback mechanism on other things we need to master.
In the modern-day world, the only time we close our eyes, is when we’re going to sleep.
For the most part, we are engaged with things in the environment and never really get to learn anything about ourselves. We simply respond and react to everything that happens around us in the same ways.
When we instead spend time with ourselves, in solitude and silence, we create space for visions, ideas and motives arise.
Adopting the growth mindset will allow you to realize that your current skills and knowledge are not really a fixed constant.
On your journey to transitioning from the fixed mindset, the key is to become more open to other ways of seeing and doing.
It’s also about applying knowledge and mastering new skills.
The more we do this the more we create new connections in our brains, and it also helps us develop better thinking patterns and physical capabilities.
Developing a growth orientated mindset helps us become aware of and overcome limiting beliefs.
It also opens us up to the possibility that you are capable of much more than you currently believe.
It also helps us get in the driver’s seat and make intentional changes that serve us better in all aspects of your life.
The first step is to recognise habits and behaviour patterns that no longer serve you and consciously adopting a new set of beliefs and / or behaviours.
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Amy King is the founder of AKE Fitness & Nutrition. When she’s not serving her clients, she is pursuing her corporate career in mining, bodybuilding and spending time with loved ones. She calls Perth, Western Australia home.
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