We should relentlessly ignore excuses, especially those we tell ourselves.- Mokokoma Mokhonoana
Imagine being told you’re paralyzed and will never walk again. That’s precisely what Christopher Reeve faced after a horrific accident. Yet, with a growth mindset, he defied the odds and regained some movement. This article explores the power of a growth mindset – the belief that your abilities can improve with effort. You’ll learn how embracing challenges can unlock your potential and help you thrive in all areas of life.
The Fixed Mindset Trap
People with a growth mindset don’t just seek challenges; they thrive on them. The bigger the challenge, the more they stretch. And nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in sports, where you can watch people stretch and grow.
Mia Hamm, the most outstanding female soccer star of her time, says it straight out. “All my life I’ve been playing up, meaning I’ve challenged myself with players older, bigger, more skillful, more experienced—in short, better than me.” First, she played with her older brother. Then, at ten, she joined the eleven-year-old boys’ team. Then, she threw herself into the number one college team in the United States. “Each day I attempted to play up to their level . . . and I was improving faster than I ever dreamed possible.”
Patricia Miranda was a chubby, unathletic high school kid who wanted to wrestle. After a nasty beating on the mat, she was told, “You’re a joke.” First, she cried, then she felt: “That really set my resolve . . . I had to keep going and had to know if effort and focus and belief and training could somehow legitimize me as a wrestler.” Where did she get this resolved?
A life devoid of challenge raised Miranda. But when her mother died of an aneurysm at age forty, ten-year-old Miranda came up with a principle. “When you’re lying on your deathbed, one of the cool things to say is, ‘I really explored myself.’ This sense of urgency was instilled when my mom died. If you only go through life doing stuff that’s easy, shame on you.” So, when wrestling presented a challenge, she was ready to take it on.
Her effort paid off. At twenty-four, Miranda was having the last laugh. She won the spot for her weight group on the U.S. Olympic team and came home from Athens with a bronze medal. And what was next? Yale Law School. People urged her to stay where she was already on top, but Miranda felt it was more exciting to start at the bottom again and see what she could grow into this time.
The Power of Stretching Yourself
Sometimes, people with a growth mindset stretch themselves so far that they do the impossible. In 1995, Christopher Reeve, the actor, was thrown from a horse- that broke his neck, severed his spinal cord from his brain, and completely paralyzed him below the neck. Medical science said, So sorry. Come to terms with it.
Reeve, however, started a demanding exercise program that involved electrical stimulation of all parts of his paralyzed body. Why couldn’t he learn to move again? Why couldn’t his brain again give commands that his body would obey? Doctors warned that he was in denial and setting himself up for disappointment. They had seen this before, which was a bad sign for his adjustment. But, really, what else was Reeve doing with his time? Was there a better project?
Five years later, Reeve started to regain movement. First, it happened in his hands, then his arms, then his legs, and then his torso. He was far from cured, but brain scans showed that his brain was once more sending signals to his body that the body was responding to. Not only did Reeve stretch his abilities, but he also changed how science thinks about the nervous system and its potential for recovery. In doing so, he opened a whole new vista for research and a whole new avenue of hope for people with spinal cord injuries.
People with a growth mindset thrive when they’re stretching themselves. When do people with a fixed mindset thrive? When things are safely within their grasp. They lose interest if things get too challenging—when they’re not feeling smart or talented.
Pre-med students through their first chemistry semester—for many students, this is what their lives have led them to become doctors. And this is the course that decides who gets to be one. It’s one heck of a challenging course, too. The average grade on each exam is C+ for students who’ve rarely seen anything less than an A.
Most students were interested in chemistry. Yet, over the semester, something happened. Students with a fixed mindset stayed interested only when they did well immediately. Those who found it difficult showed a significant drop in interest and enjoyment. They couldn’t enjoy it if it weren’t a testimony to their intelligence.
“The harder it gets,” reported one student, “the more I have to force myself to read the book and study for the tests. I was excited about chemistry before, but now every time I think about it, I get a bad feeling in my stomach.”
In contrast, students with the growth mindset continued to show the same high level of interest even when they found the work challenging. “It’s a lot more difficult for me than I thought it would be, but it’s what I want to do, so that only makes me more determined. When they tell me I can’t, it really gets me going.” Challenge and interest went hand in hand.
The same thing happens in younger students. In an experiment, the researchers gave fifth graders intriguing puzzles, which they all loved. But when they made them more complicated, children with a fixed mindset considerably lost enjoyment. They also changed their minds about taking some home to practice. “It’s okay, you can keep them. I already have them,” fibbed some children. They couldn’t run from them fast enough.
Even the kids who were naturally good at puzzles (the “best puzzle solvers”) lost interest and motivation when the puzzles got harder. Being talented at puzzles wasn’t enough to keep them engaged when faced with a challenge. The point is that even naturally talented kids can lose interest if they don’t have the right approach to learning and challenges.
Children with a growth mindset, on the other hand, couldn’t tear themselves away from the complex problems. These were their favorites, and they wanted to take them home. “Could you write down the name of these puzzles,” some children asked, “so my mom can buy me some more when these ones run out?”
Marina Semyonova was a great Russian dancer and teacher who devised a novel way of selecting her students. It was a clever test of mindset. As a former student says, “Her students first have to survive a trial period while she watches how you react to praise and correction. Those more responsive to the correction are deemed worthy.”
In other words, she separates the ones who get their thrill from what’s easy—what they’ve already mastered—from those who get their thrill from what’s hard.
Never forget the first time you heard yourself say, “This is hard! So, this is fun!” That’s the moment you knew you were changing mindsets.
Embrace the Challenge: Develop Your Growth Mindset
The stories in this article showcase the incredible power of a growth mindset. By embracing challenges and believing in one’s ability to learn and improve, one can unlock one’s potential and achieve great things.
Here are some practical steps you can take to cultivate a growth mindset:
- Reframe setbacks as stepping stones: When you face difficulties, view them as opportunities to learn and grow. Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this experience?” and “How can I use this to improve next time?”
- Celebrate effort and progress, not just achievement: Recognize and appreciate your hard work, not just the outcome. Focus on the progress you’re making, no matter how small.
- Step outside your comfort zone: Don’t shy away from challenges. Take on new tasks, learn new skills, and push yourself beyond your perceived limitations.
- Please take feedback and use it to improve: Feedback can be a valuable tool for you to grow. I would like you to actively seek constructive criticism and use it to identify areas for improvement.
- Surround yourself with positive and growth-oriented people: The people you spend time with can significantly impact your mindset. Surround yourself with individuals who encourage you to learn and grow.
Remember, a growth mindset is a journey, not a destination. By consistently practicing these steps, you can develop a resilient and positive approach to life’s challenges, ultimately unlocking your full potential.
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