Is Now the Time to Shift Gears?
It is what it is – I’ll never – I’m not (clever, smart, courageous, . . .) enough – I can’t afford to take that risk – I’m stuck here – I don’t want to look stupid - I know all that I need to know – Why try if I’m sure I’ll fail?
Sound familiar?
As a coach who works with people in the midst of making big life and career shifts, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the difference between two mindsets: a fixed and a growth mindset.
Here’s what Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has to say:
“Mindset change is not about picking up a few pointers here and there. It's about seeing things in a new way. When people...change to a growth mindset, they change from a judge-and-be-judged framework to a learn-and-help-learn framework. Their commitment is to growth, and growth takes plenty of time, effort, and mutual support.”
Watch Carol’s TEDTalk, The Power of Believing That You Can Achieve
Curious about making your own shift to a growth mindset? These steps can get you started.
Tell different stories to yourself, and about yourself. Flashback to the times when you were brave and did the hard things. You took risks and pushed through fear and self-doubt. When you do it once, you can do it again.
Stay curious and focus on learning instead of performance. In Hidden Performance, Adam Grant suggests we pursue discomfort as the fast path to growth. If you want to get it right, it first has to feel wrong.
Treat inevitable mistakes, failures, and setbacks as powerful learning experiences, and then move on.
Compete against yourself, urges Adam Grant. The only way to win is to grow. Strive for excellence and not perfection.
Think you might be ready to make a big shift? Let’s talk about empowering you to change your mindset. Schedule an exploratory, one-on-one conversation with me. It’s free, and there’s absolutely no commitment!
Let’s be curious together!
