Where do I start with developing a growth mindset?
We hear you loud and clear! We compiled our top four growth mindset TED Talks to show you how to develop a growth mindset. Get ready to sit back, learn, and flex that mind of yours. 💪🧠
Growth mindset and grit
Grit is the ability to persevere through any obstacles in order to reach a meaningful end-goal. This trait can be found in people with a growth mindset. With a combination of grit and growth mindset, anyone can push through temporary setbacks, struggles, or challenges.
Angela Lee Duckworth explains during her growth mindset TED Talk how her team studied people in various contexts like West Point Military Academy, the National Spelling Bee, inner-city schools, and even private corporations to pinpoint the predictor of success. Duckworth and her team concluded that there was one factor that separated those who achieved their goals from those who didn’t: grit.
Takeaway: Duckworth said she has no clue what's the key to maintaining motivation for long-term goals. We appreciate that honesty. However, she did find that “talent doesn’t make you gritty.” In short, you can be the most talented individual in the room and still not follow through on your commitments. Duckworth’s best approach to building grit is cultivating a growth mindset. This means teaching how the brain evolves and adapts to all types of challenges, so people can understand “that failure isn’t a permanent condition.”
Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset
We introduced you to growth mindset, but meet its nemesis, fixed mindset. When an individual has a fixed mindset they tend to believe that they are either born with or without certain traits. Fixed mindsets shy away from challenges, give up easily, view feedback as personal attacks, and find successful people threatening.
Meet Carson Byblow. During his growth mindset TED Talk, he shared his transformation story from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Reading was a difficult task for him, and he found that whenever his teachers or parents would encourage him to read he would become flustered, succumb to meltdowns, and essentially throw in the towel.
Takeaway: Byblow said his counselor and teacher introduced him to a powerful word: yet. The word yet creates a distinction between a fixed and growth mindset. It implies a learning curve and room for improvement, according to Byblow. Also, practicing yet is an effective growth mindset activity for your long-term goals. Like Byblow, we believe that integrating yet allows us to be “champions in our own way.”
Growth mindset and purpose
A growth mindset encompasses many attributes like resilience and purpose. When you're guided by your purpose instead of fixating on outcomes, positions, or rankings this is where your mindset shifts. Once you target your purpose, your long-term goals will help you steadily achieve success. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
During her growth mindset TED Talk, Charlotte Barber explained how she tied her success to leadership titles. She felt in order to be a true leader, she had to be given a leadership role to create an impact. However, shifting her focus from titles to purpose allowed her to dive deep into her goals.
Takeaway: Barber’s parting thoughts: “It’s highly likely that when you’re living in the growth mindset with a strong purpose and a toned resilience muscle, you’ll find that there are always other ways to achieve your goals.” Yes! Like Barber said, fostering purpose with a growth mindset builds leaders that have control over their goals and their vision of success. ✨
Growth mindset and confidence
Nurturing a healthy sense of confidence starts with adopting a growth mindset. Confidence is the fuel that rockets you beyond your comfort zone. It drives us to travel into the unknown, see our failures as “stepping stones,” and helps us bounce back.
Before Surbhi Sachdev was a motivational speaker, she was a former Miss India Worldwide. Winning this platform seemed like she secured her plans to travel to Mumbai and further pursue her career. However, Sachdev compares Mumbai to the mirage effect which ultimately led her to move back home. But, this wasn't the end. This setback gave Sachdev the confidence to take a leap of faith and follow her passion.
Takeaway: Surbhi Sachdev summed up growth mindset perfectly: “You have to be crazy enough to know that you can do and achieve anything you want to in your lives.” This is one of our favorite growth mindset quotes. Sachdev said traveling to this island was one of the scariest experiences of her life, but it was this decision that gave her the confidence to explore outside of her comfort zone.
