To survive life’s changes, challenges and transitions, I always say to my Manifest Your Next Chapter retreat guests, “You need a Growth Mindset.”
If you have a growth mindset, you view change as an essential part of learning and you are more likely to embrace change, seeing it as an opportunity to acquire new skills, adapt to new situations, and overcome challenges. Rather than fearing change or resisting it, you understand that change is a natural part of life that can lead to growth…and success.
What is a Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities, intelligence, and talents can be developed over time through effort, learning, and persistence. Unlike a fixed mindset, where individuals believe their traits are innate and unchangeable, those with a growth mindset view challenges as opportunities to improve and grow. They embrace failures and setbacks as part of the learning process, understanding that effort and perseverance are key to achieving success. By maintaining a growth mindset, individuals are more likely to take on new challenges, seek out feedback, and continuously strive for personal and professional development.
Do you have a Growth Mindset?
| Ask yourself these 10 questions to find out whether you have a growth mindset: How do I respond to challenges—do I see them as opportunities to learn, or do I avoid them out of fear of failure? When I encounter setbacks, do I give up easily, or do I persist and try to find a different approach? Do I believe that my abilities and intelligence can be developed with effort, or do I think they are fixed traits? How do I handle criticism or feedback—do I view it as constructive and useful, or do I take it personally and feel discouraged? When I see someone else succeed, do I feel inspired to improve myself, or do I feel threatened and envious? Do I actively seek out new learning experiences, even if they are outside of my comfort zone? How do I approach difficult tasks—do I focus on the effort and strategies required, or do I worry about how I’ll be judged if I don’t succeed? Do I enjoy the process of learning, or am I only focused on achieving results and outcomes? When faced with a problem, do I believe I can find a solution with enough effort and creativity, or do I tend to think it’s beyond my capability? Do I encourage others to keep trying and view their potential as limitless, or do I believe that some people are just naturally more talented than others? |
How to Develop a Growth Mindset:
- Nobody likes to change. There will always be resistance to change, and there always will be change. And the quicker you get to that, the easier it is. It’s not such a difficult thing. If you entrench yourself and go, ‘I will not change, I will not have this.’ Then, you’re a dead man. We’re great at adaptability. It’s our strongest suit.- Nick Nolte
- The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. –Carol Dweck
- Starting each day with a positive mindset is the most important step of your journey to discovering opportunity. –Jay Samit
- And the most successful people are those who accept and adapt to constant change. This adaptability requires a degree of flexibility and humility that most people can’t manage. – Paul Lutus
- Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent. – Nolan Ryan
- I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you. -Oprah Winfrey
- Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity. –Louis Pasteur
- When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny. – Paulo Coelho
- A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals. –Larry Bird
- If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon. And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall and you won’t see a different solution to a problem you’re trying to solve. – Jeff Bezos
- A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject. –Winston Churchill
- Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it. -John Wooden
- It doesn’t matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going. –Brian Tracy
- The best way to predict your future is to create it. –Abraham Lincoln
- Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. It’s the end you’re after. – Anthony Robbins
- You can change all things for the better when you change yourself for the better. -Jim Rohn-
- Discipline is the bridge between thought and accomplishment. –Jim Rohn
- The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. It can determine whether you become the person you want to be. -Carol Dweck
- You are always free to choose what you do first, what you do second, and what you do not at all. –Brian Tracy
- You’re in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way. -Carol Dweck
- Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations. –Steve Jobs
- Become the change you want to see—those are words I live by. -Oprah Winfrey
- The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. –Franklin D. Roosevelt
- The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. -Carol Dweck
- The habit of giving up when the present task is half finished and try something else is one of the chief causes of failure. –Christian D. Larson
- Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
- There is nothing brilliant or outstanding in my record, except perhaps this one thing. I do the things I believe ought to be done. And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act. –Theodore Roosevelt
- Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy. -Norman Vincent Peale
- Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. –A.A. Milne
- Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do. -Benjamin Spock
- Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence. –Hal Borland
- It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about. -Dale Carnegie
- First and foremost, let us remember that change has never been quick. Change has never been simple, or without controversy. Change depends on persistence. Change requires determination. –Barack Obama
- Never has man reached his destination by persistence in deviation from the straight path. -Mahatma Gandhi
- You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space. — Johnny Cash
- Your thoughts make you what you are; by changing our thoughts we can change our lives. -Dale Carnegie
- If you find yourself lacking in persistence, this weakness may be remedied by building a stronger fire under your desires. –Napoleon Hill
- Persistence isn’t very glamorous. If genius is 1 per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration, then as a culture we tend to lionize the 1 per cent. We love its flash and dazzle. But great power lies in the other 99 per cent. -Susan Cain
- If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living. — Gail Sheehy
- Not realising what you want is a problem of knowledge. Not pursuing what you want is a problem of motivation. Not achieving what you want is a problem of persistence. -John C. Maxwell
- When you chase a dream, you learn about yourself. You learn your capabilities and limitations and the value of hard work and persistence. –Nicholas Sparks
- What people see as fearlessness is really persistence. Because I am focused on the solution, I don’t see the danger. -Wangari Maathai
- You can’t do your best when you’re doubting yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? –Michael Jackson
- To believe yourself brave is to be brave; it is the one only essential thing. –Mark Twain
- The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude. –Oprah Winfrey
- Growth is a spiral process, doubling back on itself, reassessing and regrouping. –Julia Margaret Cameron
- The greater the obstacle, the greater the glory in overcoming it; and difficulties are but the maids of honour to set off the virtue. –Molière
A growth mindset is often strengthened by change. As we cope with change—whether in our personal lives, careers, or relationships—we encounter new situations that challenge our existing beliefs. These experiences can reinforce the idea that with effort and persistence, we can grow and adapt to whatever changes come our way. In this way, a growth mindset not only helps us handle change more effectively but also evolves through the process of adapting to change.
Walking the Camino de Santiago, with its ever-changing landscapes, unexpected challenges, and encounters with fellow travellers, mirrors the unpredictability of life. As you navigate the physical and emotional journey, you learn to embrace uncertainty, adapt to new circumstances, and find strength in persistence. Each step forward, no matter how difficult, reinforces the understanding that change is a natural part of the path, and that growth comes from moving through it with resilience and a willingness to let go of the familiar.
Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” — John Maxwell