The life of a student is often portrayed as cheerful, successful, and enchanting. In short, cool. School life is considered the best time of your life.
It is and it is not. No doubt that it is wonderful.
But this is also the time children are exposed to various demands and influences, at times too many of them pulling them in different directions. Their immaturity, inexperience, and in some cases, lack of support can make this difficult for them.
All these experiences can lead to the development of a mindset that is less than desirable.
Consider this scenario. The class was given a pop quiz. And you were not prepared. Naturally, you failed.
How do you feel about this? As a disaster? Or do you take this as a cue to work harder and be always prepared?
Your responses to situations like these indicate whether you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset.
In this article, you will understand more about both mindsets. Using growth mindset examples, this article will guide you to shift to a growth mindset and improve your chances to be successful.
What is a growth mindset?
For you to fully understand the growth mindset definition, you need to know what is a fixed mindset.
Someone with a fixed mindset believes that their behavior, intellect, creativity, and potential for success are innate or something you are born with. And, this cannot be changed. They consider themselves successful only when their performance is above average or only if they are at the top of the class. They consider this as the yardstick for success.
Students with fixed mindsets are always pursuing success and avoid failure at all costs. They feel that otherwise, people will view them as unintelligent and failures. As a good for nothing.
A growth mindset is the exact opposite of this. A child with a growth mindset believes that they have a say in their successes and failures. They have a positive outlook and go-getter attitude. They find it easy to take failures in their stride and bounce back with ease. They view failures as learning experiences and a chance to build upon their abilities.
Fixed vs growth mindset is a hot topic of discussion in academic circles. Teachers and schools can do a lot in creating environments in which students develop a growth mindset.
Growth mindset examples to shift your attitude
“It is ok to fail. At least I learned something.”
You learn more from failures than from successes. Avoiding failure means you are limiting your chances for learning. Having a growth mindset means knowing how to deal well with failure and take away positives from it.
“I am not averse to criticism.”
Most people, especially students are hypersensitive to criticism. The ability to identify constructive criticism is part of a growth mindset. Analyzing feedback to find positives in it can help in your growth and success.
“You still have time to learn.”
Learning is an ongoing process throughout a person’s life. This is especially true for a student. If you fail at something, it doesn’t mean that you can never be successful in it in the future. You can learn, improve and find success.
“Take inspiration from the successes of others.”
Be it great personalities from history or your parents, teachers, or even another student, there is always so much to learn from others. Instead of viewing the successes of others as a threat, get inspired by them and model yourself after them.
“How can I make this work better?”
When getting things done, you often have to make choices. You took one among the many available to you and it turned out to be wrong. You can always go back and take another. Your ability to analyze what went wrong and retrace your steps to make a better choice is part of the growth mindset.
“With my can-do mindset, I can achieve anything.”
The only thing that separates success from failure is determination or the “go-getter” attitude. It helps you persevere in your pursuit of goals despite setbacks. It helps you stay focused despite distractions. With a growth mindset, giving up is not an option. When faced with roadblocks, you will always find a way around them. Where there is a will, there is a way.
“I am not defined by my failures.”
Everyone has faced failures at some point in their lives. Even the most successful people in the world. They just refused to stay down, managed to pull themselves up, worked out alternative strategies, and worked harder to achieve success. You can do the same thing. Nothing is preventing you from following the same action plan. After all, it is said, failures are the stepping stones to success.
“There is always a chance for improvement.”
When something turns out to be less than perfect, it is not the end of the world. With a growth mindset, you can learn, improve, and strive for a better outcome. The world is full of stories of people who rose from their failures to achieve unimaginable successes.
“I have so much more to achieve.”
With a growth mindset, there is only one way to go – forward. Even the most successful people started at the beginning just like you. Hard work and perseverance got them where they are now. There is nothing to be ashamed about analyse where you are now or your inexperience. You can always learn and get better.
“If I want to achieve something, I have to get out of my comfort zone.”
Attempting something new always means exposing yourself to unfamiliar situations and feelings. It is intimidating and there is always a chance for failure. You may come across roadblocks and hurdles. You learn and improvise to get ahead. This is how you grow as a person.
Unless you attempt new things, there is no real progress in life. You can stay comfortable wherever you are without growth and progress.
“Every challenge is an opportunity to learn something.”
You can perceive challenges as hassles or impediments and avoid them. Or else, look upon them as opportunities to learn something new to overcome them. For example, when choosing electives, opt for courses you are unfamiliar with. This may be the only opportunity for you to learn them. Just because your strength is computer programming doesn’t mean you should avoid accountancy as an elective. Venture out of your comfort zone. You will be surprised to see how talented you are at other things.
“I am not seeking the approval of others.”
When you have a growth mindset, you do things to satisfy yourself rather than others. When your objective is to get approval from others, you are limiting your options for growth and potential. Prioritizing your needs and wellbeing doesn’t mean you are being selfish.
Here are some more growth mindset examples for you.
- “I can see the bigger picture.”
- “I am willing to wait for my turn.”
- “I am happy to walk the extra mile to learn something new.”
- “I believe in myself.”
- “I will try another strategy.”
- “I can learn to do anything.”
- “I enjoy the work as much as the result.”
The most important attitude for a student is to recognize that nothing is set in stone. You can always learn, change, and adapt to new situations. One failure doesn’t mean you will fail every time. One success also doesn’t mean you will succeed every time. There are always opportunities for improvement.
A growth mindset means the ability to accept successes and failures and take them in your stride. And this is best learned in the formative years as a student.
Recommended Reading:
- 60 Mindfulness Journal Prompts for Students
- 5 Advantages of Positive Thinking
- 8 Productive Exercises for Positive Thinking
- How to attract positive energy from the universe
- How to Manifest Good Grades
- How to Develop Reading Habits in Students
- 30 Fixed Mindset Vs Growth Mindset Examples
- 50 Journaling Prompts for Self Growth