If you’re eager to develop more physical and mental resilience, here are 10 tips for developing a growth mindset.
Before diving in, if you’re wondering what a growth mindset actually is, be sure to read this post, “What is a Growth Mindset?” before continuing on with these 10 Tips.
10 Tips for Developing a Growth Mindset
1. use visualization
Visualization is a great way to train your brain to develop a growth mindset.
Imagine yourself on a well-worn hiking trail that is familiar to you. The path is clear and free from debris. It’s easy to proceed forward because you can easily see where the path is. Can you picture it?
Now imagine that this well-worn path is full of negative self-talk and limiting beliefs. This path currently represents a fixed mindset.
You REALLY want to take a new trail – you’re bored and weary on the fixed mindset path, but there are no other well-marked paths around that you can see.
But then it dawns on you.
You can create a new path on your own! A new hiking trail that nobody has started on before. At first, you’re not able to see a path AT ALL because none exists yet! But as you start to remove debris, you slowly make progress and begin to see the promise of an actual path.
The elevation gain is challenging. The dedication required to keep showing up, clearing debris, and creating a path is demanding. At your lowest moments, you feel utterly defeated and hopeless.
What’s the point?
But you persist and eventually, you see an actual path beginning to emerge. You catch glimpses of stunning scenery and feel pride in your accomplishments.
And the whole time that you’ve been intentionally clearing a new path, (growth mindset) your old path, (fixed mindset) has started to become grown over.
See ya, fixed mindset!
This is a great way to think of a growth mindset. You’re forging a new path and while it may feel daunting at first, you keep at it.
Spend a few minutes each day using visualization to help you imagine your growth mindset in the making!
2. Find real-life Examples of a Growth Mindset
Who in your life has overcome a significant challenge? Someone who has faced a difficult circumstance but decided to face it head-on, with determination?
Perhaps a good friend just lost their job.
Maybe your neighbor recently got divorced.
Maybe your co-worker is experiencing some health issues.
Consider examples where the person has done their best to learn and grow while navigating their challenging circumstances.
And feel free to look for examples of people you don’t actually know in real life!
Famous people you admire. Or even fictional stories in favorite books or movies!
Note: We all experience feelings of discouragement, exhaustion, and overwhelm. Sometimes given our circumstances, we have moments when it feels impossible to move forward with determination and positivity. During these times it’s important to take a break, rest when possible, and regroup before pressing on.
Anytime a person has felt like the odds were stacked against them, or the task felt insurmountable, or they felt frustrated, confused, and ill-equipped but they pressed forward anyway with a desire for growth… these are examples to be celebrated!
Consider people you know, (or don’t know!) who have demonstrated a growth mindset.
3. Use the words “Practice Makes Better”
Instead of the famous saying, “Practice makes perfect”, try saying, “Practice makes better” instead.
I have been saying this to myself, (and to my children) for many years. It reminds me that perfection is an illusion and that true growth requires hard work, the willingness to make mistakes, and our best effort and continuing to show up.
Our goal is GROWTH and IMPROVEMENT, not perfection!
While having high standards and goals isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, the constant desire for perfection can be paralyzing. It’s easy for many of us to fall into the trap of perfectionism and then convince ourselves certain opportunities aren’t worth pursuing, for fear that we won’t be perfect, (and this perfection is usually just an illusion anyway!)
You might want to write “Practice Makes Better!” on a post-it note and stick it to your bathroom mirror so you can see it first thing in the morning and before you go to bed at night. Record yourself saying it on your phone and press ‘play’ a few times a day.
Use the words “Practice makes better!”
4. add the word “YET” to the end of your sentences
When you find yourself saying “I don’t know how to do it!“, say it again but this time add a “yet” to the end of the sentence.
So “I don’t know how to do it!” becomes, “I don’t know how to do it YET.”
This little three-letter word is packed with a lot of power!
In fact, I have a hard time thinking of another word packed with as much potential for growth as the word YET.
Make sure to add the word yet to any self-limiting or defeating things that you say to yourself!
Practice this positive self-talk and gradually it will become second nature to include the word YET at the end of your sentences!
5. Banish the words “I can’t”
If there’s anything that screams fixed mindset, it’s the words, “I can’t!”
Talk about limiting and disempowering!
Instead of falling into the victim mentality of “I can’t”, use the words “I choose not to right now” or “I’ll try again later”. Take a break and come back a little later.
Banish the words “I can’t” from your vocabulary!
6. Embrace Your Mistakes
I get it, nobody actually enjoys making mistakes! But the truth is that they are ESSENTIAL to our learning, growth, and evolution.
If we accept that mistakes are inevitable and view them as opportunities for growth and improvement, we open up a world of possibilities. It also allows the freedom to experiment, take risks, improve our problem-solving skills, and enjoy creativity.
What if you were to celebrate the mistakes that you make?
Identify the lessons you’ve learned from your mistakes.
Recognize times when your mistakes allowed for creativity, adventure, and delight.
Remove unnecessary anxiety and embrace mistakes!
7. Reach out for support
We ALL need support!
Every single one of us has times of confusion, overwhelm, despair, and fear. During these times it’s essential that we reach out for support and not try to do everything alone.
While a growth mindset requires that we embrace challenge and growth, it doesn’t mean we need to do it alone!
Letting your partner know that you’re struggling in certain areas and that you need to lean on them.
Reaching out to friends who offer understanding and practical help.
Setting up an appointment with a therapist.
Having your groceries delivered for a while.
When you need it, be gentle with yourself, and be sure to reach out for support.
8. Try Meditation
A consistent meditation practice does wonders!
Have you dismissed meditation in the past because you can’t imagine yourself being able to sit still and silence the thoughts in your head?
If so, please stick with me for a minute!
Because if you’re imagining sitting in a lotus position on the floor for an hour as you breathe in and out serenely, let me assure you that there are many different ways to meditate! And just a few minutes a day can do wonders for your mental health and general outlook.
To help silence negative thoughts and self-talk, try meditation.
9. List your Accomplishments
Identify times in your life when you incorporated a growth mindset to accomplish something significant.
Then list these accomplishments on a piece of paper so you can see them right in front of you.
Reflect on these accomplishments when you’re feeling overwhelmed and uninspired.
10. Play!
As adults, we often lose the ability to play. All too often, life feels serious and packed with neverending responsibilities.
But play is SO important to our overall well-being!
This means we must be intentional in our quest to carve out time to simply play. The ability to laugh at ourselves and not take ourselves so seriously is essential to our well-being as well as our overall mental health.
Turn up the music and dance around your kitchen. Grab a pad of paper and do some sketching. Plan a night out with friends. Go for a hike.
Whenever you possibly can remember to prioritize play!
To summarize, here are 10 tips for developing growth mindset tips:
- Use Visualization
- Find Real-Life Examples of a Growth Mindset
- Use the Words “Practice Makes Better”
- Add the Word “Yet” to the End of Your Sentences
- Banish the Words “I Can’t”
- Embrace Your Mistakes
- Reach Out for Support
- Try Meditation
- List Your Accomplishments
- Play!
I hope that these Growth Mindset Tips offer encouragement as you continue to learn and grow!
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