Flavia aveva sentito fin da bambina che le donne della sua famiglia erano segnate dalla sfortuna. Sua bisnonna aveva perso il marito in guerra, sua nonna aveva rovinato la salute in una fabbrica, e il padre di sua madre aveva abbandonato la famiglia quando lei aveva solo tre anni. Spesso immaginava che anche il suo matrimonio sarebbe finito in tragedia. Non lo desiderava, ma l’ombra di una maledizione familiare aleggiava su di lei.
Conobbe suo futuro marito, Massimo, in una piccola officina alla periferia di Napoli, dove entrambi lavoravano. Lui riparava macchinari, lei smistava pezzi. Si avvicinarono nella mensa comune, durante la pausa pranzo, scambiando parole tra un caffè e un panino. Decisero di sposarsi in fretta, con una cerimonia semplice, e si trasferirono nel suo bilocale in via Garibaldi. La nonna era già scomparsa, e quell’appartamento divenne la loro casa.
La vita scorreva. Prima nacque Matteo, poi il più piccolo, Lorenzo. Poco dopo, la madre di Flavia morì, lasciandola sola tra i fornelli, le pulizie e i figli. Non si lamentava: Massimo portava a casa lo stipendio, e a lei toccava badare alla casa e ai bambini.
Ma dopo qualche anno, qualcosa si ruppe. Massimo cominciò a tornare tardi dal lavoro, parlava sempre più spesso di una collega giovane che “lo aiutava con i conti”. Flavia notava il suo distPersonal Development and Growth
# What Is Growth Mindset – Definition And Examples
Published by
3 years ago
Why do some people seem to have all the luck in the world while others just don’t? Why do some people master new skills while others fail again and again?
How can you guarantee success in life and love? No, it isn’t just about luck or genetics. Your mindset has a lot to do with your success.
Here, we explore the definition, characteristics, and practical examples of the growth mindset.
## What Is Growth Mindset?
In simple terms, a growth mindset is the belief that your intelligence, talents, and skills can be developed with effort, the right strategies, and guidance from others.
The term growth mindset was coined by psychologist Prof Carol Dweck in her 2006 book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
It is the opposite of a fixed mindset, where you believe your intelligence and skills are unchangeable. A fixed mindset tends to limit your ability to learn and improve.
If you tend to believe that you are born with a certain level of intelligence and cannot go beyond that, then you have a fixed mindset.
On the other hand, acknowledging that you can learn new things, develop new skills, and improve with constructive criticism, learning, and practice is characteristic of a growth mindset.
Whether conscious or unconscious, your beliefs and thoughts about yourself and your abilities can influence every aspect of your life, right from the goals you set to how you deal with challenges.
## Characteristics of the Growth Mindset
### 1. Resilience
Individuals with a growth mindset display high levels of resilience, which means they can better manage stress. They believe that continuous learning is possible in every situation.
They view setbacks and failures as temporary and an opportunity to learn and evolve. As a result, they bounce back from challenges relatively quickly. They don’t let failure define them.
### 2. Open to Feedback
Those with a growth mindset actively seek out honest feedback. They do not shy away from criticism (unless it is unsolicited or presented maliciously). They understand that constructive feedback is essential for personal and professional development.
They see criticism as information they can use to improve themselves.
### 3. Embrace Challenges
People with a growth mindset welcome challenges. They believe that challenges and obstacles help them grow and develop their skills. They do not see challenges as threats or setbacks but as opportunities to learn and evolve.
They are comfortable with the unfamiliar and uncertain. This is one of the main benefits of a growth mindset.
### 4. Learn from Others’ Mistakes
Inspired by others’ success, those with a growth mindset try to learn from others’ mistakes. They don’t feel jealous, resentful, or threatened by others’ success.
They believe if someone else can do something, they can learn to do it, too, maybe not immediately but eventually. In this way, they can use other people’s success as a source of inspiration and motivation.
### 5. Believe in Themselves
People who have a growth mindset have high self-efficacy. They strongly believe in their abilities and competence to achieve their goals. This helps them develop coping skills to manage stressful situations.
No matter how tough a situation might be, they believe they have the ability to manage it.
### 6. Hard Work and Dedication
A growth mindset definition also includes hard work and dedication. Those who have a growth mindset acknowledge they need to work hard to accomplish their goals.
They do not believe in talent alone. They know that they need to learn, grow, and practice constantly to achieve the desired results.
### 7. Use the Word “Yet”
People with a growth mindset often use the word “yet.” They tend to believe in the power of language, so instead of saying, “I can’t do this,” they say, “I can’t do this yet.”
By doing this, they send themselves the message that they are not a finished product and that there is always room for learning and growth.
### 8. Love Learning
Individuals with a growth mindset have a passion for learning. They do not constrain themselves to learning what they need to learn for work or school; they have a thirst for learning anything and everything.
They do not limit their learning to traditional education but seek out learning opportunities everywhere.
Many people think that intelligence is fixed — either you are born smart or average. But a growth mindset means believing that intelligence can be developed.
Brainology is an online interactive program by Carol Dweck and other renowned psychologists to help students cultivate a growth mindset. It demonstrates that the brain is like a muscle that can be strengthened with continuous learning.
## Growth Mindset Examples
Here are some real-life growth mindset examples that can help you understand the concept better.
### Example 1: Running Late and Missing the Bus or Car Pool
Scenario: You are running late to work/school, and you miss your carpool or bus.
– Fixed Mindset: “I can’t believe I missed the bus. I’m so irresponsible. I will never be able to get it together.”
– Growth Mindset: “I will learn from this experience and get better at time management. I will set an alarm a little earlier tomorrow. If needed, I will sleep earlier to compensate.”
### Example 2: Poor Exam Performance
Scenario: You get the results of an important exam and fail to achieve the grade you expected.
– Fixed Mindset: “I’m not smart enough for this. I will never get better at this subject.”
– Growth Mindset: “I need to work harder on this topic. I wonder which study techniques I could use to improve my performance. Maybe I should ask the teacher for help.”
### Example 3: Team Loses Match
Scenario: You played an important match for your team and lost.
– Fixed Mindset: “I’m not a good player. I just don’t have what it takes to be in this team.”
– Growth Mindset: “We lost this time, but I will ask the coach what I can do to improve my performance for the next game.”
### Example 4: Receiving a Bad Grade for a Group Project
Scenario: Your group project received a bad grade.
– Fixed Mindset: “Why did I get stuck with such a bad group? It’s their fault!”
– Growth Mindset: “What can I do as a group member to improve our grade? How can we collaborate better for the next project?”
### Example 5: Job Promotion
Scenario: A colleague gets a promotion you wanted.
– Fixed Mindset: “I’m never going to get promoted. I should probably start looking for a new job.”
– Growth Mindset: “I will talk to my boss to understand what I can do to put myself in a better position for a promotion. I will work on those skills or behaviors.”
### Example 6: A Friend or Romantic Partner Leaves You
Scenario: Your romantic partner or friend ends the relationship with you.
– Fixed Mindset: “I’m unlovable. No one will ever love me.”
– Growth Mindset: “What can I learn from this relationship? What worked and what didn’t? I will carry those lessons into my next relationship.”
### Example 7: Losing a Client
Scenario: Your customer or client takes their business elsewhere.
– Fixed Mindset: “I’m terrible at customer service. I should probably change my career.”
– Growth Mindset: “What could I have done better? I will ask the client for feedback.”
### Example 8: Difficulty Learning a New Skill
Scenario: You are struggling to learn a new skill.
– Fixed Mindset: “This is too difficult. I should probably give up.”
– Growth Mindset: “I need to find a new approach. Maybe a different learning style will work better for me. I will ask for help.”
### Example 9: Getting Injured
Scenario: You get injured while working out.
– Fixed Mindset: “Working out is not for me. I should stop.”
– Growth Mindset: “Flavia lo fissò, sorpresa, mentre Massimo si allontanava nel buio del corridoio, lasciando alle sue spalle una scia di orgoglio spezzato e l’eco di un errore che ormai non poteva più rimediare.