The growth mindset

How often we hear the worn out phrase: Get out of your comfort zone? What does this really mean? Every human being likes a life of comfort where bothers are at the minimal and we have everything in order so that worries are taken care of. But the truth is, if you get use to what you are doing and the way you are doing it and you do not seek improvement, growth or development, you are getting used to being satisfied and you are in your comfort zone. The Comfort Zone is a settled method of working that requires little effort and yields only barely acceptable results.If you stay within your comfort zone you will never improve. Great things never come from our comfort zone. Life begins at the end of our comfort zone. The growth mentality says that we should not relent in our efforts to be great that we can get better at whatever we do.
Human beings are creatures of habit. We get used to routines and minimal comforts. Many atimes situations that do not challenge our intellect or creativity leave us floating in sea of self satisfaction. You might be tempted to ask yourself: Why should I bother? After all everything is not so bad, I can get by. The question we may need to ask ourselves when the “why bother” attitude tries to drown our efforts is can this be better? Can I get stronger, wiser or better? If the answer to all of this is yes, then why not move up?
The will for growth is planted in the DNA of every normal human being. Sometimes a person requires a stimulus to draw the desire out. The growth we refer to here of course is getting better, not necessarily taller. In our physical development, there are usually limitations. But when it comes to our peformance levels and abilities to achieve, there is always room for development. A tree can be nothing but a tree. If we plant an acorn in a flower pot a minature oak tree will likely emerge. But when the seed is in its rightful place the tree will grow to be as big as nature allows it too. While the plant or the animal is limited in its developmental capacity, the human being is unlimited. Animals are often limited by their environment, the weather, habitat and perhaps to a large extent nutrition. But The Creator in His infinite mercy, made the ability of man to achieve and succeed infinite. What that means is there are no limitations. While a tree and an animal can only be trees or animals, the human being has unlimited potential. That is why we need to focus on that potential and see how far it can take us in life.
For us to develop a growth mindset we must challenge ourselves to a level of mastery. What are our capabilities? How can we stretch them? The Creator has planted in every human being different abilities that often need to be discovered before they are exploited. The person with a growth mindset is the person that truly believes that “failure is an opportunity to grow”. If you don’t succeed, as the saying goes: “try, try and try again!” If you are the kind of person who likes to try new things then you have a growth mind set. The fixed mindset is the opposite of the growth mindset. A person with a fixed mindset would think: “Failure is the limit of my abilities!” Or when he does not do so well at something: “I’m either good at it or I am not!” Limited beliefs are the major enemy of a growth mindset. We cannot ever go where our minds cannot reach. Our abilities manifest in two major dimensions: In our minds and in our practices.
More than 30 years ago, Carol Dweck and her colleagues in scientific study became interested in students’ attitudes about failure. They noticed that some students bounced back while other students seemed overwhelmed by even the smallest setbacks. After studying the behavior of thousands of children, Dr. Dweck coined the terms “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset” to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. When students believe they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore they put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement. The condition is not applicable to students alone. Everyday people can grow by the same set of rules. You can get better, stronger and wiser at anything you want to, provided you are willing to spend more time at it. Disciplining yourself to get better and examining new methods and ways to get greater results can only lead to success. The potential in the average human being is immense, the challenge is most of the time we ignore or neglect it and it becomes redundant.
Work hard on yourself today. Strive to reach a level of mastery. And when you reach that level, pick something else and start teaching yourself to get better. That is the growth mindset.