Fixed Mindset Vs. Growth Mindset: What Characteristic Leads To Success 

Remembering an unforgettable quote I have read from a book called “Life, the Truth, and Being Free” by Steve Maraboli, like a miracle, it has played a significant role on changing my mind and the way to choose to face the obstacles. “Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it.” said the author. I believe it is right to everyone, at least to myself, that in order to be successful in life, you should have a mindset that you see challenges as the opportunities for you to learn, to grow, and to expand yourself. So what is mindset? As it is defined, mindset is the established set of attitudes held by someone. Thought my own words would be a better definition, I believe mindset is the collection of thoughts and beliefs in everyday life that shape my thoughts, my habits, what I think, what I feel and what I do to face the obstacles. Some people have growth mindset, and others may have fixed mindset. Not being jungled for any kind of people but I have always understood a fact that people with fixed mindset are tend to be more negative than those who are not, for I used to be this kind of people and gave up easily when I fall. Therefore, I have always hold my little hope to have a little impact on changing their mind and to let them remember that: Mindset creates perception, if people create a positive one, they will see the world in a positive way and falling does not mean they lose, they only lose when they quit. Exploring Carol Dweck’s theory about mindset, understanding myself better than anyone, I believe my mindset has always been the combination of fixed and growth, for I have always looked forward to the future and broadened my horizon consistently in many faces; otherwise, I tend to follow the same pathway I have been taught in academic and in work.

To begin with, in fixed mindset, people tend to believe that their qualities, their skills, their work’s results are fixed traits, like a gift from the God, therefore cannot change anyway. These people document their intelligence and talents rather than working, developing, and improving themselves to be the better ones. Moreover, they also held the idea that talent leads to success, otherwise, effort plays itself none job. All those such of things remind of the old me. Like many other students, I used to believe that my basic abilities, intelligence, and my talents are fixed traits. That means I thought that I was born with that and they were all what I have. Like a certain amount of intelligence, the little me has no ideas of doing math, solving problems or learning to speak a new language, and I believed it was true so. After every time I failed something, with a fixed mindset, I had always had a fear of looking dumb to my family, my friends and my classmate because I did not believe that I could redeem themselves once those people have looked at the little me as being unintelligent. When I saw others succeed, it made me think that I could not. Thinking back to the time when I was in a primary and secondary school, back in Vietnam, and by the time grades were mean so much that could evaluate the ‘actual’ abilities of students, I found myself struggling and feeling ashamed to move on when I saw others have a better grade. With a fixed mindset, I then denied that they were the same to me that they were come with a better intelligence and I did not; I started learning how to accept it more and waited for a better luck. Why are there many people I know can take feedback as something helpful for them to develop and to expand? Why does it come to them so easily to accept? Why can they find the value in every bit of feedback they receive? I have always asked myself quite a lot, but the answer has not ever been satisfied enough to me. Personally, I have always taken feedback as a private attack. I found in myself that it is hard for me to listen to other people feedback, especially when I was a fixed mindset that I found in myself the perfection, I knew everything I need to know and I wanted myself to perform everything to be the best. Last but not least, I have tent to follow to same academic pathway I have been taught. Back to Vietnam, where the education is quite bit traditional, I have been taught to do same things as the generation before had given. It was where I learnt to solve the Math’s problems in the ‘only’ way they taught, or the essay I wrote must mention what my teachers told us to have; all those such of things have shaped my thoughts and made me to become the person I am today- a half of fixed mindset.

Growing up more, I realized every road isn’t magically filled up with full of roses; I got to learn more from other people. Not being completely with a fixed mindset, at somehow, I felt in myself that things become easier for me to accept. I got to how what a growth mindset is and how it is one of the key characteristics toward us to succession. It has become clearly to me that, to develop and to expand as a person, it is necessary to have, to build, and to maintain a growth mindset, also, to believe that I have goals to reach, aspirations I have, dreams to follow rather than staying deadly in my comfort zone. I believe growth mindset is very unique. Just like any other with growth mindset, since my high school year, I saw the changes in my own thought obviously that I started to cherish praise more to other people, I believe in hard-working and giving praise to others will help them on achieving their goals and dreams. Moreover, I was taught how to find at least a bit of value from the feedback others. Alternatively, in a growth mindset, I am now believing that our learning and intelligence can grow and become smarter with time and experience. Keeping that in mind, I have always tried to put more extra time on studying and broadening my horizon consistently; I believe that would lead me to higher achievement. I am believing my abilities and intelligence can be developed with effort, learning, and persistence. Believing that my basic abilities and talents are simply a starting point for my future potential and I was born with it, in order to keep it, that is my own job to develop and expand myself more using those. Like to old little me, I still hold my thought that everyone is the same, but now more and more people hold onto the idea that everyone can become smarter if they try. I stepped out of my comfort zone, I took on challenges as a big part of growing. I believe new challenges equal to new opportunities, the more I challenge myself, the more opportunities I get to learn. Learning from others, in my belief, would be the fastest way to educate. Thinking of criticism as a way to learn, I started to take feedback from others more easily. Whenever someone is able to point my weakness out, I thought of it as a gift that makes me aware of my faults, therefore I can focus on them to improve. With a growth mindset, I set my new goals every time I have achieved the old ones so I can stay motivated and interested.