Adopt a growth mindset and escape your "fixed mind."
Resistance to change comes from many directions, but one of the more pernicious ways in which we limit our potential is when we convince ourselves we’re “simply not good at” a particular skill. Sometimes we’ve formed these stories very early, and they undermine our continued development as we age.
See if any of the following sound familiar:
- “I’ve always been bad at math.”
- “I’m not really a techie person.”
- “I’m better at speaking in person than writing email.”
- “I’m too old to learn a new language now.”
While there’s certainly a benefit to focusing on our strengths, this is also a convenient place we hide when we’re unsure our ability to grow. This is further complicated by feelings that “we should have learned sooner.”
The good news is, we can change this. It’s mostly a function of learning to value to the right thing.
Instead of evaluating ourselves as being “good” or “bad” at something, we should track how we’re improving at a given skill. If we shift our benchmark for ourselves, we help free ourselves from a fixed mindset and instead work towards a growth mindset:
- “I’m sharpening my math skills.”
- “I understand blogging better than I did last year.”
- “I’m working on writing more compelling client letters.”
- “I learned ten new Spanish verbs this week.”
There’s a useful flip side to this, too: Tracking improvement also prevents complacency in those areas where we feel we’re already competent. If you feel you’re “good enough” at something, are you likely to be open to learning more? We often encounter this attitude among agents who have been in the business a long time, but feel no need to learn new media and technology.
Where are you right now? Do you feel you’re operating in a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?
Photo credit: pinksherbet
