Growth vs Fixed Mindset

People have their unique perspectives and beliefs they use to get them through life and life’s obstacles. Some have a fixed mindset, while others have a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is when someone believes they have fixed traits, things like talent or intelligence. For them, there is no need to develop, but rather, document. A growth mindset on the other hand helps someone generate productivity and motivation in the areas of sports, education, and business. It is the growth mindset that allows people to innovate and develop their skills and traits to reach their potential. Not everyone is suitable to a growth mindset just like for the fixed mindset. It is important to acknowledge both mindsets and their benefits and disadvantages to better understand what can be learned from both. Ultimately, both mindsets have their place at any given point in someone’s life and should be considered.

What is fixed mindset and why is it important? First it important to understand what mindset means. Mindset explains how things can stand in the way of action, why talent and brains are not the only things to bring success, why praise does not foster talent or self-esteem, and how teach a basic concept about the brain can raise productivity and the brain. Mindset, at the least the idea of it, was discovered by Carol Dweck, a famous psychologist who believed a fixed mindset meant not believing in effort. (Dweck 12) Dweck felt that people must transition from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset to improve their lives and themselves. While this is true and people should move towards a growth mindset, there is a place for the fixed mindset as the human mind transitions from fixed to growth cyclically throughout life.

In a fixed mindset, there is a belief that things like talent or intelligence are fixed traits. People with this mindset spend their time attempting to document their talent or intelligence and not develop them. (Dweck 13) They also have the belief talent is the only thing required for success, not effort. This could be deemed wrong. However, sometimes things don’t require a lot of effort. Why dwell on ways to improve things if there is already enough there to succeed? This seems a bit odd, but people go through stages in life where they may not have to put that much effort in and can live their lives off their talent.

An example of this is J.K. Rowling. Her talent in the form of a popular novel, got her to a point where she does not have to worry about money or working again for the rest of her life. For a time, she decided to live off that talent via book royalties and enjoyed herself. Before that stage, she was in the growth mindset, working hard to hone her craft and perfect her book. Then, after some time basking in the success of the Potter books, she chose to write again, writing an adult novel titled, The Casual Vacancy. (Kakutani) People can reach a certain level of success on any kind of level (personal, financial, career), and desire to take a break and just reflect on what they have done, letting their talent continue to lead them to satisfaction. People must understand that, someone cannot simply be working all the time, improving all the time. This is impossible.

Another example to accurately show this is the film Inside Out. At first Sadness was ignored because everyone thought she was not needed compared to the other feelings. “Disgust keeps Riley safe from being poisoned, Fear keeps her safe from catastrophe by imagining worst case scenarios, Anger protects her from others and also allows her to be a better hockey player, while Joy ensures that Riley is happy.” (Langley) However, as the movie progressed, towards the end, Joy saw the importance of Sadness. Sadness allowed the protagonist to express herself, the pain she felt inside instead of repressing it. This is what is vital to health, balance. To say that a fixed mindset is not needed or to try to go for the growth mindset in not basing one’s perspective in reality. There will be times when someone can rely on their talent, and have a chance to document these talents or intelligences and simply live within their abilities. There will also be times when one must try and work hard, put forth great, continual effort to achieve what they desire. This bring to the concept of growth mindset.

With growth mindset the idea is that people have the belief their basic qualities can be develop via hard work and dedication. While talent and brains are the starting point, it is not the sole decider in how much a person can achieve. This mindset encourages motivation, productivity, resilience, and a love of learning that many say is essential for success. (Capozzi 20) Most people that have accomplished great things tend to have this mindset. An example of this is the rapper Eminem. He is someone that received no help from anyone and grew up in abject poverty. While he had some talent in writing and rapping, it was his continued efforts in rap battles and pursuing a music career, that led him to becoming one of the greats in his music genre. Many people doubted him, especially because he is a white male. However, this did not dissuade him, and he continued to improve his craft, cultivating further complex narratives in his lyrics as he matured in the music industry. (Ricci and Lee 67)

The growth mindset is an important mindset to have at times because life will be filled with failures. Notable figures of the past like Winston Churchill, Vincent Van Gogh struggled to attain their goals and even amidst constant adversity, managed to produce and create. Such accomplishments often do not come from mere talent or intelligence alone. They often come from the pursuit of something against continuous obstacles. These obstacles are prevalent for almost any individual and is the reason why people must develop resilience, refine their skills and build a life that is better for them. Such a phase of creation can lead to innovation and allows people to enact their full potential. It is through this mindset that true greatness can be achieved, which is why so many people favor this mindset over the fixed one.

The growth mindset is also necessary because it gives people hope. “…maintaining a growth mindset is a prerequisite if children are to develop hope, the belief that they possess the ways and the will to achieve their desired goals.” (Sheehan and Ryan xxii) While the fixed mindset is useful for those looking to take a break or aiming to use talent or intelligence alone, the growth mindset is for those looking to work harder and aim further than what they are now. If someone for instance, wishes to become a pianist and they are not musically gifted, if they really feel motivated and decide to put forth the work, they can practice everyday for years and achieve the kind of skill needed to play a piano well. Many skills often require tremendous dedication and hard work to gain the kind of success people crave. When skills like playing the piano, demand a lot of work, one must find the motivation to do the work and this can be done by adopting the growth mindset.

Moreover, the growth mindset allows people to not feel comfortable in what they have achieved. If an athlete like Tiger Woods, who has won many prizes and gained accolades for his talent wishes to go back into the sport to see what he can do, this is adopting a growth mindset. A growth mindset seems exhausting if adopted all the time however. It has its place in specific phases of a person’s life. Yet, there is also a time when people need to rest and live off their achievements. That is why it is so important to see the value in both mindsets and they both allow for continual evolution of the human soul.

In conclusion, people grow, the journey towards self involves many twists and turns. One thing that is important to understand is that everything has its place within the human journey. Although the growth mindset is something that should be encouraged from time to time because it allows for stimulation of productivity and motivation, there is also a place for the fixed mindset. It is important to document intelligence and talent just as is important to grow and innovate. The process of learning and gathering data, recording it for future endeavors is intermixed and requires a balance. This balance exists between the fixed and growth mindsets. To reject one and accept the other is to reject a part of one’s self and growth. Nature exists in times of movement and stillness. Therefore, these things must be acknowledged fully to allow for true progress to be made for the individual and for society’s sake. Works Cited Capozzi, Rick. Growth Mindset : Leadership Makes a Difference in Wealth Management. Wiley & Sons Canada, Limited, John, 2017.

Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House Publishing Group, 2008.

Kakutani, Michiko. "Book Review: The Casual Vacancy? by J. K. Rowling." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, 27 Sept. 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/09/27/books/book-review-the-casual-vacancy-by-j-k-rowling.html. Accessed 4 Dec. 2017.

Langley, Travis. ""Inside Out": Emotional Truths by Way of Pixar." Psychology Today, 24 June 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beyond-heroes-and-villains/201506/inside-out-emotional-truths-way-pixar. Accessed 4 Dec. 2017.

Ricci, Mary C, and Margaret Lee. Mindsets for Parents: Strategies to Encourage Growth Mindsets in Kids. Sourcebooks, 2016.

Sheehan, Kevin, and Jessica Ryan. Growing a Growth Mindset: Unlocking Character Strengths Through Children's Literature.
Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.