
Can you change the way you think about yourself and your mindset? Or improve how you feel just by altering your thoughts? Yes, you can.
Your brain is malleable and constantly adjusting. This (thankfully) gives you the ability to learn and adapt throughout life. But, sometimes, your thought patterns get the better of you. These growth mindset tactics will help you recover faster from a setback and improve your ability to take criticism.
Throughout life, people have probably commented on your abilities — a parent saying you're smart, a teacher recognizing you were good at math, a boss calling you a hard worker.
Over time, these messages can "fix" how you see yourself. People call you smart, so you must be. Eventually, this view of yourself will slam into life's inevitable failures or criticisms. What happens then?
The fixed mind interprets common setbacks and mistakes as a personal shortcoming or lack of ability. This results in:
Fortunately, your mindset doesn't have to be fixed for life.
Enter the growth mindset. Folks with this outlook understand that they can develop their abilities and adapt them to different situations. They know mistakes are inevitable, which helps them recover more quickly from setbacks. The growth mindset values:
A growth mindset correlates with good physical and psychological health and is a strong predictor of achievement. Students with a growth mindset engage with school more fully and have better grades over time.
Try applying any of these growth mindset tactics the next time you face a challenge.
Adjusting to a growth mindset will give you more resilience in the face of challenges and better outcomes throughout life. So accept some new opportunities in your life, and then learn and grow from them.
This article is written by and Mayo Clinic Staff. More health and medical information can be found on mayoclinic.org.
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