If you've learned that a fixed mindset can greatly limit your potential in this article, and suspect that you are a "victim" of it, here are some common "symptoms" of fixed mindsets.
Don't get upset about yourself if any of these thoughts resonates with you. It's completely normal to have a fixed mindset because few of us were lucky enough to be raised without its influence. So many people carelessly make remarks about what we care and forget about it, but we are stuck in their voices for years. The reason we want to get rid of it is to free ourselves so we can finally make progress toward our goals.
Have you avoided trying something new because you worry if it doesn’t go as expected, you’d feel ashamed or upset?
Have you taken a new approach, failed and then told yourself to never be stupid again?
Do you hate being rejected, turned down, or being told wrong by others, so you are careful to not make suggestions or share your opinions?
Do you have a skill, such as public speaking, singing, or skiing, etc., that you want to be better at, but get anxious every time because you felt you did it poorly in the past and looked like a fool?
Have you found yourself feeling intimidated in front of people who you think have more authority or showing arrogance in front of those who have less and wondered how to treat people equally?
Have you envied your best friends for the great talents they were given?
Have you felt helpless and hopeless to become the person you want to be and that you are not good enough because you are not the chosen one?
People with a "Fixed Mindset" subconsciously believe that how far their abilities can reach in their lifetime have been determined at birth-time.
This false belief greatly limits what our minds would think as possible. Fixed mindsets create all of these frustrations and self-sabotages:
- “I am good at Math but bad at speaking and people skills.”
- “I am good with words but bad at logic.”
- “I am creative but not well-organized.”
- “I am smart, but I am not physically strong.”
- "I will never be that good because I don't have the gene"
- "I will never be successful because I was not born that way"
When facing tasks that are beyond our current abilities, a person with a fixed mindset is likely to think, “Why weren’t I born with those talents? There is nothing I can do. I am screwed for the rest of my life.” It’s very upsetting when we have a problem and feel powerless to solve it.
Fortunately, you can stop thinking with a fixed mindset fairly quickly once you learned what it is, which is what we just did.