Do you ever find yourself thinking, “I’ve never been able to do X, so there’s no point trying”? Or viewing yourself in a particular way because “that’s the way it’s always been”?

That kind of thinking is called a fixed mindset and it can throw up all sorts of obstacles to you achieving your dreams – or even having dreams to achieve in the first place.

People with a fixed mindset believe their skills and capabilities are set and cannot be changed. And it’s very easy to get into that kind of mindset. We all have stories we tell ourselves about who we are, what we’re good at and what we can’t and can’t do.

But, if you cultivate a fixed mindset, you’ll always be stuck in a view of yourself based on very early experiences. You’ll never allow yourself the opportunity to grow, change, learn new things, or seek out fresh experiences.

The other option is to develop a growth mindset. This is where you acknowledge that everyone has the capacity to learn, to change, to grow, to improve, to get good at new things.

This allows you the space and motivation to move in different directions, try things you’ve never tried before – even radically change careers in your 40s, as my human Annie did a few years ago (to great success, I might add).

And a growth mindset is very much based on the evidence of everyone’s lives. Think back to when you were young – you didn’t know how to read, but you learned. You didn’t know how to ride a bike, but you probably learned. You didn’t know how to swim, but I expect you learned.

And it’s not true that the ability to learn new things is only available to you in childhood. There are countless examples of adults learning new languages, retraining for new careers, taking up new hobbies. The opportunities are endless – and they’re only restricted by what you can imagine!

So, next time you tell yourself you can’t do something because you’ve never been able to before – think back and identify a time when you didn’t know how to do something you now find easy. I’m certain there will be examples from your life, if you think hard enough.

Then, go out and give something new a try!

Don’t forget to let me know how you get on – or if there’s anything you’d like me to talk about in an upcoming blog post!

 

 

 

You can email me at wisebearstanley@gmail.com

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