In This Episode…
In today’s episode I reflect on the steps I need to take to move from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset. I dip back into “Mindset” by Carol Dweck and look at what she recommends I do now. It appears both straightforward and complex all at the same time. It should be an interesting journey. Hear my thoughts in this episode.
Edited Transcript
Hi, it’s Michael Tipper and welcome to today’s episode of the Profit Productivity Podcast.
Now this episode is all about looking at what the next steps are for moving through from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
Yesterday I shared with you how my fixed mindset manifests in my life through the medium of Latin dance. I stressed yesterday that the dance example was merely a reference point around which it seems to accumulate the most.
So just to recap so far – I have identified that I have a fixed mindset and yesterday we established how it manifests itself and I used learning to dance as a way showing it at its best or worst depending on your perspective.
So what’s the next step? Well, I think the next step is to look at why I have the fixed mindset.
I hinted yesterday, there are some issues around self esteem and self belief. There’s the identity of my self esteem to my work, which comes from being a trophy child. So there’s all sorts of issues going on there.
I went back into Carol Dweck’s book “Mindset” back into chapter 8 to have another look at what she recommends.
Fundamentally my beliefs are at the root of this. Then based on my beliefs, I will then interpret what goes on. That interpretation process dictates how I’ll feel about what’s happening.
In her book, Carol Dweck talks about cognitive therapy as being a way of identifying what those beliefs are and then at the very least tempering the judgments we place on ourselves as a result of our interpretation through the beliefs.
Now when I use the term cognitive therapy, I’m not going to go and find a therapist and say I’ve got a fixed mindset problem.
The process of analysing, understanding, monitoring and then changing is what cognitive therapy is about. I’m just going to be doing that on my own, guided by some of the principles of that discipline.
So there’s going to be this need to be more focused and understand what are the beliefs that are triggering this and how I’m interpreting what’s happening around me because of those beliefs.
But also there’s another step that’s necessary as well.
I need to challenge the basic assumption that my abilities are fixed, which is what a fixed mindset is about, and look at the fact that I can change. I’ve got to look at some reference points that support the change in the way I think as well.
It might be that I need to develop some new beliefs around myself as a learner and around my ability to change and grow.
Of course the challenge with doing that is my way of being for all these years has validated who I am as a person and that’s going to be quite difficult to give up.
So initially when I first started looking into this, it seemed like a fairly trivial thing.
“Okay. Got a fixed mindset. Got to go to a growth mindset. I want to move forward”
But actually there’s a lot more deeper stuff to deal with in order to truly make the transition from fixed mindset to growth mindset.
I am hopeful of being able to do it. I’m confident that I’m going to give my all, but I don’t anticipate it’s going to be an easy journey. This is because I’ve really got to dig deep to unearth what’s there and then maybe challenged some things that I’ve held dear for most of my life.
I’m looking forward to this journey and I will keep you informed of how this is going and share with you what I learned from changing my mindset from a fixed to a growth mindset.
