Nowadays, words like mindset, mindfulness, and self-awareness are big buzzwords that we see all throughout the healthy living niche. In order to learn how to develop a growth mindset, we need a baseline of understanding to get started. Below you can find the definitions we’ll be using for the previously mentioned words according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
What is a Growth Mindset and How To Achieve It?
Mindset: 1. a mental attitude or inclination. 2. a fixed state of mind.
Mindfulness: 1. the quality or state of being mindful (aka aware). 2. the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis
Self-awareness: an awareness of one’s own personality or individuality.
These definitions can vary depending on where you’re doing your research. For the sake of this article, we’ll use these as our baseline for learning.
Growth vs Fixed Mindset
Another way to think about mindset or rather its synonym is mental state or state of mind. They all mean the same thing.
There are two primary states of mind (mindsets) recognized in the positive psychology niche. Growth and fixed.
Even though those words are pretty self-explanatory, let’s go ahead and define them for our baseline of learning.
Growth Mindset: a flexible, adaptable state of mind, one that is open to change and possibilities. “The belief that one has the capacity to grow” (National Library of Medicine).
Fixed Mindset: a state of mind that is set in its established ways of being, thinking, perceiving. One that is closed off to changes, progress, possibilities, etc.
Some Research:
Interestingly enough, in a study from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) on The Influence of Growth Mindset on the Mental Health and Life Events of College Students (2022), researchers found that having a growth mindset in adolescents and throughout college helped alleviate or minimize much of the depression and anxiety feelings and disorders that so many people face today.
They go on to explain that “one’s socioeconomic status (SES) can have a large impact on mental health” (NLM, 2022 (Wagstaff and Doorslaer, 2000)). This information is highly telling of why we see such a large discrepancy between the students and workers of lower-income communities and their medium to higher income counterparts.
In another study, Enhancing mental wellbeing by changing mindsets? Results from two randomized controlled trials (2024), 
researchers strive to identify what it takes to change a person’s mindset in a way that will affect permanent change in their life.
They use the concept of flourishing to further define what it looks like for a person to live a fulfilling life—one that combats mental health issues. “[F]lourishing means more than feeling happy and satisfied with life; people who flourish are also doing good for themselves and society” (NLM).
Basically, in order to thrive in life, we need more than just academic and professional achievement. We also need to feel needed and to feel like we’re making a difference in the world.
In other words, we need purpose. Kind of like my mission with Dare to Thrive. By building this blog and its accompanying YouTube channel, I’m able to live in what I feel called by God to do—serving my purpose or at least part of it.
Why a Fixed Mindset Won’t Get You Anywhere
Even though the above mentioned research is simple, it does, in my opinion, illustrate the importance of pursuing a growth mindset that is accompanied by behavior change.
Being willing to transition from a fixed mindset—the one that keeps you stagnant and unwilling to grow (or keeps you feeling as though you can’t grow)—to a growth mindset is the first step to creating the life you desire.
The main reason why a fixed mindset won’t get you anywhere is because of the very nature of the fixed mindset. It’s literally fixed, unable or unwilling to move. Think about a park bench or a highway. Those things are typically considered immovable. They are designed to stay put (even though they don’t always), it takes a great force of nature to move them.
If you’re reading this article, given its title, it’s likely that you’re desiring and even willing to make changes in your life that will result in growth. But on the off chance that you don’t fall into this growth mindset or desiring growth category, I encourage you to keep reading, even if it’s just for funzies.
What Happens To Your Brain When You Choose One or The Other
As with all learning, the pursuit of a growth mindset requires the learning of new skills and establishing new habits and behaviors we don’t currently possess.
There isn’t a ton of research out there on neuroplasticity and the actual physiological changes that can take place in our brains when we learn. But just taking in what is out there is so fascinating.
From my research, I learned that there’s this incredible concept called neuroplasticity (which I mentioned above).
Neuroplasticity
The Cleveland Clinic (2023) says “‘Neuroplasticity’ is the fancy medical term used to describe your brain’s ability to learn and adapt. Think of it as an internal rewiring process that allows your mind to grow and meet new and increased demands.”
So, with that in mind, it’s safe to say that learning new skills, such as those required for building a growth mind, will technically (according to the research) result in a rewiring of the brain, so to speak. Other research suggests that continual learning actually strengthens the brain’s defenses against mental lag and slow age-related deterioration (aka: cognitive decline). See this article and this article for more information.
How To Adopt a Growth Mindset
Now that we understand what growth and fixed mindsets are and how they differ, as well as the science that supports a growth mindset, let’s look at how to adopt a growth mindset.
From what we’ve learned, it’s clear that having a growth mindset is beneficial for our mental, physical, and emotional well-being. From a Christian perspective, being willing to change and grow where necessary is also vital spiritual growth.
As you explore the articles on this blog, you’ll find out more and more how passionate I am about holistic lifestyle success.
If you’re anything like me, you also desire holistic wellness in your life. In order to achieve holistic wellness (a life-long process by the way), we have to begin with our mindsets.
Becoming A Lifelong Learner
Like any goal in life, there are skills we need in order to actually achieve those goals. I like to say that most things in life are skills and skills can be learned.
So, if you’re new to this growth mindset stuff, being nervous or even skeptical is normal. You’re literally at the beginning of learning a new skill (in this case many skills) that will result in you becoming the kind of person you envision yourself becoming and living the life you envision yourself living.
But before we can learn new skills, we have to understand why we want to learn them. Take babies, for instance, they are so intensely curious about the world around them that they will do almost anything to explore it, even if that means getting hurt.
The Desire To Learn New Things Is Normal
When babies learn how to crawl, they are literally crawling in every which way. Parents who’ve been in this stage can attest that
mobile babies are a lot harder to protect than their previously static selves.
Once a baby learns how to crawl, they are typically quite eager to start lifting themselves up onto furniture. The desire to reach things and experience more of their world is often what leads babies to want to learn how to walk.
The walking baby is probably even scarier for parents than the crawling baby. Mostly because once a baby can walk, they usually start running, and that’s when we usually want to put a leash on them, for their safety.
Babies are a prime example of having a strong why for the skill they want to learn. They don’t care how many times they fall down. They are so determined to reach the countertop and pull down that plate of eggs that the growing pains of learning to walk are almost irrelevant.
Albeit, all babies are different and often need consoling and encouragement when they do fall down, but regardless of the pain, they get up and keep going when they feel ready.
When babies are exposed to a well-balanced and safe environment, learning is intuitive and comes naturally.
Adult Learning
The same concept is easily adaptable to adult learning of every kind, but especially new skills. As we age, we tend to believe old adages that say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But, to be honest, I beg to differ. If the old dog wants that treat bad enough, they will learn that new trick, even if it hurts them.
The same goes for us. If we want something bad enough, we have to be willing to step outside of our current comfort boundaries and tolerate those growing pains.
If you’ve ever tried weight lifting or training for a 5k, you know that you don’t just wake up one morning with the capacity to bench 250 lbs or run 3.5 miles per hour nonstop for 10 minutes.
Instead, you accept that you have to start slow, especially if you want to avoid injuries. You accept that training your body to be more agile and your muscles to be stronger requires consistent, long-term effort.
It is the same for learning the skills necessary for achieving a growth mindset.
- You have to know why you want it.
- You have to be realistic with your ability to have patience and grace with yourself and others.
- You have to be willing to do the hard work of self-reflection and asking the Lord to give you the strength and courage to never give up on yourself.
That’s why it’s a journey. It’s a marathon not a sprint. If you want to succeed in any kind of personal development, especially that of developing a growth mindset.
Closing Thoughts
Developing a growth mindset takes time, energy, effort, and patience. This part one of the 3 part series was designed to give you the foundational background information needed to get started on the right foot.
I encourage you to explore the resources I’ve linked as they can provide you with even more helpful science-based information.
