3 Ways to Shift from a Fixed to Growth Mindset

Written By Annie Belott, M.Ed
 
 

We made it! Spring is finally here.

As we begin to spring clean, enjoy the warmer weather and longer days, it’s also the perfect time to check in with ourselves on our current mindset, goals and personal growth. 

Are you where you want to be? Are there areas of your life you want to improve upon?

Spring cleaning doesn’t need to just entail organizing our junk drawers or swapping out winter clothes from the closet. Spring is the opportunity for renewal and the best time to begin sprouting new, refreshed bloomin' thoughts. Let’s take advantage!

So, how can we best embrace this new season of renewal and grow ourselves in the direction we want to be?

With a growth mindset, that’s how! A growth mindset is the “belief that we can improve and develop our abilities through hard work, dedication, and perseverance.” As opposed to a fixed mindset, where the belief is that our abilities are fixed and cannot be changed.

Identify the areas you currently have a fixed mindset. 

Ask yourself:

  • Are there aspects of your personal or professional life that you are resistant to making changes and potentially face some challenges?

  • Do you avoid or quit certain activities, tasks, goals because you think you don’t have the skills to succeed?

  • Are there areas of your life that you view as permanent and unable to change?

  • Is the internal dialogue with yourself constantly saying “I can’t do this” or “I will fail”?

  • Practice self-reflection and be your own cheerleader!

    • Redirect your mindset to focus on your progress, not the results

    • Talk back to your internal dialogue by saying, “I will try”, “I am not failing, I am learning” and “I haven’t mastered it yet.”

  • Commit to challenges that stretch your skillset - it’s an opportunity for growth!

    • Reframe how you view personal or professional challenges – they can be a chance for an opportunity, experiment, or adventure

    • Embrace the chance to learn and try something new

  • Give praise to your effort, not your abilities.

    • It’s a journey! Progress and growth take time.

    • By only concentrating on your existing abilities, you are encouraging yourself to view them in static, unchanging way

    • The ultimate end goal is to learn and grow; not just achieve.

Even though we are a quarter of the way through 2024, there is plenty more of the year left to sprout. Let's focus on implementing our growth mindset so we can continue refreshing and reinvigorating ourselves. Remember, spring is the perfect time to turn over a new leaf!

Annie Belott, M.Ed

With over nine years of experience working in academia, including university settings, Annie has worked with various student populations including individuals with disabilities, first-generation students, and student-athletes. She focuses on strategies to improve upon time management, procrastination, test anxiety, self-testing, learning styles, etc.

From 2016 to 2020, Annie worked as a Learning Skills Specialist at Georgetown University. Here she oversaw the implementation of academic support services to all students on campus, specifically individual consultations with students seeking assistance with their study habits, tutoring for foreign languages, and study skills workshops/webinars.

Annie has worked for Life Solved since the Fall of 2017 and recently transitioned to a full-time position with the company. She continues to work with students from middle school through the collegiate level to improve upon their organizational systems, test-taking and self-testing strategies, and help students create effective study schedules to make workloads manageable.

Annie has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Salisbury University and a Master’s degree in Multicultural Special Education from the University of Texas at Austin.

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