WOULD YOU RATHER “BE GOOD” OR “GET BETTER”?
How you answer this question may determine you future success.
According to Carol S. Dweck, PhD, in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, people with a fixed mindset believe that qualities such as intelligence and personality are unchangeable. As a result, they tend to focus on “being good.” On the other hand, people with a growth mindset believe that with effort they can “get better.” Research backs up the belief that we can get better. The brain is capable of forming new connections at any age.
Why does your mindset matter? Because when you are learning something new, if you focus on being good, you tend to see any setback as proof of your inability, and you are more apt to give up. Whereas if you have a growth mindset, you tend to see setbacks as learning opportunities, and you are more likely to persist and focus on ways to improve.
Adopting a growth mindset may allow you to embrace weight loss, or any other challenging goal, with vigor. With a growth mindset, you are freed from judgment, and you are able to view mistakes as lessons from which to learn.
Ways you can get into a growth mindset:
What might you like to get better at?
Anna M. Rabe, Health and Wellness Coach
Written for Cambium Wellness, July 2012
According to Carol S. Dweck, PhD, in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, people with a fixed mindset believe that qualities such as intelligence and personality are unchangeable. As a result, they tend to focus on “being good.” On the other hand, people with a growth mindset believe that with effort they can “get better.” Research backs up the belief that we can get better. The brain is capable of forming new connections at any age.
Why does your mindset matter? Because when you are learning something new, if you focus on being good, you tend to see any setback as proof of your inability, and you are more apt to give up. Whereas if you have a growth mindset, you tend to see setbacks as learning opportunities, and you are more likely to persist and focus on ways to improve.
Adopting a growth mindset may allow you to embrace weight loss, or any other challenging goal, with vigor. With a growth mindset, you are freed from judgment, and you are able to view mistakes as lessons from which to learn.
Ways you can get into a growth mindset:
- Believe that with effort you can improve.
- Let go of evaluating/judging and switch to improving/learning.
- Develop a plan, including a plan for temporary setbacks.
- Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and be persistent.
What might you like to get better at?
Anna M. Rabe, Health and Wellness Coach
Written for Cambium Wellness, July 2012
