In my brief experience as an entrepreneur, I have come to notice a stark contrast between those who succeed and those who don't. I wanted to learn more about these differences, and define them, so I could figure out how to make better hiring decisions. On my last business trip, I hit the jackpot and read a book that captured exactly what I had been observing over the years.

Then I Read the Right Book!

In her insightful book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Dr. Carol Dweck, a world-renowned Stanford University psychologist, explores and explains the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.

Let’s start with the Fixed Mindset.

The Fixed Mindset

People who have a fixed mindset are those who believe that abilities, talent, and intelligence are fixed. Know anyone in your life that sounds like this?

A person with a fixed mindset:

Views feedback as a personal attack and avoids constructive criticism.
Sees other people's success as a threat.
Gives up easily and makes excuses as to why things can't happen.
Believes that talent is innate so effort and practice aren't important.
Avoids big challenges because of the fear of failure.
Hides flaws and constantly needs to be put up on a pedestal by others to feel good about themselves.

The Growth Mindset

On the flip-side, those with a growth mindset are those who believe that abilities can be developed. See if this stands out to you and reminds you of anyone in your life.

A person with a growth mindset:

Sees feedback as an opportunity to grow.
See other people's success as a source of inspiration.
Sees failure as temporary and a necessary step toward success.
Believes that effort and practice can lead to mastery.
Has a willingness to accept challenges and risks.
Sees intelligence as something you can develop over time.

To summarize, these are the differences between growth and fixed mindsets:

Developed IQ vs Innate IQ
Motivation vs Resistance
Effort vs Inertia
Acceptance vs Guilt
Inspiration vs Comparison
Feedback vs Criticism

The Good News Is That It’s Possible to Change.

Although each of us have both a fixed and growth mindset ingrained in us, the great news is that becoming a growth minded champion is simple (not easy): become aware of which mindset you are operating from.

If you want to test your mindset, go ahead and take this assessment here:

Below is a graph showing the difference of what a growth mindset vs fixed mindset person may say:

What stands out to you?

I appreciate the 18 people who emailed me with their takeaways from my notes, and the many of you who started following me on social media. I do these newsletter posts to connect with other like-minded and growth oriented individuals, with now 16k+ readers each week.

If you’d like to connect more, give me a shout - jon@movewithmomentum.com.

Onward!

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Instagram: @iamjonbrooks

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset: What’s the Difference?