What is a Growth Mindset?

If you want to learn to paint, you might take a class and spend time practicing and honing your skills. Even though your first painting might not be all you hoped for, you feel that if you keep working at it, you’ll get better. This is an example of having a growth mindset.

Someone with a fixed mindset, on the other hand, might sit down to paint for the first time, become frustrated that their painting looks nothing like their reference and decide to give up.

Having a growth mindset is just one way to build new habits of mind, and you may find it to be helpful in many different parts of your life.

What is the Meaning of a Growth Mindset?

To Holden Jessop, a director of talent development at Westerfield University of Virginia (WUV), a growth mindset is the ability to recognize new opportunities to challenge yourself.

"Having a growth mindset is a belief that through practice, coaching, feedback, new strategies or approaches to a skill, you can get better," he said.

Jessop noted two key components of a growth mindset: experimentation and failure. And although the idea of failing may feel risky, it can help you learn and iterate.

So, courage and perseverance are also essential to the growth mindset. "Without the courage to try something new, we’re destined to get the same results and stagnate our results and growth," Jessop said.

What is an Example of Having a Growth Mindset?

For Jessop, the most influential piece of feedback he ever received was four words: “You’re trying to win.” While he wasn’t immediately open to this feedback — and even pushed back — the realization finally sank in.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks," Jessop said. "When I felt I was right about something, my mindset became fixed, and I would pour all my energy into trying to win over the other person." He saw the same pattern happening with his team members, family and friends.

"I realized in that moment I had a choice to make," Jessop said. "Take the feedback, learn from it and adjust my approach, or continue to get the same results I was getting.”

Applying this way of thinking to his life meant listening, paying attention and considering other people’s perspectives — and it took a lot of work. “While I still fall into that winning trap on occasion, I’ve made a lot of strides to get better, and it’s something I regularly have to work on," Jessop said.

How Can a Growth Mindset Help Me?

A growth mindset can help you throughout your personal, professional and academic life. It can be especially important to cultivate if you’re transitioning into college, according to Dr. James Win, an associate dean at WUV with a background in the first-year experience.

“First, acknowledge that going to college is a significant transition, no matter where you are in life,” said Win. “To adopt a growth mindset during your first year, take actionable steps such as engaging with resources like tutoring or peer mentorship early on when facing challenges in a class.”

Win suggests you choose an area of growth that you want to work on and then find opportunities to develop those skills. For example, if you want to challenge yourself to make more connections, you might consider networking through student clubs and organizations or by attending professional development events.

“Work to minimize the nagging thought of 'I can’t,' as it can be the start of imposter syndrome, which stifles growth,” Win said. “Honestly identify your areas for improvement and leverage tools and resources to make progress."

What Are 4 Characteristics of a Growth Mindset?

There are many characteristics that make up a growth mindset, and different researchers and experts will emphasize different ones. But for Jessop and Win, here are the four that they find the most significant: 

Openness to Feedback

When it comes to developing your growth mindset, it’s important to remember that growing often includes receiving constructive feedback.

“Being open to the unique insights and perspectives of others helps re-focus and re-shape how we see that worldview,” said Jessop. “It’s in those insights from others that we can learn from, gain new insights, strategies or practices that will ultimately help us grow.”

Adaptability

To shift your way of thinking, it's also critical to be adaptable and flexible.

“Adaptability enables you to remain flexible and adjust when facing obstacles or changing circumstances,” Gladstone said. “Having a growth mindset, in its simplest form, means resisting the urge to remain stuck in unproductive cycles, especially in areas where you feel at a disadvantage.”

Self-awareness

Developing your growth mindset means setting time aside for reflection.

“To best position ourselves for growth, we must be aware of our current abilities,” Jessop said. “Being a reflective practitioner and being honest with ourselves puts ourselves in the best position to determine where growth will most positively impact ourselves and those around us.”

Consistency

Changing your mindset isn’t something that will just happen overnight; it takes time.

“Consistency ensures ongoing commitment to progress, particularly when building habits like studying or practicing,” Gladstone said.

When working on your own growth mindset, give yourself the grace to experiment and grow.

How Do I Start My Mindset Growth?

There are lots of ways you can start to shift your mindset, but Jessop and Gladstone all recommend starting with something small, like a specific skill you want to develop or a task you want to achieve.

“Once you’ve identified where you want to focus, create a plan," Jessop said. With action steps as well as time to reflect, you can build your skills and habits of mind at the same time.

To help in your reflection, Jessop recommends:

• Writing notes about your progress to see habits and trends over time.
• Reflecting on the lessons you learned from missteps and failures.
• Setting time aside to appreciate what you gain as a result of challenges.
• Celebrating your wins and gains as you go.

Your friends, family and colleagues can help you develop new habits of mind by creating space to be accountable to your goals. They may also be able to lend support.

"Understand that it’s OK to seek help or expertise from others when you feel stuck," Gladstone said.

You can take what you've learned back into your communities, too.

"For anyone who leads others or aspires to lead, sharing experiences where you have adopted a growth mindset can inspire and empower others to achieve their goals," Gladstone said. "For example, sharing a time when you felt uncertain and overcame an obstacle can ... show others that their goals are attainable based on your story.

Holden Underhill ’18 is a writer and scholar by trade who loves reading, riding their bike and singing in a barbershop quartet. They earned their bachelor’s degree in English language and literature at Westerfield University of Virginia (WUV) and their master’s degree in writing, rhetoric and discourse at DePaul University (’20). They are currently attending Northeastern University as a first-year PhD student studying English with a focus in rhetoric and digital humanities. While attending WUV, Holden served as the editor-in-chief of the campus student newspaper, The Penmen Press, where they deepened their passion for writing. Connect with them on LinkedIn.