Whether you are working with adults or children, or just trying to better yourself, having a few examples of a growth mindset and a few examples of a fixed mindset can help overcome many obstacles.
I mean, I get it. Most of us have lived our lives without ever giving our ‘mindset’ a second thought. It just is.
But along came Carol Dweck and her incredible research which launched us all into a new, amazing (and often confusing) way of looking at things.
That’s why I put together this post. Understanding and embracing the growth mindset was crucial to creating our successful home-based business and to our success as high school teachers. So I wanted to share some of our experiences with you.
By the time you finish this post, you will understand the concept of the ‘growth mindset’. You will have several clear examples of a growth mindset to share with others (both adults and students), and you will also be able to find real living examples of people who have excelled thanks to their growth mindset.
Let’s get started!
What is a Fixed Mindset?
The concepts of ‘growth’ and ‘fixed’ mindsets were codified by Carol Dweck in her book Mindset.
Maybe the best way to understand a growth mindset is to first understand what it is not. Here is Dweck’s definition, quoted directly from Mindset:
“In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort.”
Carol Dweck, author of Mindset
Many of us carry around this attitude. I know I did for a very long time.
The problem with this worldview is that eventually something will come along and knock you down.
When that happens, you blame yourself.
“I’m stupid” or “I’m bad at this.”
Because you believe that your talent and/or intelligence are static, you experience a sense of severe hopelessness.
If you’ve ever heard someone say, “I’m just not good at math,” you have heard the fixed mindset.
What is a Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset takes a different approach.
People with growth mindsets look at obstacles, setbacks, and challenges differently than people with fixed mindsets.
A person with a growth mindset sees each struggle as an opportunity for growth.
They don’t believe that their skills and talents are fixed and unchanging.
The hopelessness of the fixed mindset is replaced with hopefulness instead. When setbacks occur, the person with a growth mindset doesn’t blame themselves. They instead look for learning and growing opportunities.
Here is a great quote from Dweck herself:
“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence.”
Carol Dweck, author of Mindset
Fixed vs Growth Mindset
The beauty of all of this is that it is entirely possible (though not necessarily easy) to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
The process is complicated and you should really read Dweck’s book to work through it yourself.
But I can give you my own example: This website.
This site is here to share the journey of creating a successful home-based business that can be run in two hours per day (or three months per year).
But, none of this, not the site, not our businesses, not our investments or passive income streams, would have happened if I hadn’t picked up a copy of Mindset.
Why?
I had a fixed mindset. Failure terrified me. Rejection terrified me.
I just couldn’t handle the fact that I wasn’t smart enough or skilled enough.
But Mindset helped me switch to a growth mindset.
Where I used to look at it as a potential failure that I could never recover from, now I saw (and still see) it as an opportunity to grow as a person, to acquire skills, and, yes, to make money.
I read Mindset probably ten years ago now (I think I was 27 at the time). I am willing to bet I have learned more in the 10 years since I read it than I did in my whole life before it.
University included.
Why?
Because I am constantly seeking new learning opportunities now.
But the shift wasn’t easy.
One of the best things I did in making the shift from a fixed to a growth mindset was to seek out good examples to follow.
So with that, here’s a list that can help you on your journey. (They still help me when I begin to stray back to my old fixed mindset).
11 Examples of Growth Mindset + Mantras
- “I am a lifelong learner.”
Everything has a lesson hidden inside it. It is our job to focus on that lesson and tease it out. Even when that lesson might be hard or painful.
- “No matter the intent, I embrace criticism.”
Criticism is the truth we need to hear. It is wonderful because it is as close to the objective reality that any of us will ever get. Yes, some people might criticize you to hurt you, but even that has a grain of truth to it (and probably more truth about the criticizer than you).
- “If I let failure teach me, I can never fail.”
Failure is what happens when you let experience escape. We tend to think of failure as “that didn’t go as planned”. But in reality, the only failure is when you fail to learn from your experiences (both good and bad.)
- “Yesterday was a lesson.”
Most of what we dwell on in our past is sunk cost. It’s done. I can’t be changed. Why dwell? The only thing worthy about yesterday is that it was a lesson from the universe. The only baggage we need to carry from one day to the next is what we have learned.
- “Today is practice.”
So take yesterday’s lesson and put them to use. Today is for practicing what you learned yesterday. Today is for improving and growing.
- “Tomorrow, I will be better than today.”
And if you do those two things, the nature of tomorrow changes. It loses its anxiety and stress and fear and it becomes hope. It becomes confidence. It becomes contentment.
- “My purpose is to improve.”
People have wondered about the meaning of life since the dawn of time. But what if it is this simple? What if the purpose of life is to just… improve? One day to the next. One generation to the next. What if at the end of it all you are weighed by a simple equation: You lived this many days. How many of those days did you try to improve yourself?
- “Acceptance today means growth tomorrow.”
None of this will amount to anything if you don’t quiet that dark and nagging voice in your head. Negativity is the great enemy here. Doubt is your soul’s assassin. So just accept. Accept your mistakes and your flaws. It’s all good because it all helps you grow.
- “Challenge is the greatest teacher.”
These mantras all sound fine when you read them on the page, but I know how hard it can be to remember them when things get tough. If you can remember this one, though, it will help bring you back to the rest. The more you stress, the more difficult things get, the more there is to learn, and The more fuel there is for growth.
- “Setbacks open the door to evolution.”
Setbacks are painful because you had a path in mind and you are suddenly forced from it. The secret is to remember that there is no path. Your plans are not destiny. So every setback is a chance to pivot onto a new path. And each pivot is a possibility. Who knows where that new path will lead? (Just think of all the stories you hear of people who lose their jobs and then create a business worth far more than their job ever was).
- “Growth is the greatest reason.”
Sometimes in life, we are presented with an opportunity that feels like a sideways move. In those moments when there seems to be a perfect balance between pro and con, let this be your tie-breaker. If there is a chance to grow, do it, even if all else is equal. Bonus points if it allows you to grow in an area of your life that scares you (like public speaking).
And remember…
“Mindset change is not about picking up a few pointers here and there. It’s about seeing things in a new way. When people…change to a growth mindset, they change from a judge-and-be-judged framework to a learn-and-help-learn framework. Their commitment is to growth, and growth take plenty of time, effort, and mutual support.”
Carol Dweck, author of Mindset
How do you demonstrate a growth mindset?
As teachers, leaders, or even coworkers, one of the best things we can do for the people around us is to just live the growth mindset. Be a role model for others.
But how?
Get Comfortable With Vulnerability
Be open and honest. Be humble. Be willing to laugh at yourself.
Nothing puts coworkers or students (especially students!) at ease faster than seeing that you, too, are human.
Own Your Mistakes
When you mess something up, freely admit to it and tell people what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown from it.
Give them the chance to see you change.
Once other people see you change, they will subconsciously know that they can too.
(Sometimes) Own The Mistakes Of Others
If someone else makes an honest mistake (please don’t take credit for crimes or anything that would damage your reputation) take the blame.
Use it as an opportunity to build a relationship with the person you are helping.
AND use it as a chance to demonstrate your own ability to grow.
If you want to see this in action, look to Warren Buffet. He regularly points out his own mistakes and often takes the blame for mistakes clearly made by other people.
And he does it all in a humble and humorous way. It builds rapport and respect in addition to demonstrating a growth mindset.
Once you have a sense of what the growth mindset looks like, and how to live as an example of it, it can be useful to quickly spot the fixed mindset in others.
As teachers, we are inundated with it. It seems to be the default mode for students these days.
But you’d be surprised how often you see it pop up in the workplace, too. Be on the lookout for these tell-tale signs…
Examples of Fixed Mindsets for Students and Teachers
“I just can’t do math.”
“I’m too dumb for this.”
“Nevermind, I’m probably wrong.”
“This will never make sense to me.”
“When will I ever need this?”
(Teachers see this all the time. I’ve never actually counted, but I suspect that a good 80% of my students come into the classroom with a fixed mindset. They just can’t see the value of learning.)
Why?
Because they’ve been taught to have a fixed mindset.
Their parents. Their friends. TV. Movies. Music. Once you really understand growth and fixed mindsets, you start to see them everywhere.
This is why it is so important for educators and leaders to be able to spot a fixed mindset and demonstrate a growth mindset.
Examples of Growth Mindsets for Students and Teachers
“I can’t do math… yet.”
“I’m still working on understanding this.”
“I might be wrong but, what if we did this…”
“What can I read to make this more clear?”
“So learning this can actually help me do a lot of different things.”
In every class there are a handful of superstars. These kids are just wonderful. They are the kids you go to work for.
And do you know what they have in common?
You guessed it. Growth Mindsets.
It’s honestly amazing the difference you can see between a student with a growth mindset and a student with a fixed mindset.
But I don’t think that was ever a secret. We just called them ‘bright’ and moved on. We didn’t need Dweck’s research for that.
The real virtue of Dweck’s research is that it proves fixed mindsets can become growth mindsets.
Take a second and imagine a room full of growth mindsets. Imagine what our children can do if they can make the switch at such a young age.
Around 20% of American students do not finish school on time (Source). 20%! Just think how we could change this number if we could bring more growth mindset to the educational landscape.
Examples of Fixed Mindsets In Business
“Can’t fail if I never try.”
“People always criticize me.”
“This isn’t my problem.”
“That’s above my pay grade.”
We’ve all had to work with people who spread negativity and despair. These people shuffle around the office in an abject state of hopelessness.
And do you know what they all have in common?
Fixed mindsets.
Give it a try and look around your office. Being able to identify the fixed mindsets (and then avoid them) is a great way to improve your working quality of life.
Examples of Growth Mindsets In Business
“Can’t grow if I never try.”
“Criticism is a gift.”
“Each problem is a chance to learn.”
“My pay grade needs to catch up to me.”
On the other hand, think of the people you love working with. Think about the dreamers and the doers. All the people you can go to actually get things done.
I can almost guarantee you they have growth mindsets.
Why is it this way?
Having a growth mindset opens your mind. You begin to see opportunity everywhere. You are hopeful and positive.
In short, you become the sort of person everyone wants to work with.
Some Practical Advice (Start doing these now!)
- Stop feeling like criticism is an attack on you personally. You are not your mistakes. You are a learning, growing, powerhouse.
- If an opportunity comes along that scares you, you should do it. Why? Because everyone else is scared of the same things. And everyone else will run away. YOU on the other hand will conquer the fear and grow because of it.
- Rotate the skills used or the responsibilities given to you or members of your team. Give everyone the chance to fail (and learn) in small controlled doses. Everyone grows this way.
- When assessing a new investment or new member of a team, look for the growth mindset in others. It is the easiest, fastest way to ensure a positive return on investment.
- EVERYTHING is an experiment. As long as you treat every task, job, responsibility, or delegation this way, you will never be dissatisfied. Even if a plan doesn’t work out, you still gained valuable experience.
Famous Examples of Growth Mindset (For Kids)
Malala Yousafzai: Nobel Peace Prize Winning Advocate For Women’s Rights
Recommendations:
- Malala’s Magic Pencil (her first children’s book)
- Malala: My Story (A chapter book version of her bestselling book)
Nelson Mandela: First Black President of South Africa and Equal Rights Advocate
Recommendations:
- Nelson Mandela: An award-winning picture book biography
- The Story of Nelson Mandela: A new reader’s version of Mandela’s biography.
Margaret Knight: The First American Woman To Be Awarded A Patent
(She was so prolific an inventor they called her “The Lady Edison”)
Recommendations:
- The Marvelous Mattie
- In The Bag (She invented the machine that makes paper bags in 1868 and we still use it today)
Book Recommendations for Elementary School
- Any of the I Am books by Brad Meltzer
- The Questioneer series by Andrea Beaty (especially Rosie Revere Engineer)
- Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
- Big Life Journal (for kids)
Book Recommendations for Middle School and Up
- Big Life Journal (for teens)
- Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
- Strong is the New Pretty by K. Parker (There is also a guided journal)
- Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
- Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
These are great to get started but as you get more comfortable with the growth mindset, you’ll realize something:
All good stories, all successful people, all world shakers and wave makers have or had a growth mindset.
That alone should tell you how powerful this really is.
Famous Examples of Growth Mindset (For Grownups)
- Malala Yousafazi: I Am Malala
- Nelson Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom
- Eleanor Roosevelt: You Learn by Living
Use these as a launching point, but any and all successful people have or had growth mindsets. I recommend using these books to get good at identifying growth mindsets in others, then branching out to any memoir, autobiography, or biography. See what you can find!
Further Reading
Useful Videos for Better Understanding The Growth Mindset
An illustrated overview of the growth mindset.
Carol Dweck talking to students and alumni at Stanford University about “The power of yet.”
Further Reading
Here at 3MM, we help people like you apply the growth mindset by building million-dollar home businesses that you can run in three months per year.
If that is interesting to you, here are some other articles you might want to read:
- To see how we set up our business, check out our Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business.
- To see how we invest our earnings for passive income, see Our Guide to Investing.
- To see how we manage our business to minimize the hours we work, see our Productivity Guide.
- Or to see how our income has changed over time, see our main Income Reports page.
- For more book suggestions, check out our ever-growing list of The Best Books Anywhere.
Thanks for reading. We hope you enjoyed these examples of a growth mindset!
