Fixed VS Growth Mindset

When you are thinking about your mindset, there is a lot to consider. Not only are there 
positive and negative attitude toward people, things, and situations, but there are two 
very distinct mindsets: fixed and growth. It is possible to have one or the other, but most 
people have both, yet lean a little more toward fixed or a little more toward growth. This 
is important to understand because it might be keeping you from achieving optimal self-
improvement.

Fixed Mindset

The first type of mindset to learn about is called a fixed mindset. The fixed mindset is 
one where your thoughts, feelings, and personality traits are those that are mostly 
unchanging. There isn’t much room for growth here because you can tend to have your 
set mindset about different aspects of life. A good example is looking at success in 
people. Someone with a growth mindset might see potential in learning and developing 
skills to be successful, while someone with a fixed mindset looks at it more like you 
were born with a talent that is going to make you successful.

Growth Mindset

As you might have guessed, the growth mindset is the complete opposite. This is the 
person who believes you can keep growing and changing with the right amount of effort 
and tools. Your intelligence is not something that is “fixed” or set in stone – if you put in 
the work and gain more experience, you can achieve success and actually change your 
fundamental traits and talents. This is the person who can start anywhere and with any 
level of talent, and still achieve success by continued to work hard toward their goals.

Can You Be Both?

Looking at these definitions, you might see one as better than the other, or perhaps you 
are definitely a fixed or growth mindset. There are a few important things to keep in 
mind. For one thing, one is not necessarily better or worse than the other, it just might 
keep you from achieving your full potential. Another important aspect of the fixed VS 
growth mindset is that it is not uncommon to have a little of both. 4
Perhaps you believe that you shouldn’t try as hard at something because you have a 
slight fixed mindset that is keeping you from gaining enough confidence to try, but a part 
of you still wants to learn – you probably have a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, 
and just need to nurture that growth part of your brain.
