Growth Mind-set Over Fixed Mind-set

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Do you have to be great at everything?  If this stops you from doing things you want to try, then it's a limiting belief.  Scott Berkun spells this out in Why You Should Be Bad at Something.

Keys to Growing Your Skills
Here's a set of practices and mind-sets that I've found to be effective for getting in the game, or getting back in the game, or learning a new game versus just watching from the side-lines. 

  • Swap out a fixed mind-set with a growth mind-set. (innate ability vs. learning) See The Effort Effect.
  • Call it an "experiment."   This sounds like a trivial frame game, but I see it work for myself and others.
  • Treat perfection as a path, not a destination.  If you're a "perfectionist," (like I "was", er "am, er ... still fighting it), you know what I mean.
  • Use little improvements over time.  Focus on little improvements and distinctions over time, versus instant success.  It's consistent action over time that produces the greatest results.  You're probably a master of your craft, whatever it is you do each day, every day.  John Wooden focused his team on continuous, individual improvement and created the winningest team in history.
  • Remind yourself you're growing or dying.  You're either climbing or sliding, there's no in-between (and the slide down is faster than the climb up!)
  • Try agin.  If at first you don't succeeed, don't just give up.  Remember folks like Thomas Edison, who "failed" many, many times before finding "success" (it's a part of innovation)
  • Focus on lessons over failures.  Remind yourself there are no failures; only lessons (one more way how "not" to do something)
  • Fail fast.  The faster you "fail", the faster you learn.
  • Don't take yourself or life too seriously.  If you take yourself too seriously, you'll never get out alive!
  • Learn to bounce back.  It's not that you don't get knocked down, it's that you get back up.  (Just like the song, "I get knocked down, but I get up again")
  • Give yourself time.  A lot of times the difference between results is time.  If you only chase instant successes, you miss out on opportunities. Walk, crawl, run.  Or, if you're like me, sprint and sprint again ;) 
  • Start with something small.  Build momentum.  Jumping an incremental set of hurdles is easier than scaling a giant wall.   
  • Build on what you know.  Now matter where you are or what you do, you take yourself with you.  Bring your game wherever you go. 
  • Learn to like what growth feels like.   I used to hate the pain of my workouts.  Now, I know that's what growth feels like.  The better I got at some things, the more I hated how awkward I was at some new things.  Now I like awkward and new things.  It's growth.
  • Find a mentor and coach.  It doesn't have to be official.  Find somebody who's great at what you want to learn.  Most people like sharing how they got good at what they do.  It's their pride and joy.  I used to wonder where the "mentors" are. Then I realized, they're all around me every day.
  • Have a learning approach.  For me, I use 30 Day Improvement Sprints.  Timeboxes, little improvements at a time, and focus go a long way for results.  I use 30 Day Improvement Sprints.

There's a lot more I could say, but I think this is bite-sized working set to chew on for now.

More Information

  • The Effort Effect - This article exposes the truth behind "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" and whether all-stars are born or made (nature vs. nurture.)  If you have kids, this article is particularly important.  Adopting a growth mind-set over a fixed mind-set can have enormous impact.

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