Chapter 3: Benefits of Growth Mindset
As you know, growth mindset can have many benefits in your life. From helping you earn the salary you desire, to helping you learn skills and other important things, growth mindset can help a lot. However, there are many more growth mindset benefits that you may not be aware of. Knowing these benefits can help you understand what you are working towards, and can also help motivate you to continue developing your growth mindset. Many valuable benefits come from growth mindset, so be sure to take your time and understand exactly what they are and what they mean for you.
Enjoy Life More
One of the greatest values of growth mindset is that you learn to enjoy life more. Those who have a fixed mindset tend to be very stressed, and tend to suffer from a desire to be perfect at everything. As a result, they may avoid learning new things and challenging themselves because they fear failure and the stress that comes alongside failure.
People with a growth mindset are not fearful of being bad at something because they see it as an opportunity to get better. Since they have a more optimistic view of the learning experience and are void of the symptoms of perfectionism and the stress that comes with it, they can better enjoy life. They are not afraid of wanting to learn new skills or try new things because they are not afraid of being “bad” at it. They know that everyone starts somewhere, and so they are willing to start at whatever level they are at. They do not suffer from the need to be good at everything, so they are willing to be bad at something until they get good at it.
Improved Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence
When people have a fixed mindset, they tend to also struggle with perfectionism. They are afraid to do anything wrong because they get embarrassed and feel like a failure as a result. Those who have a growth mindset are capable of understanding that perfectionism is not required and you are allowed to make mistakes. They see everything as an opportunity to learn and do better, and therefore they do not spend any time feeling embarrassed or silly for doing things wrong. Instead, they realize they are simply learning. This alleviates a lot of the stress and pressure that comes with perfectionism, making them more likely to have increased self-esteem and self-confidence.
Ability to Forgive
Those who have a growth mindset are more likely to understand that people, including themselves, make mistakes. As a result, they have an easier time genuinely forgiving themselves and others for making mistakes. They see these as an opportunity to grow and do better, and therefore they are not worried about mistakes that are made. They do not harshly judge themselves or others for looking “silly” or “embarrassing themselves” by learning something new or doing something they are not good at. Instead, they are open and accepting of mistakes, and they forgive just as openly.
Realistic Perception of Reality
People who have a fixed mindset and struggle with perfectionism and the inability to make mistakes tend to believe that there is a reality where a human would never make any mistakes. This puts a lot of pressure on them and results in them having a twisted perception of reality. They essentially believe they must be superhuman to be accepted and loved by the people in their environment and in their reality.
Those who have a growth mindset understand that people make mistakes and there is no way around it. As a result, they are more willing to accept this reality and live on anyway. They are less likely to feel all of the pressure and need to be perfect, and instead, they are realistic about mistakes and life lessons. They know that no one expects them to be perfect, and therefore they live free of this illusion and pressure.
Increased Resilience
Once again, the lack of a need to be perfect means that people with a growth mindset have an extra benefit. They tend to experience significantly increased levels of resilience because they do not feel pressure to be perfect. As a result, they make a mistake, forgive themselves, and bounce back. They are the ones that are more likely to persist something, despite not being great at it from the start. They are willing to practice, make errors, and accept their errors. In the end, they tend to be much more successful with learning because they didn’t discard the new skill from fear of failure or looking silly.
Regard Setbacks as Useful Lessons
Those who have a fixed mindset regard setbacks or failures as an obstacle that is impassable. They are fearful, they beat themselves up, and they get stuck behind these obstacles. They shrink for these obstacles. Those who have growth mindset, however, view these obstacles as lessons. They are genuinely interested in learning about how they can pass these obstacles and come out the other side doing better than ever before. They are more likely to see setbacks, failures, obstacles, and other hiccups in life as a lesson instead of a barrier.
Finding Joy in Processes
Those with a growth mindset find genuine joy in learning the processes of things and adapting to new conditions and challenges. They are interested in understanding how they can do better, and they truly engage and invest themselves in the learning process. They find everything from the setting of the goal to the actions taken and even the reward to be equally satisfying.
Those with a fixed mindset tend to put more emphasis on the goal and reward, and often fail to succeed because they are unwilling to do the things required to see the goals through. They are fearful of making a mistake, so they are fearful of the process. They do not invest themselves or engage in the process, so they do not learn anything new or experience achievements nearly as often as those with a growth mindset.
There are many powerful and positive benefits to having a growth mindset. Not only does it help increase your neural pathways and networks, but it also contributes to you leading a life that is genuinely happier, healthier, and more fulfilling. When you foster a growth mindset and consistently work towards it, you are more likely to find fulfillment in life, and your life is more likely to be enjoyable. There is less chance of you experiencing depression, high levels of stress, perfectionism, or other limiting beliefs and conditions because you are not limiting yourself through fixed mindset.