13 Ways To Develop A Growth Mindset

There are several ways to reach your goals and improve your life. However, when reaching those goals quickly and effectively, the best method is to cultivate a growth mindset. The human brain is extremely powerful and is responsible for how we think and feel. This is why it’s so important that we start with our mindset when reaching for goals. 

13 ways to create a growth mindset:

1. Prioritize learning.
2. Use positive self-talk. 
3. Value your time.
4. Promote creativity. 
5. Find joy in the “process.” 
6. Meditate on your accomplishments.  
7. Obtain a sense of purpose. 
8. Take accountability. 
9. Be realistic.
10. Stop seeking others’ approval. 
11. View mistakes as opportunities to learn. 
12. Write down your goals.
13. Reward your successes. 

In the rest of this article, I will go over what a positive growth mindset is, 13 steps you should take to shift your mindset and become more growth-oriented, and a few frequently asked questions about this type of thinking. So if you would like to learn how to be more growth-oriented, be sure to read on. 

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What Is A Positive Growth Mindset?

If you have ever researched any personal growth material, chances are you have come across the term “growth mindset” more than once.

Unfortunately, this phrase is thrown around a lot, and it can be confusing what exactly it means to be more growth-minded. 

A positive growth mindset is having set thought patterns that push you toward your goals. Growth-minded people are always up for a challenge, learning something new, and hard work. A growth mindset can be learned just like any habit and is statistically more likely to help you reach your goals. 

Ultimately, each person’s growth mindset might be slightly different, but all growth-minded people share a positive outlook on life and agree mindset is important in relation to success. The brain is powerful, and there is a direct correlation between a growth mindset and success. 

1. Prioritize Learning

First, it’s crucial that you learn to prioritize learning. Growth-minded individuals are always learning something new. Education is a fantastic way to keep yourself active and engaged in life.

Not to mention, learning can significantly help you reach your future goals. For example, those that prioritize learning do their best to seek out knowledge and continually learn new things. 

These new things might include:

• Learning a new language.
• Writing a book.
• Starting a blog.
• Taking a course in photography.
• Watching YouTube videos to learn how to cook.
• Teaching yourself how to repair a leaky pipe.

The list really could go on forever. Learning takes many forms, and you don’t have to be enrolled in school to prioritize learning.

There are plenty of everyday opportunities for educational growth at your fingertips. A great way to apply daily learning is to research your questions, and if you don’t know how to do something, look it up and learn. 

2. Use Positive Self Talk 

Next, you will need to learn how to speak and think positively regarding yourself, others, and your achievements. Negativity kills so many dreams, which is why it’s vital that you learn how to combat negative self-talk. 

You can introduce positive self-talk by switching out negative thoughts or words out for positive ones. For example, if you happen to think the phrase “I can’t do it,” you should stop that thought and replace it with something like “I can do hard things.”

 It sounds silly, but over time you will learn to replace harmful thoughts automatically. This new sense of positivity is contagious and will quickly help you alleviate doubts and feel much more confident in yourself. 

3. Value Your Time 

Another essential step to creating a positive growth mindset is understanding and valuing your time. Most of us work each day and are paid an hourly wage for our time.

But, when we get home or have days off, we struggle to get things done or stay focused on our own goals. This is why you must learn to value and manage your time.

You can value your time in many different ways. For example, valuing your time could be having a self-rest day or an extremely productive day working toward your goals. What’s important is that you use your time for the things you need. 

A massive key in valuing your time is creating a good routine and pushing yourself to “do” even when you don’t feel like it.

Having a set routine is a great way to ensure that you reach your goals quickly, even if you never feel like going through the steps to reach them. 

To be honest, when I started this article, I REALLY didn’t feel like writing, but I had scheduled this article to be written, and I knew that I would feel better if I pushed myself to complete the task I set.

However, once I sat down and started writing, I was instantly reminded how much I love to do what I do, and I was grateful for the push last week’s self gave me. 

4. Promote Creativity 

Another way to foster a growth mindset is to create an environment that promotes creativity. Unfortunately, creativity is pushed more to the side since facts and logic become favored as we age.

I’m personally a  fan of both and love it when the two come together to create something beautiful. Creativity is a key skill that can aid you in reaching your goals and being more growth-minded.

For example, you can use creativity to creatively solve your problems. Being able to think outside of the box regarding obstacles in your life is huge and will make your goal journey much simpler. 

Life will have obstacles, and the ability to critically and creatively think up solutions is imperative. 

5. Find Joy In The “Process”

This step has always been the hardest for me, but it’s crucial that you learn to live in the now and find joy along the journey.

We as a society are constantly pushing for more, and it can be easy to lose sight of how good you truly have things in the moment. 

Removing phrases like “I’ll be happy when” is huge when it comes to finding joy and creating a positive mindset.

Too often, we are so focused on what we want for the future that we forget to enjoy the present. So it’s essential to take a moment and enjoy how far you have come. 

6. Meditate On Your Accomplishments 

Oddly enough, meditating can aid you in creating a better growth mindset. Meditating regularly has many benefits, one of which can be an inner sense of peace that is imperative when becoming more growth-minded. 

Mediation can take many forms, such as:

• A quiet moment to think.
• Purposeful mediations. 
• A moment in nature.
• Reciting affirmations.
• Setting your intentions for the day. 

Meditation is especially effective in the early hours and is an excellent addition to any morning routine. 

7. Obtain A Sense Of Purpose 

A great way to ensure a growth mindset is to obtain a sense of purpose. Having a purpose helps drive everything you do in life. Another common phrase for this is “finding your why.”

To stay motivated and focused on growth, you need a reason for your actions. This reason needs to be powerful enough to drive you toward your goals. 

8. Take Accountability 

Next, to find actual growth in your life, you MUST learn to take accountability. Now, what exactly does that mean?

Well, many things can go wrong in life, and there are plenty of reasons to fall short of your goals, but when you take accountability, you own your role in both your failures and successes. 

To be growth-minded, you have to be able to admit when you have held yourself back and move on. It’s certainly easier to blame outside factors for your inability to reach your goals, but those sentiments will not help you reach them. 

That being said, the circumstances we are born into can significantly affect the ease with which we can accomplish goals. Trust me, I know. I didn’t come from a stable home, and my upbringing was far from easy.

However, I knew from a very young age that it was up to me to change that. It’s never too late to alter your mindset and begin taking accountability. 

9. Be Realistic 

This is one of the best ways to ease yourself into a growth mindset. Whenever we set goals, we must make them realistic.

For example, “I want to be the world’s greatest author by the end of the year” is not an attainable goal. For one, you can’t control the public’s perception of your work, and two, a year is far too short a time frame for that feat. 

Instead, you should set a more realistic goal like, “I want to publish my first novel by the end of the year.” This goal is realistic since you can achieve it independently, and it’s not dependent on factors outside your control.

10. Stop Seeking Others Approval

One of the most challenging switches can be to stop caring about what others think. As a recovering people-pleaser, I know just how difficult this can be, and it has taken many years to get to where I am today.

So strive to do what makes you happy, and those that genuinely care about you will be supportive and excited by your success. 

11. View Mistakes As Opportunities To Learn 

A key skill to mastering a growth mindset is learning to view mistakes as learning opportunities. Sometimes in life, you will make mistakes, but you will always be able to take something meaningful away from the experience. 

I have had my fair share of learning experiences just starting this blog, and I will probably continue to do so. It’s been an amazing experience, and I have learned so much.

So don’t be afraid to fail. Failure doesn’t have to be scary or the end; it’s simply another way to learn how not to do something. 

12. Write Down Your Goals 

Another great way to help get yourself in a growth mindset is to write down your goals and any life plan thoughts. Writing things down helps increase our ability to remember our goals and keep them at the forefront of our thoughts. 

This is why I recommend checking out my Lyssa Day Printable Goal Planner (available on Etsy). I created this planner to help keep myself, and others stay organized as they set goals. This planner also includes a 5-year plan to help you better stay on track to accomplish your long-term goals. 

But whatever you do, just write down your goals and put them somewhere you will frequently see them. This will help you remember what you are working toward and motivate you not to give up. 

13. Reward Your Successes 

Lastly, you need to reward yourself when you accomplish things. It’s easier to get excited about a goal or small victories when you know a reward is waiting.

Therefore, I like to determine a reward I will get upon achieving a specific goal. An example might be, “I will reward myself with a new wardrobe if I constantly go to the gym 5 days per week for 6 months”. 

Now your rewards can be as big or small as you like. Each goal may require a different reward system. So simply choose rewards that will get you excited to reach your goals. 

Fixed Minded Vs. Growth Minded 

When we are children, we are naturally born with an inclination to be growth-minded, and as we age, we are forced into more of a fixed mindset.

However, you can create whatever mindset you desire with a little hard work. 

ClickView has an adorable video illustrating the difference between the two mindsets. In addition, they do a great job of comparing the mindsets in a fun way and how they apply to people and their goals. 

So as you can see, it’s extremely important that we work toward combating a fixed mindset and instead strive to be more open and curious in life. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What Makes A Good Growth Mindset?

What makes a good growth mindset is the desire to learn, change, and achieve. People with good growth mindsets constantly learn and work toward new goals or desires. Positivity also plays a huge role in maintaining a growth mindset.

Q: Why Is A Growth Mindset Important?

A growth mindset is important because developing one more easily allows you to stay focused, enjoy your life, and reach your long-term goals. Growth mindsets heavily focus on using positivity and learning to aid you in achieving what you want out of life. 

Q: What Is An Example Of A Growth Mindset?

An example of a growth mindset is someone who is always striving to learn, uses mistakes as learning experiences, uses criticism to improve, and maintains positive self-talk. In addition, growth-minded people are good at breaking down goals into actionable steps and staying motivated to reach them. 

Conclusion 

Altering your mindset to become more growth-minded can feel overwhelming, but it’s 100% possible if you take it slow. The best way to do this is by creating a routine and slowly adding these steps to your daily tasks. 

You’ve got this! Start today; you will be so glad that you did! 

Have a bright day!