Mind set matters.
It's in the news-whether battling a cold, beating a bad mood, or braving a new task, mindset matters. God has created these marvelous brains of ours to improve with proper care, use, and exercise. Your brain constantly reshapes itself according to what it learns, thinks, feels, and expects.
“Experiences, thoughts, actions, and emotions actually change the structure of our brains.” John Ratey, MD. User’s Guide to the Brain, p. 17.
“One necessary precursor to change, though, is often a change of attitude.” John Ratey, MD. User’s Guide to the Brain, p. 356.
Do you have a “fixed” or “growth” approach to life?
“Fixed” mindsets believe that ability and personality are basically inborn, unchangeable, and “set in stone”. As a result, they are often more focused on “how will I look” rather than “how can I learn” in the face of mistakes or challenges.
"Growth" mindsets believe that although people differ in basic aptitude and temperament, everyone can change, grow, and improve. They have a passion for stretching and growing, even when they are making mistakes and facing challenges.
The good news is that a “fixed” mindset is “fixable”! “We are not prisoners of our genes or our environment…We always have the ability to remodel our brains.” John Ratey, MD. User’s Guide to the Brain, p. 17.
First, learn to spot fixed thinking. Choosing a new way of thinking is like learning any other skill; it takes practice, patience… prayer, and the power of God.
The growth mindset person may not “feel” smart, but they want to “get” smart, and they are willing to work at it.
Growth mindsets tend to:
- Embrace challenges
- Persist in the face
of obstacles - See effort as the path to mastery
- Learn from criticism
- Are not defeated by failure
- Are inspired
by other’s
success