Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets
'What are the consequences of thinking that your intelligence or personality is something you can develop, as opposed to something that is a fixed, deep-seated trait?'" – Carol Dweck; Mindset, The New Psychology of Success
How many of us think of ourselves as static beings? We recognize ways in which we’ve changed over the years, but don’t we also think our core personalities and thoughts just kind of… are what they are?
Psychologist Carol Dweck is one of our inspirations in challenging these beliefs. She calls the above a fixed mindset, which considers our individual qualities to be unmovable givens and success to be the confirmation of “inherent intelligence” (1). This is in contrast to a growth mindset, which regards a person’s individual qualities as malleable factors to be cultivated, challenged and nurtured. Dweck argues that a fixed mindset “creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over […] always trying to convince yourself and others that you have a royal flush when you’re secretly worried it’s a pair of tens,” whereas with a growth mindset “the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development” (2).
FRESH Recommendation: Carol Dweck's TED Talk titled, "The power of believing that you can improve."
This shift in perspective welcomes both optimism and resiliency – two powerful ingredients in our recipe for happiness.
“The pursuit of happiness is our birthright and should be our pleasure.” – Julie Graham
Our co-founder Julie is a Certified Positive Psychology Practitioner. Here she is finding happiness in celebration, community and gratitude!
Our co-founder Julie began to more actively pursue her own happiness when she studied to become a Certified Positive Psychology Practitioner.
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.
After completing her certification, Julie found that to the question of whether or not we can increase our happiness, she could confidently answer: Yes, we can!
According to Julie, Positive Psychology is NOT "happy-ology," or acting like you're happy all the time despite what's really going on in your life. And happiness is not the total absence of negative emotions – it’s simply where the scales are tipped in favor of the positive, fulfilling ones. But, if you're stuck in a mindset that says something like, "Well, my parents (siblings, friends, loved ones) aren't happy, so that's just the way we're wired and I can't change that"… Good news! You're wrong. You can do A LOT to make yourself happier, and one of the things we recommend doing right away is adopting a growth mindset.
And more good news: your presence here on the FRESH blog is proof you’ve already taken the first step. We are so very grateful to all of you who have invested in yourselves to do some self-care and self-love, and that takes guts and grit and work! Please pause here for a moment and really express a moment of gratitude to yourself...
If you’d like to take the next step, sign up for our e-learning health & wellness program, FRESH Med U.
Stay FRESH!