Mindset Shift Vs. Mindset Changes – Understanding The Subtle Difference
- Apr 27, 2023
- 3 min read
Written by: Kamini Wood, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
While you may think that mindset shift and mindset change are synonyms, these two terms actually describe different processes. The difference may be subtle, but it still exists. Small mindset shifts are easier to make than big changes as they gradually add up and don’t require as much from us as the huge changes or jumps do. That is why the New Year’s resolutions are so hard to stick to because we are trying to make a massive change instead of small shifts that eventually count up.
Let’s say you decided to quit smoking cigarettes, for example. A shift in this unhealthy habit would mean that you progressively cut the number of cigarettes you consume, but still don’t quit. A change, on the other hand, would involve a decision not to smoke a single cigarette anymore.
Or you just broke up with your partner. A shift in your relationship may mean you’re still on texting-talking-occasionally seeing each other terms. A change would require you to follow a no-contact rule and quit every contact with your ex. A tougher way out, but a more effective one in terms of allowing you to move on sooner.
The same logic applies to your mindset. Mindset shifts, small ones, eventually add up to more long-lasting effects.
Fixed and Growths Mindset
But firstly, be mindful of a fixed mindset and growth mindset. During her decades-long research at Stanford University, researcher and psychologist Carol Dweck developed a distinction between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset to explain the difference in our performance and life success.
Persons with a fixed mindset believe that they are either born with talents and abilities or they are not. These people believe that their intelligence, traits, and skills are fixed and there is nothing they can do to modify them. Fixed mindset people also believe that they don’t need to put any effort to achieve goals because their inborn talents will naturally lead to success. They tend to give up easily when faced with life challenges.
People with a growth mindset, on the other hand, believe that their intelligence, abilities, and traits can develop and improve with time and hard work. They have confidence that their efforts can significantly affect their achievements. Therefore, people with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities for growth and progress; they have confidence in their abilities and are willing to learn from their mistakes.
To thrive and achieve long-term success, you need to make mindset changes, not gradual shifts.
Mindsets are basically our beliefs, Carol Dweck says. They are powerful beliefs, but they are just our thoughts and therefore can be changed. Making small mindset shifts is better than simply staying stuck with your fixed mindset, which is nothing else but our inner critic that sabotages every attempt to make a mindset change.
However, shifts in your fixed mindsets are just not enough if you want to succeed and grow. For example, small shifts in mindset may make you believe that you have a growth mindset when you don’t really have it.
How to Change Fixed Mindset?
A full swing in mindset would mean understanding that you are a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets and recognizing the situations that trigger a fixed mindset. According to Carol Dweck, self-awareness is the first step in the process of mindset change. After you learn to recognize your fixed mindset obstructive voice, you’ll become able to anticipate it and interpret it not as an obstacle, but as a challenge.
This will enable you to feed your subconscious mind with growth mindset thoughts and take actions that will lead to growth. Only then you’ll become able to change out the framework of judgment and into the grounds of growth.
Kamini Wood, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kamini Wood is the founder and CEO of Live Joy Your Way and the AuthenticMe® RiseUp program. An international best-selling author Kamini is driven to support people of all ages to heal their relationship with themselves and to stop outsourcing their self-worth. As a result, her clients become their own confident, resilient self-leader with healthier relationships. Kamini is a certified life coach, board-certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, holds specialty certifications in Calling in the One®, Conscious Uncoupling®, NewMoney Story®, and teen life coaching. Also trained in conscious parenting, Kamini aims to meet her clients where they are, supporting and guiding them on their journey to where they want to be, both personally and professionally. Her mission: create space for each person to see the unique gifts they bring to this world.
