Page 9 - Welless4Life_Chapter by Cassandra S. Shaw, Ph.D., CPC

Fixed Mindset

A fixed mindset means you believe your success is already determined for you. You think if
you’re smart or talented, you’ll succeed. But if not, then it’s not worth trying because you’ll

never succeed. How do you respond to these questions?
• You find it difficult to accept any feedback on how you might improve.

• You’re likely to give up or not bother if you experience a failure or a setback.

• You may blame others or your circumstances for your lack of success.
If you find yourself matching those questions, you have a fixed mindset. You’ve set limiting

beliefs on yourself. This mindset leads you to avoid any type of challenge rather than risk failure.

Your fixed mindset derails you. It puts blinders on so there are blind spots you can’t see. And
then you hit a wall because you didn’t see it coming.

Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be. — John Wooden

Growth Mindset

A growth mindset means you believe success depends more on effort than smarts or talent.
How do you respond to these questions?

• You believe if you keep trying and work hard, you’ll learn.

• You’ll improve through practice. You’ll succeed.
• You don’t blame others or circumstances when you have a setback.

• You seek feedback for improvement.

• You seek out new challenges.
• You are less likely to give up when something gets hard or goes wrong.

If this is your belief, you have a growth mindset, which fosters flexibility and resilience. To

improve your wellness, you’ll need the growth mindset. You need to believe you can do it, even
when it gets tough. First, challenge those limiting beliefs. Where do they come from? Is it from

other people’s words? Throw them out. Those limiting beliefs are extra baggage. Free your