Have we watched ourselves move into something new and check the kind of mindset we have? I have seen people shout out “We can do this!” with no doubts. I have also seen others stop on their tracks, shake their heads and say there’s just no way it could be done. Guess who would have a greater chance of succeeding?
The fundamentalist’s viewpoint holds the fixed mindset at the center of everything they do. This means systems and rules are created and followed, repeated and followed. Belief systems are written in stone. Formats are not allowed to change so the outcome should remain the same, standardized, like products being made. Over and over again. We see it happening in families as they clone and mold their children to succeed at all costs (meaning rise up society, profit and become rich), in educational institutions that herald knowledge without the awareness of wisdom, in religions whose doctrines are devoid of the Spirit, in cultures that suppress expression and tradition is chosen over the people’s wellbeing and expressive freedom. And wow, how has our world suffered from this kind of mindset. Inevitably, we see problems arise from systems created by fixed mindsets. And this mindset applied will inevitably hold no relevance to the changing system needs. Mindset, world view, perspective, ways of looking at things… all these words hope to capture the manner and way by which we think and see things, situations, people, relationships, life.
As the duality of the world goes, there is an opposing mindset that allows for growth to happen, for new things, new processes to “organically” arise. It is the growth mindset. This is best described by psychologist Carol Dweck who studied this extensively: “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work — brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
“Growth” is about expanding, living up to one’s possible potential, with effort put into learning and deepening one’s understanding and talents. This mindset means working with inner intuition and guidance and the ability to know one can control one’s destiny, yet keep in mind that there is a Higher Force, a Spirit, the eternal flow of creativity arising and renewing itself.
Growth is about moving to new levels of understanding. Like the way we see how all our relationships change through time, because each of us is changing. Or when our attitudes change like when we allow the process of anger to move into grief, mature into acceptance and settle in loving compassion.
I know these phrases may sound trite and have been repeated so often but it doesn’t hurt for us to be reminded of them as we start 2020:
• Focus on the process rather than the outcome.
• It’s all about the journey rather than the destination.
• Experience the being rather than doing.
May the fixed mindset predominant in our world today make way for the growth mindset that allows expansion of our spirits!