Inaccurate assumptions about the human brain often lead to harmful outcomes that block our incentives to tackle challenges and grow grit for innovative adventures that improve life for ourselves and those around us. While it’s true that the same boiling water that softens a potato also hardens an egg, it’s also true that we can develop resilience for moving beyond limited pathways to embrace challenges, build resilience, and achieve our goals. Yes, even in spite of tough times!
For example, we can use newly discovered brain facts to become aware of a failing fixed mindset. Similarly, we can thrive by developing a growth mindset within whatever challenges we face.
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Here are seven practical examples of how we choose to move into a growth mindset that helps us to become our best selves. This starts by feeling confident, bouncing back from tough breaks and taking on mind-bending adventures that change the way we think and show how capable we really are.
1. Rather than blame others for mistakes we encounter, we choose to alter our inner voice to affirm who we are as a reminder that we can accomplish far more than we think.
2. Rather than exclude some to attempt an elite group of a few, we can open ourselves to learn from diverse thinkers by simply asking, “Want to join me?”
3. Rather than criticize ourselves, or mock another’s weaknesses, we identify and celebrate strengths with a simple, authentic congrats such as, “Bravo!”
4. Rather than diminish others by refusing to help them, we choose to support and engage shared values with a genuine request such as, “How can I help here?”
5. Rather than laugh at others for differences, we choose to embrace laughter that benefits all, with an addition of LOL to a blooper that happens to most.
6. Rather than bully others or rush to be first, we choose to encourage others with innovative new ideas offered through a simple request such as, “Would this be helpful?”
7. Rather than run in fear from change, we choose to foster and assist transformation by asking change-makers “What do you need help with to make this work well?”
To mend our broken mindsets and help others grow and thrive too, we generally look for ways to turn from angst and pursue awe! We take up courage with folks like Joseph Conrad who wrote in his book, The Heart of Darkness, “The human mind is capable of anything, because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future.“ We make choices daily that use those mental capabilities to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
My book, The Teens’ Growth Mindset Workbook,” offers hundreds of practical ways we can help ourselves to trail blaze innovatively and at the same time guide teens in our lives to address stressors that come daily. We can choose to prosper enormously by small, newly informed choices we animate with the brain in mind.
You can find my book on Amazon, Indigo, Barnes And Noble, and anywhere books are sold!