Growth Mindset: A Foundation Mindset for Change and Wellbeing

“The expert in anything was once a beginner.” – Helen Hayes

When we set out to make changes in our health or lifestyle, we often focus on the “doing”: eat better, move more, sleep longer. But real, lasting change begins with how we think. That’s where mindset comes in.

Mindset is like our mental stance, the lens through which we view ourselves, our abilities, and the challenges ahead. Unlike automatic negative thoughts (those pesky uninvited thoughts that just pop up), our mindset is something we can choose and shape with a little awareness and effort - it is a skill we can develop with the practice of small regular actions. 

When I was younger, I had a very 'fixed' mindset on what I thought I could do and what I thought I could not do. This resulted in me rarely taking risks unless I knew I could be successful out of the gates. Not only did this limit my growth in certain areas, it resulted in some unnecessary anxiety around setbacks impacting my mental health. When I became an educator, I became more interested in mindset and specifically, Carol Dwecks work on growth mindset. I began to see the impact mindset work had on my students' learning, self-esteem/efficacy and overall mental wellbeing. I also knew that to foster this mindset growth - I had to be an example with it, and, therefore, work on my own mindset.

Now as a practitioner, mindset work has become an important aspect of what I do and is something I continue to do learning in. We know that our mindset and beliefs impact our behaviour and, therefore, it is important that we work on our mindset if we want to have meaningful change in our behaviours.

Let's talk a little more about what a growth mindset is...

Growth vs. Fixed Mindset

Psychologist Carol Dweck (2006) introduced the idea of growth vs. fixed mindset:

• A growth mindset is the belief that our abilities and traits can be developed with effort, practice, and persistence. It involves being open, curious, willing, and compassionate. 

• A fixed mindset assumes that qualities are innate and unchangeable: “I’m just not good at this.”

  
  

For example:

• Growth mindset says: “I can get better at meal planning with practice.”

• Fixed mindset says: “I’ll never be organized, so there’s no point trying.”

Why Growth Mindset Matters for Change

Growth mindset is a foundational skill because:

1. It unlocks other skills. Like learning to read opens the door to all other learning, a growth mindset makes it easier to adapt and build new habits.

2. It helps us handle stress and setbacks. Change is never linear. Stress, pressure, and setbacks are inevitable, growth mindset helps us see them as challenges rather than threats.

3. It keeps us moving forward. Instead of getting stuck in helplessness, we stay open to trying, learning, and adjusting.

   
   

Where is your mindset at?

Answer these questions to see what mindset tendency you currently have here.

Putting Growth Mindset into Practice

Here are some simple ways you can nourish and build a growth mindset...

• Think in continuums. Instead of “I’m good/bad at this,” think, “I’m improving little by little.” Perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking contributes to us feeling stuck and aligns more with 'fixed mindset' tendencies. Building continuums of action or thinking can be really helpful.

  
  

• Use strengths you already have. If you approach one area of life with a growth mindset or strength, borrow that same perspective/strength for another. For example, maybe you are really organised in one area of your life and could use those skills to support food planning/prepping.

  
  

• Focus on the process, not just the outcome. Instead of focusing on outcomes you want (e.g. gaining or losing weight, performance outcomes, etc), break down goals into small skills,  like eating one more serving of vegetables or walking 10 minutes a day. 

  
  

• Notice and celebrate effort. Don’t just celebrate results. Praise the persistence, consistency, planning, and creativity it took to get there.

  
  

• Use 'growth' language/reframes (e.g. the power of yet)- I used this a lot with students I taught - Instead of "I can't do this" or "I am not good at this" try "I can't do this yet". We need to use langauge that encourages growth and possibility.

  
  

• Be curious and think of things as an experiment - Approaching things in a curious and even playful manner, (e.g. "I wonder what will happen if...") reduces fear of failure and signals to the nervous system that you are safe.

  
  

• Refect on past growth - no doubt that there will be a lot of things you've demonstrated growth with in your life. Reflecting on this can help remind you that change/growth is possible.

  
  

• Surround yourself with 'growth orientated' people - your support network is important. Having people that demonstrate a growth mindset is helpful.

  
  

Change isn’t about perfection; all-or-nothing thinking often leads to us feeling stuck. It’s about progress and process. When we choose to practice having a growth mindset, we create the foundation for that progress to happen, one small step at a time and we can start to enjoy the process.

If you are already thinking - I don’t/can’t have a growth mindset, you can start by having a growth mindset about developing a growth mindset! It won’t happen over night - it takes practice and just by accepting this, you are starting to have a growth mindset;) 

Update on my own journey - with a lot of practice, I have more of a growth mindset now:) I still can catch a fixed mindset from time to time but I am better at catching it and reframing towards a growth mindset.

Try it yourself and see how it impacts your health journey:)