Someone can genuinely believe:
“People can change.”
And still believe:
“I can't change this.”
There is not one single “growth mindset” for each person.
And that mindset doesn’t stay in some static, fixed place.
Someone can believe deeply that they are capable of learning and growing within their career…
And still feel completely stuck in how they respond during conflict, or how they experience intimate relationships.
They can believe their ‘brain can grow’ when it comes to certain skills and knowledge..
… and still believe that being constantly anxious is just who they are.
This is why I think we lose something when mindset gets compressed into:
fixed versus growth.
Human belief systems are more contextual than that.
When I teach about mindset, I bring up the various realms of life where we might experience more of our own power and ability to grow, succeed, learn.. And where we might not feel this way.
Some of these include:
- Personality traits
- Stress-response
- Regulation abilities
- Relationship
- Response to mistakes and rejection
Telling someone to “have a growth mindset” is too broad of a term. We all have different past-based predictions based on our histories, and these can influence one realm of life differently than another.
Being able to add more distinct flavors and nuance to the topic of mindset is what can help people truly resonate with it..
When we teach it too simplistically, it's very easy to brush off when one person's predictions (about one specific area of life) don't match what we're teaching.
With deep respect for your complexity...
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P.S. This is the level I wanted Teach Mindset Science to reach.
If you already know the language of growth mindset, neuroplasticity and limiting beliefs, this course takes you underneath those words and into the mechanisms.. so you have a richer framework for understanding and teaching human change.
→ Explore Teach Mindset Science
