101: A New Growth Mindset
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Hello my friends and welcome to another episode of Radiant You. I was chatting with my brother the other day and we were talking about getting older and how there are some things that aren't so fun about it, but there are also ways we've grown along the way that we're grateful for.
And he shared a thought that has been mulling over in my mind. He said, "Are we getting older? Or are we growing old?" I love the idea of growing old. It seems full of life and progress and movement where getting older just seems stagnant, boring, and stale as we just go from one year to the next. I want to be growing older, not just getting old. Although some people would think that I'm still young, I'm starting to feel my age as my years have been increasing and my doctors are starting to say things like, "Well, at this age,you better think about weightlifting because your muscles are either going to get stronger or they're going to start to atrophy. Things start to shift as you're getting older."So I've been processing some of this energy of moving forward in my years and I want to approach it with a growth mindset.Now, wherever you're at in your journey, whether you consider yourself young or old, we're all progressing forward. Time just keeps moving on and we get to decide if we are growing along the way.
One of the concepts that can be powerful to move us forward in a way that we grow is called a growth mindset.Many people are familiar with this principle. But in case you're not, a quick Google says this about it:
*Having a growth mindset means believing that a person's abilities aren't innate, but can be improved through effort, learning and persistence.*
So this mindset, this growth mindset, it changes your attitude. When you face challenges, you see them as opportunities for growth. It makes you process failures differently. You don't see them as being stuck and like you can never improve. And being open to that growth helps you adapt and evolve through different struggles in a way that, again, moves you forward. At its core, a growth mindset recognizes that your life isn't stagnant. You are able to learn and grow along the way. And the results of practicing this belief is that you believe you can change. You see challenges as an opportunity for that growth. Failure just becomes feedback and you're willing to try new things because you believe you can learn and grow.
Now the opposite of a growth mindset is called a fixed mindset. When we slip into this belief, we believe that our talents, our intelligence, our positive qualities, they're all innate. They're unchangeable and they're stagnant. If somebody else has a characteristic or trait that you want, and they're better at it than you, that's just how they are and you're just how you are. You believe that if you aren't good at something, you'll never be good at it because you either have it or you don't. And the result of having a fixed mindset means that you will not look at challenges in a positive way. You easily give up and are frustrated when you don't see forward movement and you don't really branch out there because you're worried that you won't be able to do it. Naturally, taking feedback personally when you fail because you believe you're fixed in that place of failure.
The growth versus the fixed mindset makes you think, "Of course we want to practice a growth mindset that's what I believe. I don't believe in a fixed mindset. I believe in a growth mindset." Well, with a little bit of self reflection, you, like me, might find yourself in days where you struggle to believe it's true. You see people around you succeeding at something and you feel like you're never going to get there. Or you have that habit that you've been trying to break for years and you just feel like you're just always going to be like that.
I was feeling like this recently where I just could not see the growth opportunity. I felt fixed and stuck in my place. There's been a project I've been working on and it just isn't moving forward. And I have just struggled to feel hopeful. And that fixed mindset has been loud in my brain, especially when you throw in pregnant hormones and a long day of trying to balance work and mom life and then my kids were fighting a ton and I just was worn out at the end of the day and believe that nothing was going to get better.My sweet husband, recognizing my fixed emotional state, pulled out his guitar and asked me if I wanted to sing. Now, sometimes I push back and I'm like, I don't want to "sing, but he knows that music therapy is one of the best ways for me to release some of that negativity and find more space for growth and truth.That night he started playing a random song that I didn't expect him to play. It's called "What's going on". I chuckled a little to myself. I'm like, "Okay, I hear you. I hear the message of what you're seeing in me..." But I start singing anyway to try and just relieve some of this frustration.
The song starts like this: "25 years and my life is still trying to get up that great big hill of hope for a destination". And literally after that, just intro line, I burst into tears. I thought, "That's what I'm missing. Right now, I've been trying to get up this great big hill of hope to that destination of where I want to be, but I'm missing the hope part. I'm just plowing through and not remembering the bigger picture." I had been in a fixed mindset because I was fixated on how frustrating the climb was. *I didn't see purpose in the journey.*
Once I got more humble, God gave me a scripture that had some truth I needed to remember. *In Romans 5:3-4, *it says, *We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope".*
That progression of tribulation to patience, to experience and to hope it starts with tribulation and it's okay that it's a struggle. I was getting stuck in a fixed mindset because my mindset was fixed on the wrong things. The world's vision of growth gets in the way and makes it hard for us to feel that fulfillment and that hope because that only comes from God. I needed to recenter in my faith and my hope, see God's vision and help God bring growth to my life.As I've been pondering this thought since that night, I wanted to see what God's word said about the fixed versus growth mindset.
And so I went to the scriptures and felt led to Luke 9:24, where the Savior is teaching His disciples. And it says, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it". And when I read those verses, the message was clear. God's vision of growth is to lose yourself in His will. *And when you forget your own things that you are fixating on* *and instead refocus on His will, that's when you truly find your divine self.* A growth mindset that lasts is one that's letting God give you the growth and lead you to a higher purpose. When you live for yourself, you're grabbing at things that cannot give you value and leave you constantly searching for more. *Living for God helps you discover your eternal worth and grow closer to Him as you tap into that eternal potential.*
And then the next thing you know, you realize that that small mustard seed of hope at the beginning has now grown into a tree of life, a place where animals can live, where blossoms exist, where welcoming shade invites others. And that beautiful place is fueled by the growth of God. But let's not forget that there are still seasons that every tree weathers. It's not always blossoms and birds. Sometimes it's terrible storms and freezing cold winters.
*But when we grow in God, our roots are strong and we're able to weather any storm. That is a true growth mindset where we can grow through anything *
So my friend, where are you slipping into this fixed mindset, where you might be feeling stuck?Is there a vision that you have grasped onto that might not be God's vision for you?Or maybe You've been [00:10:00] pulling in, not really wanting to learn and grow because you worry that you won't succeed hiding in the safety of that fixed place.
My invitation for you today is to find hope in God's words. Glory in tribulation. Whatever you're going through will help you grow in patience, experience, and yes, in hope. When you stop fixating on yourself or what you think it should look like, instead losing yourself for His sake, you will find that lasting growth and fulfillment and peace, that you are looking for.Whether we like it or not, life is moving forward and you are getting older. Like my brother said: don't just get older, make sure you are growing older. [00:11:00]
You can do this, my friend. One faithful step at a time. God is with you.
Have a blessed day.
( You are radiant and God wants you to remember that truth. But sometimes you forget. Don't worry. I've got you. I've created some free resources that will help you live lighter and shine brighter. Check out my show notes for the links.
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