The benefits of a growth mindset are vast and diverse. This frame of reference is based on a view of yourself as a capable and autonomous agent in the world. In other words, you move through the world with confidence in your ability to exert control over your experiences. A growth mindset is important for success, learning, enabling entrepreneurs, and growing your business.

A growing body of research demonstrates a number of other benefits of having a growth mindset including (Dweck, 2006):

• Enhanced creativity and problem-solving ability
• Greater self-esteem
• Resilience
• Improved relationships
• Academic and career success
• Courage to try new things
• Improved health, well-being, and life satisfaction
• Ability to receive criticism
• Increased motivation
• Greater overall enjoyment of life
• Lower risk of depression

What is a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is a set of expectations that generally reflect a belief in your ability to intentionally develop yourself intellectually, physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. It is essentially believing that you are capable of more, whatever the particular ‘more’ may be.

Growth mindset is a concept that was first developed by psychologist Carol Dweck. It emerged from her observation that school-aged children who believed in their ability to grow were more likely to succeed academically than children with a fixed mindset, who believed that their abilities were fixed and couldn’t be developed (Dweck, 2006).

Fixed Mindset – Go Beyond a Life of Regret

Self-blame and criticism are a product of a fixed mindset. Regret is a negative emotion that is centered on a self-focused, counterfactual notion of possible alternative histories. In other words, it’s the focus on what could have been if only you had or had not done something. Self-blame and criticism are major components of regret. You blame yourself for what you did/didn’t do and criticize yourself for your folly.

“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are ‘it might have been’.’” – Kurt Vonnegut

Moving through life with a growth mindset allows you to view your perceived missteps and paths not taken as just another lesson, another beautiful part of our human existence.