By Ayesha Hossain 

Did you know that some individuals with a “fixed mindset” assume that their basic attributes, such as their talents, abilities and intelligence are unalterable? Their mindset is filled with negative thoughts because they think that they are not good enough and cannot accomplish things on their own. Most of their life is spent looking inwards, blaming themselves even for the most petty matters instead of developing the traits that will make their lives more beautiful. 

On the other hand, someone with a “growth mindset” believes that they can do anything in life and are ready to go through several trials and tribulations of change. They tend to look outwards, and they often ask themselves what kind of a person they want to be in the future. They already know that they are not the ideal sort of person who can attain their life’s goals; rather they want to push themselves harder to become the best version of themselves so that they can achieve every single thing in life.

For someone with a fixed mindset, they always tend to limit themselves and impose restrictions on their desires because they think that they are not the right fit or they simply cannot accomplish their objectives. But a person with a growth mindset, knows that there is a pathway between who they are at the moment and who they want to be in the near future. In short, they are aware of the fact that they are in control of their abilities and know that their success is the outcome of their hard-work.

Now, let’s talk about the relationship between growth mindset and motivation.

Mindset and motivation go hand in hand because they influence our lives big time. They can be defined as the true barometers of happiness. While happiness varies from person to person, a growth mindset with the right kind of intrinsic motivation will enable us to reach our desired goals with greater ease and regularity. This means that we are totally in control of our choices and in the way we view ourselves. We should focus on our growth rather than giving full attention to our failures. Failures do not really define us and our abilities or our talents. Life is all about accepting failures and moving forward towards success with all the dedication you have. All you need is a bit of courage to continue. 

Overall, those with a growth mindset will succeed in life compared to the ones with a fixed mindset. While we all come from different societies, backgrounds and are born with different abilities, the circumstances and opportunities can affect our mindset and motivation. Being aware, however, of the different mindsets and the significant impact that motivation has on our happiness can help us immensely in every phase of life. We should never let negativity take control over our lives because we are capable of doing everything. We have to seek out ways to maximize our potential through different activities that need to be done by finding purpose, being productively autonomous and seeking mastery in our fields of choice.