{"id":6426,"date":"2020-01-12T14:22:20","date_gmt":"2020-01-12T18:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=6426"},"modified":"2022-03-18T15:57:56","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T19:57:56","slug":"how-your-mind-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-your-mind-works\/","title":{"rendered":"How Your Mind Works + How to Make It Work Better\u2014Carol Dweck"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How does your mind work? How do your mindsets affect your conscious and unconscious actions? Why is it important to understand how your mind works?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ll cover how your mind works and how your particular mindset–a growth mindset<\/a> or a fixed mindset–changes how your mind works. Learn why your mindset matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How Your Mind Works<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your mind is constantly monitoring and interpreting what\u2019s happening around you. Your mindset guides how you interpret things.<\/strong> This is how your mind works.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fixed mindset<\/a> sets up a mental monologue focused on judging \u2014 you feel judged and you judge others. For instance, you might think, \u201cThis means I\u2019m a failure,\u201d \u201cWhat a bunch of losers,\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll never be good at handling money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growth-oriented people don\u2019t constantly judge themselves and others this way. Like people with fixed mindsets, they keep a running mental account of events and feelings, but their interpretations of what\u2019s going on focus on learning<\/a> and action. They think, \u201cThis situation is painful, but what can I learn to avoid repeating it?\u201d and \u201cHow can I improve?\u201d Your mindset changes how your mind works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you change from a judging monologue to a growth-oriented one \u2014 a mindset based on a belief in change and development? Yes. Often, just learning about the two mindsets<\/a> and how they affect you can prompt a change in how your mind works. However, completely changing is hard. The fixed mindset hangs around, competing with the growth-oriented ways of thinking that you\u2019re trying to adopt.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your fixed mindset beliefs about being smart, ambitious, superior, and super-competent may be your source of self-esteem<\/a>, which makes them difficult to give up for more challenging ideas about developing yourself<\/a> through effort, taking on challenges, making mistakes, and learning through constructive criticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may temporarily feel that you\u2019re losing your sense of who you are<\/a>. But the growth mindset<\/a> frees you from constantly judging yourself so you can be authentic<\/a> and explore your full potential, changing how your mind works.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People can have a mix of the two mindsets, or they can apply a fixed mindset in certain situations and a growth mindset in others. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to do some self-analysis and discover what puts you into a fixed mindset \u2014 it could be an event or situation, such as a disappointment, setback, or fear that makes you believe you\u2019re incapable or someone else is incapable of something. This is key to changing how your mind works. Everyone has a fixed mindset persona that reminds us of past failures and problems. The key is learning to keep that persona from preventing us or our children from growing.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary of Mindsets<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a summary of the two mindsets. Review it daily to remind yourself of the differences and stay in a growth mindset. Ask yourself what opportunities you have today for growth and how you\u2019ll embrace them. Ultimately, this will help you better understand how your mind works–and change it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fixed-Mindset<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n