It’s Friday! Why does that word elicit such jubilation?
For many, Friday is the end of a long work week. Friday is also the beginning of a “relaxing weekend” and I use that term loosely!
Friday my friends, is a mindset. A mindset is an attitude or a long-standing belief about something. You know the drill, the “is the glass half full or half empty” question?
Mindset Perspective… Does that 10-foot wave thrill you, or are you scared to death of it? It probably depends on if you are a surfer or a person who can’t swim (yet).
“Where are you going with this RG,” you say? Our mindset, or our established set of beliefs, quite often determines our success at anything, and that includes active aging and continuing to stay on the wellness course!
Carol Dweck, researcher and author of “Mindset: How you can fulfill Your Potential,” defines mindset as a continuum between fixed mindset, where abilities are innate and unchangeable, and a growth mindset, something you can improve through practice.
Examples of Each Mindset Are:
- Fixed – failure is permanent.
- Growth – failure is a chance to learn and grow.
- Fixed – stick with easy tasks.
- Growth – challenge yourself because you can grow, work hard, and improve.
Fixed vs Growth Mindset
People with a fixed mindset, Dweck believes, often give up when they face an obstacle. People with a growth mindset view obstacles as a chance to change and grow, measurable accomplishments vs continual improvement.
If you have ever said “I can’t do that__________(insert activity) because I am too old” or, if you have said I can’t do that yet,” there lies the two mindsets. You may lack ability, but it doesn’t necessarily correlate with age. As someone who started their “new career” at 50, and started outrigger paddling at 58, I guess I had a growth mindset and didn’t even realize it.
A growth mindset is important at any age. But it really speaks to you after you have had a challenging, tragic, or overwhelming health event enter your life!
I will admit, there are some days I am more growth-oriented than others. Some days I have that “can’t get me down” attitude no matter what, (no change in the bank account or wrinkles). Other days or hours I am feeling so down and failure-ridden (yes that happens) and I notice all my wrinkles!
According to Dweck, from her book, “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” this is entirely possible as everyone is a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets. We need to watch for the triggers that put us into that fixed mindset phase!
How do we cultivate this growth mindset that can lead us to be more motivated to act in areas we feel are more fixed.
In her article “25 ways to Cultivate a growth mindset,” Saga Briggs, a Managing Editor of InformED, Open Colleges, and a leader in online education in Australia, describes 25 ways!!!
I am choosing 5 that I think helped me to get motivated health-wise and defy the “I’m too old for that mentality!”
- Acknowledge and embrace imperfections.
- Try different learning tactics – one size does not fit all.
- Highlight the relationship between learning and “brain training” – lots of new research on this topic, especially in fitness and movement.
- Cultivate a sense of purpose – keep the big picture in mind
- Take ownership of your attitude!
I realize this article might pertain to learning in a traditional education setting. But being open and trying new movement patterns, a new exercise regimen, or new nutritional habits to me is the same thing. We cannot be successful if we have the sense that we can never improve, or weren’t athletic enough in school, etc.
To read the full article and get all 25 ways to cultivate a growth mindset check out…
https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/develop-a-growth-mindset/
Youtube also has a number of brief videos on Dweck’s ideas of mindset.
How do you nurture your growth mindset?
Please comment below!
Want to understand more about aging and how to keep that growth mindset? Check out this article from the Ripped Grandma Blog: https://rippedgrandma.com/mindset-matters/
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