In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.
People with a fixed mindset believe that they are naturally gifted or, worse, naturally failures. The former give up when they fail because they feel like they have reached the limits of their potential. The latter never start in the first place.
How do you develop a growth mindset? Plant the seed every day through positive self talk. Tell yourself every day that you’re a hard worker and a person of integrity: a person that gets the job done. This extrinsic cue will help you start to be the person that believes in working hard to get results.
“Be, Do, Have” Be the type of person that works hard. Once you start thinking of yourself as a hard worker, you will start to do the things hard working people do. When you start acting like a hard worker, you start getting the results and you will have the fruits of your labor.
Do not believe that you have to have something first before you can start doing. Don’t tell yourself that you need new running shoes before you can go for a run. Start telling yourself that you are a runner. When you wake up and tell yourself you are a runner, you will then act like a runner and get up out of bed and go for a run. When you start running every day, you will then have the things that runners have.
“The greatest adaptation from CrossFit happens between the ears.” –Coach Greg Glassman