Having a growth mindset means choosing courage over comfort

Seeing difficulty as an opportunity to grow

I have a monthly audiobook subscription and recently selected Dr Carol Dweck’s updated version of “Mindset”. I felt that I needed a refresher on the Fixed and Growth mindsets, which one of my clients was actively promoting in their company.  I’m a big believer in synchronicity, which means that we attract experiences to ourselves in order that they might manifest.  So, I wasn’t at all surprised to when I found myself smack-bang in the middle of a Fixed versus Growth mindset dilemma. 

I had been working hard in the business delivering programs and coaching for the past 10-months and as a result my future pipeline was looking a little sad.  The work had come easily to me and as a result I hadn’t been paying attention to the parts of the business I found challenging, namely business development.  I was standing firmly in Fixed mindset territory, doing the things I loved and was good at, and avoiding the things I found challenging.  Now though, I was at a crossroads and I had to make a choice.

Fixed mindset choice – “This is all too hard, I can’t do business development…It’s just not me…I should return to the corporate world where I can do the stuff that I’m really good at…

Growth mindset choice – “What do I need to learn about business development…who can help me…yes, it’s really hard, but you have overcome bigger hurdles than this…

About this same time, I (synchronistically) had the pleasure of attending an event with the legendary Dr Brene Brown.  At this event she shared her stories of choosing courage over comfort and one story catapulted me into the Growth mindset zone.  Brown spoke of a five mile run that she was expected to do as part of military speaking engagement.  Her initial (fixed) mindset said, “absolutely no way!” but after a while, she decided to “Embrace the Suck”.  She decided to choose to have a Growth mindset instead of a Fixed mindset. 

I figured this – if Brene can do it, then so can I. I love that expression “Embrace the Suck” so much that I carry it around in my notebook. Every time I think about returning to my safe space and comfort zone, I take out my little black book to remind myself that easy is the enemy of growth. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.