A growth mindset is a way of thinking about what we can and cannot do. Each of us, at any age and in any activity, can have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Carol Dweck describes these two mindsets as follows:

 “In a fixed mindset, people believe that their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort.” (Dweck, 2015).

“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.” (Dweck, 2015).

Research by Carol Dweck and many others has shown that the kind of mindset a person holds develops early on in childhood but will continue throughout high school and into university. Research has shown that students who hold a fixed mindset tend to give up when they can’t solve a problem and admit defeat. In contrast, students with a growth mindset will continue to work to improve their skills, which will ultimately lead to greater growth and success.

Can you develop a growth mindset?

Research suggests that students can, in fact, increase their growth mindset; and that they can start changing their mindsets in workshops and seminars that are as brief as 30 minutes. The key to the success of these workshops is providing students with information that challenges fixed mindset beliefs and creating an openness to the possibility that you can change, and learn new things – even difficult or seemingly impossible things. How often have you told yourself, for example, that “you will never be able to learn something, you’re just not smart enough” or told yourself that “it’s a talent that people are just born with, and I wasn’t.”

In 2014, a Japanese psychologist, Ayako Sakakibara, conducted a ground-breaking experiment. He recruited 24 children between the ages of two and six and provided them with months-long music training to see if they could acquire perfect pitch. Each student had four to five training lessons every day that lasted just a few minutes. Some had training for less than a year, some more for a year.

Results of this training were stunning. At the end of training, every single student acquired perfect pitch. Prior to this study, this was not thought to be possible at all. Perfect pitch was believed to be a talent that you were either born with or were not, and that could not change. 

This study and others like it provide scientific evidence that not everything is as fixed or unchanging as we think. Studies examining the factor that predict success at university have also shown that what matters most is not the amount of intelligence you were born with but rather your skill, determination to work hard and your belief in what you can do. 

The table below lists the top nine predictors of success in college and university. Interestingly, IQ is only the 9th most important predictor of success. There are eight other factors related to success, and all of them can be modified. These data show that although high school grades are the strongest predictor, there are seven other things that you can and will need to do to maximize your success. The good news is that you can learn how to manage time better and reduce your anxiety.