I could have been Ron Burgundy but...
It was 1994, and I was a sophomore at Stephen F. Austin State University. The time had come to declare a major. I had always thought I would be a business major of some sort. I just assumed I’d go into business selling widgets or drugs or something of the sort. There was, however, a problem. All the business majors demanded I take several courses in math.
I, like so many others, have always proclaimed, “I’m not good at math.” When it came to majoring in business and having to take college level math courses I was out. I had barely scraped by high school algebra. I didn’t see any way of becoming a business major. So I started looking for majors that didn’t require as much math.
What to my wondering eye should appear but the major of journalism. Hmm. Journalism, huh? That sounds good. Maybe I’ll write. Maybe I’ll read the news. Na. I just need to graduate with a degree. So began my journey as a journalism major.
It turns out I was really good at communications. I’ve never had trouble speaking in public, can string together sentences relatively well and frankly I like it. Heck, look at me now. I’m doing it for you for free.
One of the core courses we had to take was news writing. I loved it. I aced it. I had to learn AP style and condense paragraphs down to no more than five sentences. I learned the importance of an impactful headline. I learned to use language that was more impactful and lended imagery to the story. It was a blast.
However, as you can see, I’m not writing for a publication, and I’m not on the news. Why is this? It’s simple. I had a fixed mindset. You see, I believed the job of journalist or T.V. anchor was reserved for those with gifts I simply didn’t possess. That’s bad enough, but it’s not the real tragedy. The real sticky wicket is I didn’t believe I could develop those skills.
It’s the same reason I never played quarterback in high school. I was built like a quarterback. I ran like a quarterback, but I wasn’t a quarterback. Why? Well, everyone wants to be the quarterback. Therefore, there’s no way I could be a quarterback. It’s but yet another example of a fixed mindset.
Dr. Carol Dweck, a professor and researcher at Stanford University, came up with the idea of fixed vs. growth mindsets. She wanted to understand why some students could quickly bounce back from setbacks while others seemed perpetually defeated. What she learned was most of us have either a fixed or a growth mindset. This has proven to be an extremely powerful breakthrough in human psychology.
If a person, like yours truly, has a fixed mindset they believe they are born with a certain set of skills with a cap on them. As such, the only way to prove themselves successful is to exhibit the height of that skill. When the task exceeds the ability or perceived ability a person with a fixed mindset won’t even try. This is such a shame.
Are there things you are avoiding right now because you think, “People like me can’t do that?” If so, you are exhibiting the traits of a fixed mindset. Instead say to yourself, I don’t believe I can perform that task, yet. At a minimum you may not ever be a virtuoso at the task, but you can certainly get better.
The most important thing to do is find joy in the challenge. Fixed mindset people think everything is a zero sum game. If you aren’t good at something or can’t win or can’t make money at it don’t even try. Growth mindset people by contrast aren’t so focused on the win or lose aspect of the situation but are focused on the challenge. They ‘game’ the work, challenge or activity.
Looking back on my life I believe having a fixed mindset has been one of the single greatest detriments of my life. Even had I tried to be a news writer or anchorman I certainly could have failed. However, I would at least know. I could have made the adventure of trying a great set of memories. Maybe I would have enjoyed football a little more if I had played quarterback. Maybe I would have been pretty good. I’ll never know.
What chances are you not taking due to a fixed mindset?
If you want to assess your mindset for free, download The Vitruvian Lab App in the App Store. There you can take a really quick and free assessment to see if you have a fixed or growth mindset.
Here are some signs of a fixed mindset
You lie about you SAT or ACT score
You refuse tasks that threaten people’s perception of you (If I fail, people will think I’m dumb)
You shun tasks at work you see as difficult and containing risk of failure
You focus more on “looking” good than being good
You believe people are either born with a particular talent or not