I’m
celebrating. I’ve handed in my last assignment on my Graduate Diploma in
Leadership through Coaching and Mentoring. It has been a hard road. Trying to fit in study around
Chairing the Byron Writers Festival, teaching at Griffith University, writing
books, learning piano, keeping fit and I think I have a family around here
somewhere, has been really tough.
But
I’ve always loved learning new things. I’m a big believer in the concept that you
should never stop learning. One of the interesting concepts I learned about is
a Growth Mindset.
The concept of a growth
mindset was developed by psychologist Carol
Dweck According to Dweck, “In a fixed
mindset, people believe 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.”
Alternatively, “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.”
There’s a great
animated YouTube clip which explains this very simply.
I certainly had
to use my growth mindset to become a published writer. I went to as many
romance writing workshops I could find travelling to Adelaide, Sydney and
Brisbane to do so. I went to every Romance Writers of Australia conference and
read lots and lots of ‘how to books’. Of course I also read voraciously in the
genre. I knew when I set off on this journey it would be hard, hard work and
that only dedication and resilience (I had four books rejected before I was
published!) would see me through.
But, I
got there in the end.
What do you think of the concept of a
growth mindset?
