That’s just not my thing or I’m not talented enough to do that job/task.  Have you ever caught yourself saying these things?  I’m sure it’s happened to us before at one time or another, whether it was learning a new instrument, sport, language, you name it.  You don’t start something because you fear you’re not good enough or won’t/can’t do it to perfection.  Known as a ‘fixed mindset,’ it’s something that I think I’ve been guilty of a good majority of my life.  Assuming everything about yourself (your intelligence, creative ability, talent, etc.) is static and can’t be changed is the premise of this mindset.

On the flip side, a ‘growth mindset’ is one that believes anything can be developed through hard work, learning from setbacks and using criticism to fuel the desire to get better instead of taking it personally.  They like to try new things, are inspired by the success of others and see failure as an opportunity to grow.  They see the glass half full, aiming to fill the remaining half of the glass.  A ‘fixed mindset’ sees the glass half empty and focuses on what is missing instead of how they can fill up the rest of the glass.

I can think of many examples of when I’ve had a ‘fixed mindset’ in my life.  One that sticks out is actually starting this blog.  My strongest subject growing up was definitely math as it just came naturally to me.  I never saw myself as a reader/writer because I thought I just wasn’t “born with it.”  I’m still working on the reading part as I feel like that will always be a work in progress but every time I start writing for this blog, I feel like I learn a little more about myself and improve with every post.

One more ‘fixed mindset’ mentality I can think of is my experience with triathlons.  I took a trip with a friend about 4 years ago to the Big Island.  For those of you who don’t know, that’s where they have the Ironman championship (it’s the Super Bowl of long-distance triathlon – a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run).  The friend that I went with said: “one day, I’m going to do this.”   At the time, I barely even knew the distances of an Ironman let alone thinking about doing one. I grew up playing baseball and basketball, both team sports that lasted 1-2 hours at a time.  My thinking was, ‘that’s not for me, I could never do that much cardio in one day.’  I’ve done a marathon once and a century ride as well (100-mile bike ride) but never on the same day.  As the years went on, I’ve kept that trip in the back of my mind as the start of my Ironman journey.  I did my first half Ironman earlier this year and it was an incredible experience that I look forward to again.  Triathlon has taught me so much about my physical capabilities, mental toughness, and perseverance.  It’s helped shift my thinking from, “I can’t do this” to “why can’t I do this?”

At the end of the day, I think it comes down to staying confident in yourself and not letting the setbacks or detractors get you down.  There are going to be stumbles, hiccups, and heartache along the way but that’s what makes life interesting.  If you had no resistance or setbacks in life it would look like a straight line and you wouldn’t be able to appreciate the good things life without going through a little bit of struggle.  So the next time life puts you a tough situation, don’t say ‘why me,’ say ‘try me.’

QOTP: “Challenges are what make life interesting.  Overcoming is what makes life meaningful.” –Joshua J Marine