Before I write any further, I want to explain first what is meant by fixed mindset. This term was popularized by Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford who explained that a person who has a fixed mindset is a person who believes more that the attributes in him are permanent and cannot be changed. Some examples are as follows:
- Talent / personality determines success more than effort
- People can only do their best if they match their talents
- If we don’t have talent, then we can’t develop ourselves and become an expert in that field
- Look at external things to change fate (for example: rich parents, networking, etc.)
- Doing what you like ( passion) and don’t want to develop yourself in a job you don’t like.
Carol Dweck then explained that as a result, people who have a fixed mindset tend to have self-limiting beliefs, which are self-limiting beliefs. This also often happens to people who are trying to map their strengths and talents. Suppose we take a personality test and find that our personality is A with numeracy. Then with personality A, we always refuse to take risks that require personality B (for example, the ability to communicate and socialize), because we feel inadequate. So whenever we don’t want to learn to be able to communicate well.
Having a fixed mindset that is constantly implanted is very dangerous because it will make us not want to get out of our comfort zone. Do not want to get out of your comfort zone, means that life does not grow and only at that point. Therefore we need to instill what is called a growth mindset , or a growth mindset .
Get to know the term growth mindset
The growth mindset was also popularized by Carol Dweck, who said that someone who has a growth mindset has the opposite characteristic of a fixed mindset. People who have a growth mindset always take risks and challenge themselves to always grow. Because people with a growth mindset have the following beliefs,
- The achievement is due to the results of hard work and paid a high price
- Everyone can become an expert in any field by working hard and practicing in a structured manner
- Always respect the process, because good results come from good processes
Because growth mindset people have such a mindset, they will always have a “can’t” mentality, not “can’t”. That way, then (with Allah’s permission), we can actually be what we want by having a growth mindset earlier, as long as we want to pay the price by working hard and also praying or heavenly efforts, of course.
My Story Helped by “Growth Mindset”
I personally have a unique experience related to this growth mindset . Since I was young, I felt that my parents taught me a lot about the growth mindset when studying. My mother taught me a lot how much I can get the best ranking, regardless of what my talent is, as long as I work hard. If I really want to rank first, then I have to study harder than the others. That is why thank God, with the permission of Allah, my report cards are always the best in class, even in the same generation. I was then accepted to study at UI, and also became a UI lecturer by implementing this growth mindset .
One thing that amazed me was that at that time I had a fixed mindset that a person who studied master’s degree in the country would find it difficult to take a PhD or PhD abroad. I have aspirations to study in Europe (Netherlands). However, on the other hand, I also have the understanding that “only” domestic graduates will be difficult. I thought at that time, I want to get into the world’s top 50 college, but I’m only from a college in the 300s. Not only do I have this limiting belief , but also some of my colleagues on campus.
But what benefits do I get if I maintain that mindset? Nothing! I then realized that it had become a new self-limiting belief for me. Since then, I have prepared myself. I made a research proposal, I prepared myself for the TOEFL / IELTS. I started contacting some of my colleagues who had studied abroad to become my mentors. I am also preparing to apply for the LPDP scholarship. Alhamdulillah, the preparation for about a year was not in vain. With God’s permission, I had the opportunity to study again in the Netherlands (TU Delft) in September 2019.
This growth mindset really helps me to get out of the comfort zone trap, especially because I already know my own passion , which is teaching. With a growth mindset, I am encouraged to do some things that I really don’t like. Some of them are writing in English (because at that time I thought it was very difficult). But thank God, now I am happy and a little addicted to writing in English. This shows that at least I am growing.
Then, how can we continue to have and be able to develop a growth mindset in studying and working?
One thing I learned from Paula Caproni, a professor at the University of Michigan, to develop a growth mindset is to take several applicative steps such as the following:
- Getting used to having a mindset of “can’t yet” to challenges, not “can’t”
- Determine the direction of building our self-expertise in the future
- Always take the time to take up activities that can improve us
- Have a mentor who can provide feedback and feedback on what we are doing
- Improve yourself based on the feedback you get
There is one interesting question from some of my seminar participants related to this, namely: how do we know that these activities can develop ourselves? Generally what we can do is push ourselves out of our comfort zone, as in the following illustration.
Likewise, when I became comfortable writing books, I continued to be able to write scientific articles that I could present at international scientific conferences. Writing scientific articles is different from writing popular articles, because there are so many rules that must be considered. And so on until now I am studying doctoral studies so that I can practice writing and publication in reputable international scientific journals which in my opinion are the most difficult among all the experiences I have gone through.
So, how? Hopefully this (slightly) long article can be of use to all of you friends. If today’s readers tend to have a fixed mindset, then hopefully this article can be useful for switching to a growth mindset. For those of you who already have a growth mindset, hopefully it will be even more powerful and courageous to face the challenges that exist.
