As you grow older, it can be hard to feel like you can change anything. It is easy to stop learning when you grow up, but it always leads to stagnation. What you need is a change in MINDSET. Don’t let your thinking stop you from moving forward in life. Instead, learn how to empower yourself to change and improve, and see how it transforms your life!

Have you ever tried something new and thought,

“I’m far too old to be learning this”?

If you are, then you might have something called a fixed mindset.

During my time teaching, I learned the importance of having the proper mindset when it comes to learning new things. I learned that having a fixed mindset will stop you from reaching your true potential.

Instead, people need a growth mindset to empower them to improve in any area of their life. If you want to change jobs, raise a family, learn a new skill, or even build a personal habit, you will NEED a growth mindset to keep you motivated and bring you success.

In this article, you will learn all about what this mindset can do for your life. You will also be given 10 useful tips to help you develop your own growth mindset so that you can unlock your full potential and reach for goals you never though you could have achieved otherwise!

How to Change your Mindset and Transform Your Life

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What is a mindset? 

A mindset is the way that a person sees and responds to the world around them. It’s a sort of filter for everything you engage with in a day.

Your mindset often determines how resilient you are to certain things or how easily you can adapt to new situations. It can also determine your mood and the confidence you have in yourself and others.

Your mindset can even determine whether you stay the same forever, or if you are willing to learn new things and achieve different levels of self-improvement. 

Growth mindset vs. Fixed mindset

A growth mindset is a way of thinking that believes the brain is malleable and more than capable of change.

It believes that a person’s habits and skills do not have to stay the same forever. A growth mindset understands that practice and effort play a role in self-improvement, not just luck and natural skill.

In contrast, a fixed mindset sees the brain as a solid state that is incapable of improvement.

It fits the old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Instead, what a person was bad at when they were young is something that they will never be able to get better at. A fixed mindset believes there are strong limits to what humans are capable of learning.

The effects of a fixed mindset

A person with a fixed mindset is often adverse to learning of any kind.

Because they feel that they can’t improve upon what they can do, they are less likely to take risks or try new things. They get easily frustrated when faced with a challenge, because they start the activity already believing that they can’t do it. They do not handle mistakes well and take fewer risks in life because of it.

People with fixed mindsets do not often seek out chances to grow and learn.

In the classroom, I have had a  few students who had a fixed mindset, though it is rare to see in young children. They would often struggle to accept guidance from teachers and peers, and they would usually prefer to do the same thing over and over again rather than take a risk. These people stick to what they know works and never stray from that. They miss many opportunities to grow due to their fear of failure.

The effects of a growth mindset

A person who is able to develop a growth mindset looks very different from a person with a fixed mindset.

Those with growth mindsets are eager to learn new things, believing that they will be able to get better at anything with practice.

They take more risks and try new things, and they use their failures as a chance to learn something valuable. They are more resilient when faced with a challenge, because they understand that improvement requires a lot of trial and error. For this same reason, they handle mistakes with positivity, finding ways to learn from them.

Children usually have this mindset, and I have seen firsthand what sort of potential it has to change their lives. Students with a growth mindset were eager to take advice and ideas from peers and teachers, and they loved to  try new ways to do things.They take what has worked for them in the past and try to improve on it. Students with a growth mindset learn so much  faster than those with a fixed mindset.

Do adults actually learn slower than children?

There was a way of thinking a while back that said that children are more capable of learning than adults due to the malleability of the pathways in the brain.

However, recent research has shown us that this is only true to the slightest extent, and that it is less about age and more about the mindset.

Adults just use the excuse “I’m too old to learn this”, and the self-fulfilling prophecy comes true.

Adults can learn just as well as children. It is simply that most don’t.

I noticed this problem in my own life when I was learning Chinese at the same time as two of my Grade 1 students. By the end of the year, they could both read and write better Chinese than I could.

But it wasn’t because of natural inclinations.

I saw how much effort they put into their learning. Every chance they got, they would write characters they were learning and practice speaking to people in Chinese (even though they usually embarrassed themselves in the process). They studied for an hour at school every day, and another hour at home. I always  knew what new word they had learned  that  day because they would be saying it constantly to themselves or to others.

Me, on the other  hand?

I was practicing twice a week for an hour at most, and when I had the chance to use English, I would. I didn’t have the same resilience and courage as these two children.

It was not my innate skill that was the problem; it was my mindset. 

So we can see that a person’s mindset is certainly important, but what can we do about it?

Can someone really change the way they think?

Yes! And I have ten tips and tricks that can help you change your mindset and change the way you learn!

How to develop a growth mindset (strategies I used with students at school)

In the past, when I was teaching Grade 1 students who often couldn’t speak English yet, getting them to develop a growth mindset was a huge priority in my classroom.

Without it, I knew we would get nowhere.

I want  to share with you the things I did to establish a growth mindset in the classroom so that you can learn how to establish a growth mindset in your life.

Here are some things you can try: 

#1: The power of yet 

This is a fun trick that I honestly use every day in my own life.

When you are struggling to learn something, you simply add the word “yet” to your observation of your skill.

For example, “I don’t know how to keep my room clean” becomes “I don’t know how to keep my room clean yet.”

See how that changes the feeling of your statement?

One makes you feel like you need to just accept your problem as a definitive failure, while the other holds onto the belief that time and effort can change the outcome.

Adding  “yet” to what you can’t do can change your mindset by reminding you that skills can grow and people can change. It gives you hope and encouragement to try again!

#2: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again

There’s a very good chance you’ve heard this one before, but it’s worth noting. Success rarely comes on the first try, so it’s important to recognize that the only true failure is giving up.

If it doesn’t work out the first time, try again.

When I used to take ballet classes, there  was a  poster in the studio that said “CAN’T= Certainly Are Not Trying”.

Though there are obvious limits to that statement (I mean, I can’t naturally fly, but it’s not due to lack of effort), it is still such a good message to keep in your head. 

#3: Recognize mistakes as learning opportunities

This is one that is definitely easier said than done, especially as an adult.

We tend to be more easily embarrassed, and we compare ourselves  more often than children do.

For this reason, we don’t deal with mistakes particularly well. We want to be impressive to others, and mistakes  just don’t fit into that desire.

But mistakes are important to our personal growth,  and it’s time we see it  that way!

To help you change your mindset when it comes to making mistakes, start small. When you make a little mistake, practice saying your mistake out loud instead of trying to cover it up. Learn to laugh at the little things you do in a day, and over time, even the bigger mistakes will feel laughable.

You can also practice adding a positive spin to your mistakes. Personally, I find movies helpful in developing this skill. I like to watch movies where people try to learn something or achieve something big. In every movie like this, you will see that no one ever succeeds quickly. They make many mistakes, but those mistakes make them better in the end. Seeing that this is a normal part of learning can help you feel more comfortable with it. 

#4: Replace the word “failing” with the word “learning”

In the same vein as tip #3, it is important to change our language to help change our thinking.

Instead of calling something a failure, call it a learning opportunity.

Rather than saying, “Ugh, I failed AGAIN!” say “I’m still learning!”

Simply by changing these words, you give yourself more patience to make mistakes. One makes you feel like you can’t do anything right, while the other recognizes these “failures” as stepping stones that are moving you closer to success. Changing what you say will start to change what you think, so choose your words wisely!

#5: Treat your brain like a muscle that can grow and develop

Your brain is not some stagnant piece of the body.

It is a muscle, and it can be exercised and trained to become stronger and more flexible.

Practicing a skill is one thing that strengthens your brain. Keeping good brain health and stretching the limits of what you can do are great ways to help your brain.

To change your mindset, it is important to first understand that this is indeed how the brain works. I’ve included a quick video here that I show my students every year to teach them how it works. I think you will find it encouraging! (If you want the more boring ‘adult’ explanation, you can check out this article)

#6: Value the process over the results

This tip reminds me of something that happened in one of my English classes in university. We were supposed to read this MASSIVE and relatively boring book for class. It was daunting and a ton of work, but we had the whole semester to finish it. But before anyone got to the end of the book, our professor TOLD US HOW IT ENDED!

Who does that?!

Anyways, after we all stopped being enraged that he took the satisfaction of the ending away from us, he said, “It really doesn’t matter if you know how it ends. What matters is how it gets there.”

As upset as I was, it made sense, and the same could be said about life. As nice as it would be to just know things immediately after learning them, there is something really special about the path we take to get to mastery.

So instead of starting a new skill and only caring that you succeed, enjoy the journey you took to get there. That is half the fun!

#7: Reflect on how you are growing, not how long it is taking

Like we noted in tip #6, learning takes time, but the process is what adds the most value to our development.

Instead of getting frustrated that your learning process is slower than you’d hoped, take time to reflect on the ways you have already developed.

It can be encouraging to look back at what you have learned. Often times, you will realize that even though you haven’t mastered the skill, you’ve learned a lot of things you didn’t know before that add up.

For example, I’m new to blogging, and I am far from perfect. Most of the time, I have no clue what I’m doing. But looking back at my first month, I can be proud of the things I have learned. I know terms I had never heard of before, and I know the basics of SEO, something I didn’t know how to approach on Day 1. Just because I haven’t mastered any skills doesn’t mean I need to feel discouraged. I’m still learning!

#8: Don’t look to others for approval

This one can be such a difficult one to master. It’s natural to want to be accepted by others. But when it comes to your own learning, only you know all that went into it. Other people will not see your effort; they will just see the product of your effort. And like we established before, the product is not half as important as the process.

You need to be proud of the effort you put in without looking to others for approval.

Don’t worry about what other people think. If you believe that you can be proud of your progress, then be proud!

#9: Try a new way if what you’re doing isn’t working

We all learn and develop in different ways. If you’ve read any of my other articles on this site, you will know that I never assume my method is a one-size-fits-all approach to personal development. Everyone is different and unique. What works for one person might not work for another.

You need to learn what works for you!

If something just doesn’t seem to be working for you, growth mindset just says that it means you need to try a different approach.

#10: “Sharpen the saw”

This last point is not directly about growth mindset, but it is an important supporting skill to have. If you try to cut wood with a dull saw, you will be putting in way too much effort, and you will receive little in the way of a reward.

However, if you just take a little break to go sharpen your cutting tool, you can return to your task later and cut the wood more effectively and with less effort.

In the same way, you need to make sure that you brain stays in good working condition in order to learn better.

Take time for self care and rest in order to “sharpen the saw” that is your brain. This will keep you at your best when it is finally time to get to work.

I hope that these tips can help you change your mindset to become more flexible and capable of learning new skills. If you try to incorporate these habits into your life, you will start to develop a growth mindset that will make you unstoppable in the face of a challenge.

What do you do to help you learn new things without giving up?

Leave a comment below! I’d love to chat!

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