How To Have A Growth Mindset – Surobi Scribbles

When was the last time you failed? Maybe it was yesterday when you tried baking a cake and it burnt. Or maybe it was a bigger failure like not getting into your dream job. Whatever it is, failure is inevitable in your life. However, a high-value person is someone who learns from their mistakes, gets up and tries not o make mistakes.

This is called a growth mindset.

Having a growth mindset is crucial all the time, whether you are starting a business, doing a hard degree or even in your personal life.

A growth mindset is the opposite of a fixed mindset

What is a fixed mindset?

A fixed mindset is where you have black-and-white thinking. This is where if you have tried something once, that is it. That is your threshold of how much you can do. If you are currently a C-grade student, that is how you will stay as. You have no chance of improving.

What is a growth mindset and its benefits?

A growth mindset is where you are able to look at your past experiences and learn from them. You have faith that you will improve. If you got rejected from a job once, you have the resilience to learn from that rejection, try not to make mistakes again and apply to another job.

The key is that you should always give your best to have no regrets.

The main benefit of a growth mindset is that you become a more resilient and high-value person, who is more likely to achieve your dreams.

How do you know whether you should quit or continue due to a growth mindset?

You may have heard of the quotes:

‘Insanity is doing the same thing expecting different results’

‘Quitting is for winners’

So, should you quit something that has not been working, for example, a new business idea or should you have the growth mindset and keep going?

The answer is to follow your gut. Your gut will tell you whether you should continue with this path or quit.

See past experiences and learn from them

The first way to adopt a growth mindset is to realise that you have survived till now. You may have been through the worst rejection, yet you were still able to come out of it. For example, when you were applying to your dream job and you got rejected, it may have felt like the end of the world. Yet, now in your current job, you might realise that that rejection was a blessing in disguise. In your current job, you have more free time, less stress or perhaps a shorter commute. Perhaps, this job allowed you to grow more as an individual. Find those blessings and even if you feel like it wasn’t a blessing, remember that you have the pixel and Allah has the picture.

What is to come will be better than what has gone by

I have not made up this statement out of thin air. This is actually a Quranic verse (Chapter 93, Verse 4). Allah promises to us that what is coming will be better. This encourages us to have a positive outlook and keep a growth mindset because regardless of your past, the future is better. Also, I wanted to highlight that the Quranic verse does not say ‘what is to come will be what you expected’, because despite Allah loving us, He will not always give us what we want.

Therefore, you need to have the faith that life is improving every day, get up and move on.

Ask what this experience is trying to teach you

Allah loves us all and He finds us worthy, which is why we are still here today. He is not answering your prayers or He has not rejected you because you are not good enough, there are other reasons. He knows those reasons. Your job is to not dwell on the past, and instead learn from those mistakes.

Can you make improvements on your resume to reapply the second time? Perhaps you could ask feedback from your manager? If you don’t know how to improve, seek knowledge! Seek knowledge from the Quran, books, podcasts, YouTube videos and even blogs like this one! This will help build your confidence that you can handle anything that comes your way.

Again, learn from these mistakes, move on and try your best not to make mistakes.

Prioritise yourself when making a decision

When you have undergone a low point of your life, you may not know what to do next. For any decision in your life, just follow your gut. Your gut is the internal voice and based on all the knowledge you have, it is the best decision that comes from you. Just trust your gut and follow what your gut says.

Also, from the Islamic perspective, praying Istikhara is a really good option when it comes to making decisions as you seek help from Allah to make the right decision.

Be your own best friend and have a good support system

When you are going through a tough time, or you just feel stuck, it is really important to be compassionate to yourself and let yourself grieve over the rejection. It is absolutely okay to also have friends by your side who also help you and who you can seek advice from. Again, make sure you are not taking any decisions that will harm you down the line. Only take decisions that will make you happy long term.

The bottom line:

A growth mindset is where you learn from your past mistakes and failures and are willing to improve. You move on and you try your best not to make mistakes.

That is all! I hope you have enjoyed reading this article and I hope that you benefitted from it! Please share this article with others, because what you share with the world comes back around to you!

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

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