It’s important to note that most of us do not consciously operate under either one. What’s more, depending on the subject, we likely fluctuate between the two. There’s not a rite of passage where we pick the ‘mindset for us’. Instead, our thoughts and beliefs are largely coloured by past experiences and environments.

A fixed mindset may serve us well if, through past experiences, we have sufficient reason to believe in our ability. But what if that’s not the case? 

Take, for example, a personal anecdote: When I was younger, I was never very good at swimming – or at least, that’s what I decided early on. I believed that other sports came naturally to me; I was good at them. But not swimming.

What I didn’t realise as a child was that my first time in the water was probably not the first time for many of my peers. Rather, I watched as they swam faster than me and for longer than me and I concluded: “I’m just not a good swimmer.”

From that point on, each subsequent swimming lesson was characterised by this thought. I dreaded the embarrassment of struggling next to my classmates – especially if I actually tried. What might’ve just been a shaky start, instead, became self-proclaimed ineptitude; a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As children, we are often quick to label our strengths and weaknesses. We know that we’re ‘good’ at science and we know that we’re ‘bad’ at history, for example. At a younger age it’s easier to assume that this is down to “who we are” rather than the countless other factors at play.

The issue is when, as an adult, we continue to perpetuate disempowering stories that we told ourselves growing up; we become reluctant to try things that aren’t ‘in our nature’; or we assume that the development of certain traits is outside of our control.

The ‘growth mindset’ assumes the opposite.