Growth Mindset for Grown Ups
When I was teaching, I would focus on helping my students develop a growth mindset. Making mistakes? I wanted them to embrace them. Taking risks? I strived to create a community where students felt safe stepping out of their comfort zones. But when I decided to leave the classroom and find flexible work in education, I discovered that developing a growth mindset for adults is often easier said than done. I found myself in need of many of the growth mindset lessons I taught my students.
After years of telling students it was okay to make mistakes, I found myself realizing just how hard it is to take that on. I wanted things to be perfect and to land every job that I applied for, but that was unrealistic. I needed to put in the work, take risks, and learn along the way.
As I worked on learning how to develop a growth mindset for myself, I put intentional effort into creating a more flexible, impactful life. And it paid off!
The more I embraced progress over perfection, the better things went. If you’re looking to make a change and find work beyond the classroom, I encourage you to use these tips to work on developing a growth mindset for adults.
But first, let’s take a look at what a growth mindset really is.
What Is a Growth Mindset?
American psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck first introduced the idea of a growth mindset after decades of research, which identified individuals who believe their talents can be developed through hard work, learning and feedback as having a growth mindset. Dweck found that these people often achieve more than individuals with a more fixed mindset (who typically believe that talents are gifts that someone is born with).
In schools, the idea of a growth mindset has become an important part of helping students learn and grow. When students believe that their hard work and dedication has a direct impact on their learning, they are less likely to worry about making mistakes and more willing to try new things.
Still, even educators who are well versed in growth mindset strategies for their students can find developing a growth mindset for adults challenging. After all, when we’re applying for jobs or making big changes in our careers, mistakes seem really scary!
Luckily, the same growth mindset tips that work for students can help teachers - and other adults - too.
Developing a Growth Mindset for Adults
Ready to work on your own growth mindset? Use these ideas to get started.
Normalize— and Embrace — Struggle
Trying new things is hard! Change generally happens when we step outside of our comfort zones and do things that make us feel at least a little nervous. Instead of resisting these feelings, what if you embraced them? Think about students learning a challenging skill, like learning how to read. It’s normal for them to think that it’s hard because it is. But as teachers, we support students to push through the struggle, knowing that the payoff will be worth it. Developing a growth mindset for adults is no different.
What if you took the same approach to your own life? When trying something new, try to take action as soon as possible. Instead of getting into your head about whether or not to take a step forward, just do the thing. Through trying and struggling, you will learn all sorts of things. When you feel like giving up, remind yourself that the only way out is through. We learn so much through these messy moments of struggle.
Put in The Work
A growth mindset is based on the idea that your abilities can be cultivated through effort. This is wonderful because it means the more work you put in, the better your results will be. Instead of lamenting experience you might not have or skills you feel like you could improve, take action towards learning how to do whatever you’re motivated to find out more about. Anything you don’t know, you can learn. Especially as a teacher, you have the skills to figure things out!
When it comes to developing a growth mindset for adults, the first step is to really get clear on what you want to learn. While you can learn anything you want, you may not be able to learn everything at once. To start, choose just one thing to work on. Think about what the most impactful thing to learn or skill to develop would be. Then commit yourself to making progress, one small step forward at a time.
Take Just-Right Risks
Risk taking can feel more or less scary for all of us. But, again, we can learn so much from taking risks - it’s a key part of developing a growth mindset for adults. Are you interested in applying for a job but find yourself hesitating? Go for it anyway. Have you always dreamed of selling lesson plans but aren’t sure you can figure out the tech of selling online? Try it! Even if these risks don’t work out the way you expect them to, you will learn something from taking them.
Approach risk taking with curiosity. Try to come up with a “just right” risk. These types of risks are not too extreme (like quitting your job without a safety net) or too safe (like editing your resume but never sending it). A just-right risk pushes you just outside of your comfort zone and makes you feel a little nervous. What’s one just-right risk that you could take this week? Maybe you could apply for a job or join the Beyond the Classroom course to get support to find and secure flexible and rewarding work in education.
Take Action Toward Developing a Growth Mindset for Adults
When we embrace life as one giant learning opportunity, a whole world of possibilities can open up. Not everything you do has to be perfect and not everything you try will work out, but the life you’re waiting for might be waiting for you just outside your comfort zone. Why don’t you try and find out?
If you’re ready to take some just-right risks and put these strategies for growth mindset to good use, then you’re in the right place. From our Beyond the Classroom course to our blog full of resources to help you change careers and use your teaching experience in new ways, Educator Forever is here to challenge you to grow and learn.
Have questions about how to get started? Contact us today to learn more.