The Definition of Success: Are You Growth-Minded or Fixed-Minded?

How do you define success? One certainty is that if you don’t have a definition, you will never know if you are successful. Success is not only definable, but it is also actionable. There are generally two types of people; those who look forward, are driven and willing to take calculated risks, and those who believe they are victims of their circumstances, that others are responsible for their current condition and do not believe they have the ability or opportunity to change. The latter rarely takes responsibility for whatever life throws at them.

In her best-selling book Mindset: How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential, Columbia University Professor Carol Dweck terms these two groups of people as growth-minded and fixed-minded. Dweck writes, “A growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things that you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people differ – in their initial talents, aptitudes, interests or temperaments ¬¬– everyone can change and grow through application and experience.” In other words, you can succeed if you take control of what you do.

On the other end of the spectrum, fixed-mindsets believe that they are incapable of changing and there is no use in trying because no matter what you do, the result will be the same. Not believing you can be successful is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Think about the people you know who are successful. Do they honestly believe that their success was pre-ordained? They take risks. They have sleepless nights. They always strive for improvement. They believe perfection is an achievable goal. They make mistakes, but strive to learn from them and move on.

Which group are you in? Fixed- or growth-mindset? If you are in the latter, the chances of achieving your dreams are greatly enhanced. If you are in the former, the is no time like the present to change.