Content

Is your mindset getting in the way of making positive changes in your life?

After decades of research, psychologist Carol Dweck, Ph.D., developed a new theory that your mindset can be a powerful tool for achieving behavior change. She identified two main types of mindset: fixed mindset and growth mindset.

A growth mindset is a belief that we can develop our talents even further. We can "grow" our abilities through hard work, a willingness to learn and an openness to feedback.

The flip side of the coin is a fixed mindset. An individual with a fixed mindset says, "My talents are what they are—I'm very strong in this area, not so strong in that area, and that's the way it is." The fixed mindset is less open to learning and more resistant to feedback.

Nicole Guerton, M.S., MCHES, NBC-HWC, a health and wellness coach and trained behavior change expert at Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program, uses those insights on mindset every day to help people achieve their personal wellness goals.

"It can be important that people understand the difference between growth and fixed mindset," Guerton says. "If you have a fixed mindset, it's much more difficult to make the changes needed to reach your goals."

In contrast, Guerton says, a growth mindset drives achievement and behavior change. It can help you reach personal wellness goals like improving your sleep habits, eating healthier or increasing your energy.

But it's not quite so simple as an either/or. Guerton says that each of us is actually a blend of both growth and fixed mindsets. But, importantly, whichever mindset we practice most tends to get cemented in our brains.