I used to be all fixed mindset—until I started testing growth mindset shift tricks and realized my “I can’t” ass might be the problem. Like, last week I froze during a presentation, heart racing, and instead of spiraling, I muttered, “Okay, brain, add ‘yet’ to this crap,” and actually felt a shift. Still skeptical, still American, still a mess—but here’s my raw take from the Emerald City, anyway.
I tried forcing “growth” once, wrote “I’m capable!” after locking myself out again—felt ridiculous, seriously. But then I read about fixed mindset traps and how your brain literally stays stuck without effort. Mind blown. Anyway, contradictions everywhere—I preach this but still doom scroll X at 2 a.m., oops. That’s me, flawed and trying, whatever.
Growth vs Fixed Mindset: The Signs I Ignored in Traffic
From my foggy car window, with the faint smell of wet pine, growth vs fixed mindset boils down to “I can’t” vs “I can’t yet.” I started small: every morning, I’d list one fixed thought and flip it, like “I suck at networking… yet.” Sounds lame, but mindset switch tips are real—resilience spikes, panic drops, whatever. I felt it after a week; less “I’m doomed,” more “eh, I’ll learn,” ha.
Tried “growth” by forcing small talk at a meetup and ended up hiding in the bathroom. Total fail, ugh. But the overcoming fixed mindset studies say feeling awkward is part of it, I guess. This Stanford article on Carol Dweck’s work is wild—your brain can change, even if you’re a hot mess like me.
Fixed Mindset Shift That Kept Me Stuck in Seattle Rain
Okay, here’s the real talk on mindset barriers, scribbled from my soggy journal where the pages curl like bad perms. These growth mindset advantages are what I’ve leaned into, messy as they are, seriously:
- “Talent” excuse: Fixed me thought “I’m not a natural.” Growth me says “Effort builds skill.” I wrote this after bombing karaoke—ha.
- Fear of looking dumb: Fixed me avoided risks. Growth me tried coding at 35, failed 47 times.
- Blaming others: Fixed me said “Traffic made me late.” Growth me says “I left too late—lesson,” ha, or something.
But, ugh, I’m inconsistent—skipped days, binged Netflix, doubted the whole thing, oops. Growth vs fixed mindset ain’t a straight line; some nights, with rain making my windows weep, I’m like, “Is this even worth it?” Yet, I started submitting pitches again after years, which is wild for Seattle, seriously. This Greater Good Magazine piece on mindset traps helped me get why I was stuck, I guess.
My Biggest Screw-Ups in Growth vs Fixed Mindset
Oh man, I’ve botched this growth vs fixed mindset thing so many times, it’s almost funny. Once, I tried “growth” by forcing a smile through a critique—boom, resentment city. Lesson? Fixed to growth transition means feeling the sting first, duh. I now say, “This hurts, but I’ll grow,” and it’s way less fake, I think.
Overdosed on “yet.” Told myself “I’m not good at this… yet” while my code crashed, oops. Felt like a liar, seriously. Now I stick to true stuff: “I tried today,” ha. This Mindset Works article on fixed signs slapped sense into me, finally.
Wrapping Up My Chaotic Growth vs Fixed Mindset
Phew, what a ramble—growth vs fixed mindset has been my lifeline through Seattle rain, presentation flops, and locked doors, ha. I’m no guru, just a dude with a cold coffee and a whining dog, trying to keep my head up, whatever. It’s not magic, but it’s real, I guess. Try one tiny hack—add “yet” to a “can’t,” or something. Drop your own fixed mindset signs or growth wins below—I read ‘em all, even when I’m stress-eating teriyaki at midnight, ha. Let’s keep it real, y’all, seriously.
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