What is the definition of a growth mindset?
Sometimes, when I’m asked about being successful, my answer is short.
“I have a growth mindset.”
But what does that mean, really?
I believe a couple of things.
- Having a passion and a purpose.
- Hard work with maximum effort.
- A positive attitude even in the face of adversity.
- Getting the best advice from others and applying it.
I can write those four things another way.
- Hustle.
- Effort.
- Attitude.
- Teamwork.
H.E.A.T.
If you want to be remarkable, you have to bring the HEAT. That is this simple definition of a growth mindset.
I remember having a conversation with my father-in-law, long before I formalized that philosophy. We were talking about people with certain skills and talents, and what was a talent versus what was learned.
My father-in-law seemed to believe in a fixed mindset. Some people are born with a general talent toward this or that. Making music. Playing baseball. Teaching. The list is long, but you get the idea. People are born either good or bad at something. And they can only be good at that ‘thing’ whatever it is.
Here’s my thought. We are all born, in my opinion, with a set of potential purposes. But we don’t all understand the definition of a growth mindset.
But in order to be great, you have to pursue that purpose with passion. All the talent in the world will get you nowhere without that passion for their purpose. I see it all of the time in my every single day consulting and on the baseball field. People have undeniable talent. But no passion. No purpose. They are doing things because they feel they have to, not because they want to.
Because of this, they don’t put maximum effort into it. They never get enough quality practice to climb to the top of the mountain. Malcolm Gladwell claims it takes 10,000 hours of practice (that’s an average) to become great at something. Several people have tried to debunk the number. But I’ve seen no one debunk the point. It takes a lot of focused, deliberate practice – effort – to reach the top of a field.
And in order to get there, it takes a great attitude toward failure and mistakes. You’re not going to be an expert at anything overnight. Period. There are going to be trials. And there are going to be errors. If you have an attitude of progress over perfection, then you’re likely to succeed. If you never quit, you can never fail.
And finally, they seek out the best advice. If you want to be better at hitting a baseball, you find the best hitting coach you can find and afford. You want to get into the best colleges, hire the best tutors, and seek out the best high schools and teachers you can. If you want to be the best online marketer, you hire the best consultants and coaches you can.
You build your team and then work with them to improve.
That’s the definition of a growth mindset. If you use this short guide, you can become remarkable at whatever you do.
Tonight I’m grateful for having a growth mindset. I’ve had enough losses and wins to truly believe that I can accomplish anything. And enough to believe that you too can accomplish anything if you bring the HEAT.
I’m grateful for hot water. After a cold night outside at the ballfield, a hot shower is just next level.
And I’m grateful for my weighted blanket. I do wish they made them a little bigger, but I love mine. For years I had a denim-covered Tommy Hilfiger blanket. It was thick and heavy. It was with me in college, and it just finally fell apart. I couldn’t find anything that made me feel exactly the same way until I discovered the weighted blankets.
Until tomorrow!
