In pursuit of your goals, you will fail. It’s inevitable. Perfection isn’t progress and progress isn’t linear.
How you respond to failure is what matters: You can carry each failure with you, like stones in your pockets that gradually become heavier and heavier, weighing you down—stopping you from sprinting after what matters—or you can take the stones and start building a path, one that leads you to success.
To grow, we have to stop shying away from failure and allowing the shame of not succeeding to define us. Instead, let’s embrace failure and use it as a catalyst to achievement. Let’s adopt growth mindsets.
A “growth mindset” is the belief that abilities can be developed through effort and dedication, whereas a “fixed mindset” means that you believe intelligence, talents, and personality are innate and unchangeable, regardless of effort. Those with a fixed mindset avoid challenges, give up when something is hard, and take constructive criticism as a personal attack. Meanwhile, those with a growth mindset are more successful, viewing challenges as opportunities to learn, not self-esteem threats, per one study.¹
Below, we dive into the benefits of a growth mindset and how you can change yours to make strides toward your goals.
The Many Benefits of a Growth Mindset
Your mindset can change how you exist in the world. A growth mindset doesn't just encourage effort; it’s been researched for its ability to enhance passion and perseverance toward long-term goals, as well as intrinsic motivation, all of which are essential for success in sports, work, academia, family life, etc.²⁻³ When challenges or setbacks transpire, as they so often do, people with a growth mindset are more likely to stay committed to their goals.
For example, a study on incorporating growth mindset interventions for U.S. 9th graders resulted in improved performance in math and a higher rate of students choosing and staying in harder courses.¹
Rather than simply feel defeated and give up when things don’t go their way, growth-minded individuals react differently: Studies show that they are more receptive to corrective feedback, allowing them to learn from mistakes rather than be discouraged by them.³
This adaptability is reflected by neural mechanisms in areas like the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which are involved in error monitoring and behavioral adaptation. Another recent study illustrates that individuals with a growth mindset exhibit a higher Pe (error positivity) waveform response, which is correlated with a heightened awareness of and attention to mistakes—all of which means that if you have a growth mindset, you’ll be more resilient.³
Failure can also help strengthen our brains; neurogenesis (the formation of new brain cells) is significantly influenced by the difficulty and success of different tasks.⁴ When actions are effortful and require multiple attempts to achieve (i.e. when failure and retrial occurs), it enhances the survival of newly generated neurons in the adult hippocampus.
How to Develop a Growth Mindset
One of the core beliefs of a growth mindset is that intelligence and abilities can be developed with effort and the right strategies. The concept of neuroplasticity supports this—showing that the brain can change, adapt, and rewire itself over time—reinforcing the idea that people can improve and grow their abilities.
Here’s five ways to foster a growth mindset:
Become self-aware . Note what happens when you make a mistake or face an obstacle. Do you close yourself off to feedback, or do you welcome it as an opportunity to better yourself?
Set goals. Write down your goals, so you have a better chance of achieving them. Prioritize these goals over focusing on your traits and skills.
Use “yet.” Tell yourself that you may not be good at something yet; you just need more time and practice to be able to run that marathon, knit that sweater, or speak a new language fluently.
Celebrate the success of others—and ask them how they did it. You’ll hear of challenges they’ve overcome which you can use as inspiration of your own.
Try the “saying-is-believing” exercise. In a journal, reflect on times where you have overcome difficulties and grown as a result. This type of reflective practice can help shift fixed mindset thinking to one that is more growth-oriented.¹
Sources
¹Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2020). What can be learned from growth mindset controversies?. The American psychologist, 75(9), 1269–1284. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000794
²Sigmundsson, H., & Haga, M. (2024). Passion and grit in individuals with high levels of growth mindset are different than in individuals who have low growth mindset. Acta Psychologica, 250, 104480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104480
³Ng, B. (2018). The Neuroscience of Growth Mindset and Intrinsic Motivation. Brain Sciences, 8(2), 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci8020020
⁴Curlik, D. M., 2nd, & Shors, T. J. (2011). Learning increases the survival of newborn neurons provided that learning is difficult to achieve and successful. Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 23(9), 2159–2170. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn.2010.21597
