What is a growth mindset?
According to Carol Dweck (2014) growth mindset is when people believe that their abilities can be developed and improved over time with consistent hard work and passion. It is one thing that some talents and intellect are God-given, but the other notion is that those alone are not enough. This willingness to accept our traits and continuous progress helps eliminate the fixed mindset.

What are the five most significant characteristics of a growth mindset?
There is no set perimeter or formula to describe a growth mindset.
We all encounter different experiences and situations daily and try to navigate our way through to the best of our abilities.
In general, the following are the five most significant characteristics of a growth mindset:
- Achievement is determined by the amount of effort invested in a task, not just talent. Sometimes you fail to achieve your goals, but as long as you carry out your responsibilities with pure commitment and keep moving towards improving yourself, you keep your growth mindset intact.
- When you are not afraid to make mistakes, and when you do, you learn from the experience and make sure that the takeaway stays with you in practice for future reference.
- When you believe that intelligence and abilities are a constant work in progress, there is no substitute for hard work and persistence to improve your job every day.
- When you are open to asking questions and don’t have a problem accepting that you don’t know everything, this takes off immense pressure to be perfect and embrace your limitations as humans.
- When you are willing to take risks and seek challenges, stepping out of your comfort zones introduces you to the thrill and excitement of discovering a new side of yourself.
Final words
We must remember that it is not always possible to stay positive all the time. Adversity and temporary setbacks knock us down from time to time. As long as we keep working on our personal and professional skills and abilities, we will keep moving in the right direction towards success and prosperity.