However, any time a fixed mindset belief is present, stagnation occurs. A person who believes they are not musical will be unlikely to try and learn an instrument or learn how to sing; whereas the growth mindset would willingly embrace lessons, even if initially, the results were poor. Therefore it’s important not to just try and transition from fixed mindset to a growth mindset in general, but also in regard to more specific ideas.
Above and beyond our behaviours and beliefs, the fixed mindset is directly detrimental to our happiness and contentment. A fixed mindset prevents people from pursuing their passions and aspiring to better things. If you never take risks you never present yourself to opportunity, which in turn results in missing out career avenues but also fewer ways to form meaningful relationships.
Likewise, people with a fixed mindset tend to be externally motivated; they feel influenced by factors outside their own mind or control. People with a fixed mindset work because they need money and they do things because they need to, or because they are expected to.
Yet, people who have a growth mindset are more likely to do things purely because they want to – because they feel happy about improving and progressing. For people with a growth mindset, activities and hobbies are intrinsically rewarding and this has been demonstrated to have a huge impact on mental health, especially depression.
