WHAT EVEN IS A GROWTH MINDSET?
First thing: what is this "growth mindset" thing everyone keeps talking about?
A growth mindset means you believe that your skills, your potential, your ability, and your brain are not fixed. They can get better; they can grow up. Just like when you exercise regularly and follow a proper diet, you get stronger muscles and a stronger body. Just like this, your brain can also get smarter.
This idea was given to us by a psychologist (a scientist who studies the mind) named Carol Dweck.
She studied students for many years to get this information: the students who believe they can improve actually can. And the ones who thought, "I am just not smart enough," stayed stuck.
The opposite of a growth mindset is called a fixed mindset. A person who has this mindset thinks that if they cannot do something or if they fail, it means they are dumb. They think they cannot do anything in their life. This type of thinking is very dangerous for students, especially at exam time and when competition is high.
When You Fail: What Happens Inside You?
Now is the time for honesty: when your results come, and they are bad, it hurts. Your stomach drops. You feel embarrassed, especially when your friends or family ask about your marks. You may feel bad for days. You may cry, and you may go into depression. You may think you are not capable of it.
That is completely normal. Every single student, toppers included, has felt this at some point. But the most important thing a growth mindset teaches you is not to suppress those feelings. Do not pretend you are okay when you are not okay. Express that feeling.
Say to yourself that this hurts, and that is okay. But this is not the end. If you are not expressing your feelings, recovery is slower. So, cry if you want to. Go to your friends, and do much more.
CHANGE THE WAY YOU TALK TO YOURSELF
The biggest difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset is what you say to yourself and think inside your head.
FIXED MINDSET SELF-TALK SOUNDS LIKE:
I am not enough for that.
There is no point in trying.
I am a failure; I cannot do anything.
GROWTH MINDSET SELF-TALK SOUNDS LIKE:
This time I could not do it, but next time I will try my best again.
I can do everything if I work hard.
Mistakes are how I learn.
If you practice daily, learn daily, and work hard for that work that you cannot do at this time, then you can do it the next time. And from this, you can improve your brain and improve anything.
Set Goals That Are About Learning, Not Just Marks
Most of us set goals like "I want to score 90% in boards" or "I want to get into IIT." These are performance goals: they are about the outcome.
A growth mindset supports you to also set learning goals: goals about understanding and mastering, not just hitting that score.
For example: In place of scoring 95 out of 100 in any subject, try: "Understand the mole concept so well that I can explain it to someone else."
In place of passing any subject, try to practice that subject, like in physics. Try: "Practice 10 numerical problems every day for 3 weeks and track my errors."
See the difference? Learning goals keep your focus on the process. If you remember, in many IT books, there is a method named the SMART METHOD.
SPECIFIC: Exactly what will you do?
MEASURABLE: How will you track it?
ACHIEVABLE: Is it realistic?
RELEVANT: Does it connect to your actual weak areas?
TIME-BOUND: By when?
I am sure about this; this method will help you a lot. So I suggest that you follow this. It will be helpful for you.
Don't Run Away From Difficult Things
This is the most common thing we do: when you feel any chapter is hard, you leave that chapter. If you feel some questions given by the teacher are hard, then you leave them blank. We tell ourselves this probably will not come up in the exams anyway.
That avoidance is a fixed mindset trap.
A growth mindset says to lean into the challenge. If you want to grow, then go with the hard chapter or hard question. It means go with that which you feel is hard. Struggling with a concept is your brain trying to make new connections. It is actually working.
Practical ways to embrace challenges:
Join a study group where others are at a higher level than you.
Ask your teacher to give you harder practice problems.
Watch YouTube explanations of the exact topics you are most confused about.
Try teaching a concept to a friend; if you cannot explain it, you do not know it well enough yet.
Ask for Feedback: It's Not Weakness, It's Intelligence
Lots of students are afraid to ask teachers how they can improve or ask questions about where they went wrong. But here is the truth: asking for feedback is one of the smartest things you can do.
Feedback is just like a map: just like without a map, you are always wandering, but with a map, you will know where to go.
MEASURING YOUR PROGRESS
How do you know if the growth mindset is actually working for you? Do not only measure by marks. Measure by:
RECOVERY TIME
CHALLENGE-SEEKING
EFFORT CONSISTENCY
SELF-TALK QUALITY
FINAL WORDS
Failure in Class 10: It is just a board practical. It cannot decide your future or be the ending of your story; this is just a start. It is one of the most normal parts of the journey.
What matters is not that you fell. You are with your backup plan. Just move forward.
And always remember: Your brain is not fixed. Your potential is not decided. Your future is not sealed by one bad result. Be positive and try again and again until you get it.
