.png)
How to Develop a Growth mindset and Unlock Your Potential
- Jason Medlock
- Dec 16
- 15 min read
At its core, developing a growth mindset is about a simple but profound shift: understanding that your abilities are not set in stone. They can be developed and expanded through dedication and hard work, rather than just relying on whatever talent you were born with.
This isn't just wishful thinking—it's a belief backed by neuroscience, and it's the very first step toward unlocking your true potential by learning to see challenges as opportunities.
Understanding a Growth Mindset vs a Fixed Mindset
Your entire journey of personal and professional development really boils down to a choice between two fundamental beliefs.
On one side, you have the fixed mindset. This is the assumption that our intelligence, skills, and even our character are static traits. You've either got it, or you don't.
On the other side, you have the growth mindset. This perspective sees those same qualities as dynamic, malleable, and capable of being cultivated through deliberate effort and persistence. It’s a game-changer.
This distinction goes way beyond just "positive thinking." It fundamentally alters how you approach every challenge life throws at you. Someone stuck in a fixed mindset will often avoid difficult situations, live in fear of failure, and take constructive feedback as a personal attack on their inherent worth.
In stark contrast, a person actively cultivating a growth mindset views challenges as exciting opportunities to learn and expand. They get that effort is the real path to mastery, and they see failure not as a final verdict, but as an invaluable lesson.
How Your Mindset Dictates Your Response
Imagine two colleagues getting the same critical feedback on a major project.
Practical Example: The first, operating from a fixed mindset, immediately feels defensive and discouraged. He hears the critique as "you're not good enough." It's proof of his incompetence, and he shuts down. He might think, "I'm just not cut out for this kind of work."
Practical Example: The second, who is embracing a growth mindset, feels grateful for the insights. She sees the feedback as a clear roadmap for improvement, thinking, "Great, now I know exactly what to do to make this better." Their core belief system completely dictates their reaction and, ultimately, their trajectory for success.
This powerful dynamic plays out everywhere, not just at work. A global PISA study by the OECD found that about 66% of students showed a growth mindset. Even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors, these students scored significantly higher in reading, science, and math than their peers. You can dig into the full study's findings on student well-being and test scores to see just how direct the link between belief and achievement really is.
This visual gives a great side-by-side breakdown of the core differences.
As the infographic makes clear, the path forward begins with a conscious choice to see effort as productive and challenges as essential. This foundation is crucial for all the practical strategies we're about to dive into.
To really see how these two mindsets play out in everyday situations, take a look at this quick comparison.
Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset At a Glance
Situation | Fixed Mindset Response (Belief in Innate Talent) | Growth Mindset Response (Belief in Effort) |
|---|---|---|
Facing a difficult task | "I'm not smart enough for this. I'll probably fail." | "This is a great chance to learn something new. Let me try." |
Receiving criticism | "They think I'm incompetent. I feel attacked." | "This feedback is useful. It shows me how to improve." |
Seeing others succeed | "Their success makes me feel like a failure. I'm jealous." | "I'm inspired by their success. What can I learn from them?" |
Experiencing a setback | "I give up. There's no point in trying again." | "Failure is part of the process. What went wrong and how can I fix it?" |
Putting in effort | "If I have to try this hard, I must not be good at it." | "The more effort I put in, the stronger I get." |
This table shows just how differently a person can react based on their underlying beliefs. The good news? You can consciously choose the growth mindset response in any situation.
Ready to accelerate your journey from a fixed to a growth mindset? As a Level 2 QHHT Practitioner, I can guide you in reframing limiting beliefs at a subconscious level, making growth feel more natural and aligned. Contact me to learn how my specialized hypnotherapy services at Hypnos Awakening can support your transformation.
How Your Brain Is Wired for Growth
If you've ever felt stuck in your ways and wondered if real change is even possible, I’m here to tell you it absolutely is. The science behind this isn’t just some motivational fluff; it’s a hardwired feature of your brain called neuroplasticity.
Think of it as your brain's incredible capacity to rewire itself by building new connections between neurons. It’s a biological fact that this process continues throughout your entire life.
I often tell my clients to imagine their brain as a dense forest. Your habitual thoughts are like well-worn paths—easy to walk down because you've done it thousands of times. Every time you think, "I'm just not good at this," you deepen that groove. But when you choose a different thought or take on a tough challenge, you start hacking a new trail through the undergrowth.
At first, that new path is rough. It’s hard work. But every time you repeat that new behavior or thought, you clear the path a little more. Eventually, it becomes smooth, wide, and the new default route. That’s neuroplasticity in action. You are literally, physically, changing the structure of your brain.
The Real Impact of Belief and Practice
This rewiring isn't just a powerful metaphor; it’s a physiological reality. When you learn something new, from a language to a golf swing, your brain cells (neurons) fire together and form new relationships. The more you practice, the stronger and faster those connections become. This is the bedrock that a growth mindset is built on.
The proof is compelling. A U.S. national study showed that just two 25-minute online sessions about how the brain can grow were enough to increase 9th-graders' persistence and willingness to seek challenges.
This isn't an isolated finding. Global PISA data from over 555,000 students found that a growth mindset was a predictor of higher academic achievement in 72 out of 74 countries. You can dive into the full findings on mindset interventions and student success and see the numbers for yourself.
Grasping that your brain is designed for change is the first real step toward building unshakeable confidence. When it clicks that your own thoughts can physically change your brain, the whole idea of being "stuck" with a fixed mindset starts to fall apart.
Practical Ways to Start Rewiring Your Brain
So, how do you get your hands dirty and start forging these new neural pathways? It all comes down to intentional, repeated action. Here are a couple of simple, powerful ways to get started.
Embrace “Productive Struggle”: Don’t run from challenges. Deliberately pick tasks that are just a little beyond your current skill level. Practical Example: If you want to learn to code, don't just re-watch beginner tutorials. Try to build a small, simple application on your own. The feeling of mental effort and strain is the exact trigger your brain needs to start building new connections.
Focus on the Process, Not the Prize: Instead of obsessing over whether you won or lost, succeeded or failed, turn your attention to the how. Practical Example: If you're training for a 5k, focus on your running form and consistent training schedule rather than just the final race time. This simple shift retrains your brain’s reward system to value the act of learning itself.
When you consistently put these ideas into practice, you’re not just thinking differently—you're an active participant in your own neurological evolution. This biological truth is the solid ground we’ll build every other growth mindset strategy on.
If you feel like old thought patterns have an especially strong grip, specialized techniques can dramatically accelerate this rewiring process. As a Level 2 QHHT Practitioner, my services at Hypnos Awakening use hypnotherapy to communicate directly with the subconscious, helping to dissolve limiting beliefs and install empowering new ones. It’s a powerful way to fast-track your journey to a growth mindset that feels completely natural.
Practical Techniques for Your Daily Mindset Shift
Knowing the theory behind a growth mindset is a great start, but the real magic happens when you start living it day-to-day. True change comes from integrating new habits into your routine, turning abstract concepts into concrete actions.
This is your toolkit for making that shift practical and sustainable. Forget vague advice—these are specific, hands-on exercises you can put into practice today.
Log Your Effort, Not Just Your Wins
One of the most powerful things you can do is shift your focus from the final score to the game itself. Outcomes are often influenced by things we can't control, but our effort and the strategies we choose are always in our hands. This is where an Effort and Strategy Log becomes invaluable.
It's a simple journaling practice. At the end of the day, pick a task you worked on and reflect on the process instead of just the result. Ask yourself:
What specific strategies did I try today? (e.g., "I broke the project down into smaller pieces," or "I found a tutorial to get a better handle on the software.")
How much focused effort did I put in? (e.g., "I set a timer and worked for a solid hour with no distractions.")
What did I learn, win or lose? (e.g., "I learned my first approach wasn't the right one, which forced me to pivot and find a better way.")
Doing this consistently retrains your brain to find satisfaction in the journey, reinforcing the core idea that your abilities grow through deliberate action.
Turn Mistakes Into Your Greatest Teachers
A fixed mindset treats a mistake like a final verdict on your abilities. A growth mindset sees it as data—pure, simple information for your next attempt. The Mistake Debrief is a structured way to pull out those lessons without the emotional baggage.
When you hit a roadblock or something just doesn't pan out, take a moment to analyze it like a scientist. Ask yourself:
What was I trying to achieve?
What was the actual outcome?
What can I learn from the gap between the two?
What's one specific thing I'll do differently next time?
Practical Example: Maybe a presentation you gave fell flat. A quick debrief might show that you didn't spend enough time understanding what your audience actually needed. The lesson isn't "I'm a terrible speaker." It's, "Next time, I'll send out a survey beforehand to tailor my content."
Embracing your mistakes isn't about celebrating failure; it's about systematically mining it for intelligence. Each error provides a clear, personalized roadmap for what to do better.
This methodical approach takes the sting out of setbacks and turns them into your most powerful learning tools.
Harness the Simple Power of "Yet"
If there's one tool for an instant mindset shift, it's adding a single, three-letter word to your inner monologue: yet.
The next time you catch yourself thinking, "I can't figure this out," just tack that little word onto the end: "I can't figure this out… yet."
"I don't understand this concept" becomes "I don't understand this concept… yet."
"This isn't working" becomes "This isn't working… yet."
This simple tweak transforms a dead-end statement into a bridge to a different future. It acknowledges where you are right now without slamming the door on growth. It's a quiet signal to your brain that the struggle is just a temporary part of the process.
Creating small but consistent mental habits like this is the foundation of any real transformation. It's why committing to a framework, like a 100-day challenge for lasting change, can be so effective in making these new thought patterns stick for good.
These daily practices are foundational, but sometimes deeper-seated beliefs require more targeted intervention. As a Level 2 QHHT Practitioner, my services specialize in helping clients access their subconscious to identify and reframe the root causes of a fixed mindset. This can dramatically accelerate your journey, making these new thought patterns feel effortless and natural.
Accelerating Change with Hypnotherapy and Coaching
Daily practice is fundamental to rewiring your brain. But let's be honest—sometimes, our most stubborn thought patterns are buried so deep that conscious effort alone just can't seem to touch them.
These are the limiting beliefs we've carried for years, maybe even decades. They feel less like opinions and more like absolute truths. When you keep hitting these same internal roadblocks, it’s a sign you might need a different approach. This is where professional guidance can become a game-changer, acting as a powerful accelerator for real, lasting change.
Enter modalities like hypnotherapy and performance coaching. Instead of just working with your conscious mind—the part of you that's actively trying to build new habits—these techniques open a direct line of communication with your subconscious. This is the part of your mind running on autopilot, controlling all those deep-seated beliefs and automatic reactions that pop up before you can even think.
Accessing the Subconscious Blueprint
Techniques like the Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique (QHHT) are specifically designed to gently bypass the critical, analytical part of your mind. In this focused, relaxed state, we can uncover the root experiences and beliefs that installed a fixed mindset in the first place.
Practical Example: Maybe it was an offhand comment from a teacher in third grade that made you decide you weren't "a math person." Or perhaps a past business failure convinced you that you just aren't cut out for leadership. These old stories can operate just below the surface, quietly sabotaging your best conscious efforts.
Once we bring these moments to light, we can finally work to reframe these outdated narratives. It's like updating the source code of your personal operating system. By working directly with the subconscious, you can install new, empowering beliefs that make growth-oriented thinking feel natural and automatic, not like something you have to force.
By addressing the root cause of a fixed mindset at the subconscious level, you aren't just managing the symptoms; you're changing the underlying belief system. This creates a foundation for profound and lasting transformation.
Installing Empowering Beliefs
This direct conversation with the subconscious allows us to reinforce new, positive associations in a powerful way. A simple self-suggestion like, "I am capable of learning anything I put my mind to," can be deeply anchored through guided hypnosis, making it a core belief rather than just a hopeful affirmation.
Think about these real-world scenarios:
A musician stuck in a creative block could use hypnotherapy to dissolve the fear of imperfection that’s holding them back, allowing them to experiment freely again.
An entrepreneur wrestling with self-doubt can work to replace their harsh inner critic with a voice of encouragement and unshakeable resilience.
These methods are strategic tools for anyone who's truly committed to deep, meaningful change. They don't replace the daily work required, but they can clear away the internal static that makes that work feel so hard. By combining neuroscience with targeted hypnosis, you can effectively rewire habits and beliefs for success much faster than you could with conscious practice alone.
As a Level 2 QHHT Practitioner, my services at Hypnos Awakening specialize in guiding clients to access their subconscious, release limiting patterns, and align with their true potential. If you feel stuck and are ready to accelerate your journey to an unshakable growth mindset, let's connect.
Navigating Setbacks on Your Mindset Journey
Let’s get one thing straight right away: building a new mindset is a journey, not just flipping a switch. You're going to have moments of doubt. Frustration will creep in, and old habits will try to sneak back into the driver's seat.
This isn't a sign that you're failing. It’s a completely normal, and honestly, necessary part of the process.
The trick is to see these hurdles coming and have a game plan ready. Common obstacles like imposter syndrome, a sudden fear of what others might think, or just the sheer frustration of feeling like progress is too slow can be deflating. But recognizing these moments for what they are—tests of your new skills—is the first real step to moving past them.
Handling a Fixed-Mindset Trigger
We all have them. A "fixed-mindset trigger" is any event that yanks you right back into those old, limiting thought patterns. It could be a sharp piece of criticism, watching a colleague succeed at something with what looks like zero effort, or staring down a challenge that feels utterly impossible.
When this happens, don't let yourself spiral. Instead, use this simple three-step process to get back on solid ground.
Acknowledge and Personify the Voice: The first step is just to notice the fixed-mindset thought. But instead of taking it as gospel, give that voice a name. Call it "the Critic," or "Mr. Perfectionist," or whatever feels right. This simple act creates distance and powerfully reminds you that this voice is not you.
Thank It for Its Input: This one might sound a little strange, but that critical voice is usually trying to protect you from failure or embarrassment. It's a misguided security guard. Silently say something like, "Thanks for the heads-up, Critic. I know you're just trying to keep me safe."
Consciously Choose the Growth Response: Now, remind yourself of what you're actually working toward. You can say, "But I'm choosing to see this as a chance to learn and get better." Then, the most important part: take one small, concrete step forward. It doesn't matter how tiny it is. Just act.
Practical Example: You receive an email with some harsh feedback on a report you submitted. Your initial thought is, "I knew I wasn't qualified for this." You pause, acknowledge "the Critic," and then consciously choose to email your manager asking for specific examples to better understand the feedback.
This approach takes the sting out of the struggle and turns a potential setback into a moment of intentional practice. It’s a strategy elite athletes use all the time to stay composed under intense pressure; you can dive deeper into this in our guide on mental training for athletes to build resilience.
The goal isn't to silence the fixed-mindset voice for good. It's about learning to recognize it, understand its (misguided) intention, and then confidently choose a different, more empowering path forward.
And this isn't just theory—the power of this approach is backed by some serious research. A massive California study involving over 200,000 students discovered that having a growth mindset was directly linked to much higher math and English scores, accounting for up to 18% of a student's academic growth in a single year. When we emphasize effort over some idea of "innate talent," it helps close achievement gaps and gives people the tools to push through systemic barriers. Read more about how a growth mindset reduces the fear of failure, which is one of the biggest roadblocks to success.
If you find that certain triggers or old patterns are particularly stubborn, working directly with the subconscious mind can create a genuine breakthrough. As a Level 2 QHHT Practitioner, my services help people get to the root cause of these obstacles and reframe them, making it much easier to stay on the growth path. Feel free to reach out to discuss how we can accelerate your progress.
The Journey of Lifelong Growth and Resilience
If there's one thing to take away from all of this, let it be this: learning how to develop a growth mindset isn't a one-and-done deal. It's a continuous journey, not a final destination. Your potential isn't some fixed point on a map; it's an ever-expanding horizon that you shape with your own dedication.
This path is so much more than just "thinking positive." It's about committing to a daily practice of welcoming challenges, pushing through the inevitable setbacks, and truly understanding that effort is the only real path to mastery. It asks you to reframe failure not as a dead end, but as incredibly valuable feedback for your next attempt.
Your commitment to this process is the single greatest investment you can make in yourself. Each small, consistent action builds the resilience needed to bounce back stronger from any obstacle.
For anyone who's serious about speeding up this journey, getting professional guidance can make a world of difference. Techniques like hypnotherapy are powerful because they help install these empowering beliefs directly at a subconscious level. This makes growth-oriented thinking feel natural and automatic, rather than a constant, conscious effort.
If you’re ready to move past the struggle and create deep, lasting change, this kind of specialized support can help you finally unlock your true potential and build the unshakeable resilience you need for the long haul.
As a Level 2 QHHT Practitioner, my services specialize in guiding clients to release the limiting patterns that hold them back and align with their true potential. If you're ready to accelerate your own journey, let’s connect.
A Few Common Questions That Come Up
As you start putting these ideas into practice, a few questions almost always pop up. Let's tackle some of the most common ones I hear from clients.
How Long Until I Actually See a Change?
This isn't an overnight fix, and there's no magic number. It's an ongoing practice, a new way of approaching your life.
That said, with consistent, daily effort, most people tell me they feel small but meaningful shifts in their thinking within just a few weeks. The real, lasting change happens when these new ways of thinking—like reframing a "failure" into a lesson—become your automatic response. That process can take several months of dedicated practice.
Is It Possible to Have a Growth Mindset in Some Areas but a Fixed One in Others?
Absolutely. In fact, it’s incredibly common.
Practical Example: You might have total confidence that you can learn a new software for work (growth mindset), but hold a deep-seated belief that you'll never be a good public speaker (fixed mindset). Or maybe you know you can get stronger at the gym but feel you’re just “bad with money.”
The first step is simply noticing these specific fixed-mindset triggers. Once you see them, you can start applying these growth strategies to that one area. You can start questioning that limiting belief and look for tiny wins to prove it wrong.
How Can I Nurture a Growth Mindset in My Team or Family?
The most powerful way is by leading with your own language and actions. It starts with how you give praise.
Instead of rewarding what looks like innate talent ("You're a natural at this!"), praise the process ("I was so impressed with how you stuck with that problem and tried different angles.").
When setbacks happen, talk about them as valuable learning opportunities, not as failures. This creates an environment where everyone understands the goal is improvement, not a constant pressure to be perfect.
The point isn't to get rid of challenges or avoid mistakes. The goal is to build the resilience to learn from them. Every single setback is a training ground for growth—a chance to prove to yourself, again and again, that your abilities are not set in stone.
These shifts in how you see the world and the small habits you build are the true foundation of progress. But for those who want to go deeper and address the subconscious beliefs holding them back, professional support can make all the difference.
If you feel ready to move past those stubborn, deep-seated blocks and truly embed a growth mindset into your core being, Hypnos Awakening offers specialized hypnotherapy and coaching to guide your journey. Let's explore how we can unlock your true potential together.
Jason MedlockLevel 2 QHHT Practitioner281.309.7106www.hypnosawakening.com
Comments