5 Fixed Mindset Pitfalls Even Growth Mindset People Face

Given the mental health and personal development revolution we’re experiencing, you’ve likely heard of the “fixed mindset” vs  “growth mindset” dichotomy. The two mindsets were first described by Carol Dweck Ph.D., in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

After hearing about these mindsets for years but only finally reading through the book a few months ago, I was shocked by how much more there was to learn! To me, the words “growth mindset” and “fixed mindset” seemed pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. (And, obviously, I was all growth mindset all the time.) But it turns out… I was wrong and even growth mindsetters occasionally fall into fixed mindset pitfalls.

Dweck does an amazing job diving into each of these two mindsets and pointing out what it looks like to be in one or the other. It’s not quite as simple as either having a growth mindset or not—we can each fluctuate between mindsets depending on the topic and the circumstances.

After reading the book and doing some challenging self-reflection, I couldn’t help myself from writing this article to spread the word to other personal development lovers who may be falling into the same mindset pitfalls.

What Is the Fixed Mindset vs The Growth Mindset?

What is the Fixed Mindset?

The fixed mindset refers to believing that talent, ability, and personality are fixed traits and although we may be able to make marginal changes, we’ll never be able to drastically change the person we were naturally born to be.

Having a fixed mindset leads to feeling the need to prove yourself in every area, over and over, rather than spending that energy to ensure you’re staying sharp and up to date.

What is the Growth Mindset?

The growth mindset refers to believing that talent, ability, and personality can all be drastically changed by learning, finding the right strategy, and putting in effort.

Having a growth mindset leads to remarkable shifts in both ability and resilience in any area since you’re constantly updating your skills, knowledge, and trust in your ability to improve.

(Related: 10 Tiny Things You Can Do To Kickstart Your Personal Growth Today)

Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset?

Surely, if you’re reading this, it’s because you want to have a growth mindset. But how can you tell where you’re currently at? Dweck asks us to read a few statements about intelligence and personality and decide whether you mostly agree or mostly disagree with each one.

Here are the exercises, directly from Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Read each of these statements and decide whether you mostly agree or mostly disagree with each one. After doing so, determine whether you tend to agree with fixed mindset statements.

Which mindset do you embody more? You might be a combination, but according to Dweck, most people lean more one way or the other.

If this exercise reveals that you mostly have a growth mindset, it’s important to recognize that there are still pitfalls of the fixed mindset that you might be guilty of falling into! And if you just discovered you have a fixed mindset, read on to see how it might be showing up in your life. Self-reflection is the first step to changing any mindset.

Let’s take a look at some of the fixed mindset pitfalls that even growth mindset people might experience from time to time. By remaining vigilant about these potential pitfalls, we can enhance our growth mindsets to be even more successful with our personal development!

5 Pitfalls of the Fixed Mindset to Watch Out For

Believing you are “naturally talented” at something

Believing that you are naturally talented at something is not inherently a bad thing (and very well might be true), but depending on what happens next, it can be an indicator of a fixed mindset.

If, when you believe you’re naturally talented at something, it makes you feel less inclined to study, practice, ask questions, or take risks in order to get even better, you might be falling into a fixed mindset pitfall.

If you’re in a fixed mindset, you may not want to push yourself in areas where you’re naturally gifted, because admitting that you need to put effort into your skill would, in your mind, diminish the magnificence of your talent.

Be careful!

Being naturally talented at something can be a powerful and fun way to begin your relationship with a new skill, but it shouldn’t become a burden that restricts you from putting in the effort to become even better.

Labeling people

When we label people (including children) in any way, even when it’s seemingly positive, we’re reinforcing the idea that personality traits are “fixed.”

In other words, labeling people is an indication that you’re in a fixed mindset.

Not only does labeling someone as smart, dumb, creative, shy etc. indicate that you’re in a fixed mindset, but it may contribute to reinforcing that person’s fixed mindset as well.

What’s the point of working hard on something if you believe you’re too dumb to ever accomplish it anyway? Who’s going to take their guitar lessons seriously when they’re not musically talented?

Watch out for the fixed mindset pitfall of making assumptions about who a person is based on their current ability in an area. Remind yourself that traits are flexible to switch back into the more productive growth mindset.

Avoiding new things for fear of being “bad” at them

A fixed mindset tells us that every talent we have or do not have is predestined. Therefore, if we discover we’re bad at something, there’s no hope in ever becoming better—never mind great—at that thing.

That’s a scary thought!

Of course, if you’re operating under the assumption that the first time you try something new, you’ll discover your final potential in that thing, it would feel scary to attempt anything at all. No one wants to discover, or admit, that they’re fundamentally bad at something.

If you feel hesitant of trying new things for fear of being bad at them, ask yourself, do I believe that even if I’m not good at this thing today, I could become better with learning, practice, and discipline?

It becomes much less intimidating to be bad at something if you know that you could become better at it in the future through your own action.

Wanting your partner to worship you rather than challenge you

When I read about this fixed mindset indicator in Dweck’s book, it surprised me. After all, what’s wrong with wanting your romantic partner to adore, or even worship you?

Well, it turns out that if your hope from your partner is that they dote on your many wonderful qualities and never seem to notice your less-than-perfect ones, there’s a good chance there’s a crack in your growth mindset.

If the fixed mindset says that you are who you are and that can never significantly change, it only makes sense that the fixed mindsetter wants their partner, the person who knows them most intimately, to reflect back nothing but complete perfection.

Meanwhile, with a growth mindset, an opportunity for growth rather than praise for dubious perfection is what’s most desired. Plus, with this mindset, growth isn’t tied to a threat of discovering that you’re actually a bad, stupid, or otherwise unworthy person. With a growth mindset, it’s a blessing to discover new areas to improve in and new ways to do so, and therefore your partner is the number one person you hope will be honest with you and challenge you.

Looking for revenge

After something painful, humiliating, etc. happens to you, do you find yourself looking for revenge? If so, you may be stumbling into a fixed mindset pitfall.

Revenge is a route that we take when we feel there is nowhere else to go. Conversely, with a growth mindset, when a major setback occurs, we start looking for ways to recover, grow, and ensure things go differently next time.

From inside this fixed mindset pitfall of craving revenge, we may be feeling permanently judged and labeled by what someone did to us or the way they made us look to others. With this lens, it can feel like there is no recipe for overcoming your pain/humiliation/etc., so the only way to find relief is through bringing the inflictor of pain down with you.

Next time you feel yourself craving revenge, ask yourself, will bringing this person down really bring me relief? Or would it serve me better to spend my energy learning how to do something differently in the future or studying the way others have overcome something similar?

A growth mindset will never lead you to seek revenge. So next time you feel the urge, check your mindset and make sure haven’t fallen into this fixed mindset pitfall.

Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset Conclusion

These 5 pitfalls of the fixed mindset can be sneaky. It’s easy to forget that these little moments might indicate a bigger lens we’re using to see the world through. I’ve decided to start paying special attention to these 5 pitfalls to make sure that I keep myself in a growth mindset as much as possible.

I hope you found this helpful! Feel free to pin this to your self-development Pinterest board so you never forget to stay vigilant to these 5 fixed mindset pitfalls.

(Related: Rewire Your Brain and Change Your Negative Self-Talk (4 Simple Steps))