On My Mind

Progress doesn’t always look like we expect. Sometimes it’s slow, messy, and full of roadblocks. But real growth comes from showing up, learning, and pushing through, even when it feels impossible.

It’s so frustrating to feel stuck, like no matter how much effort you put in, you’re just not getting anywhere. But what if the problem isn’t the effort you’re putting in, but the way you’re thinking about progress?

Learning to embrace a growth mindset could be the key to unlocking your potential and transforming those frustrating moments into your biggest breakthroughs.

My Journey with the Growth Mindset

Over the last four months, I’ve committed to going to the gym at least once a week (and often more). I’ll be honest: it wasn’t easy at first. Progress was slow, and there were so many times when I felt like giving up. But I kept showing up, trusting the process, and reminding myself that change doesn’t happen overnight.

Little by little, I began to see results. My stamina has improved, I feel stronger, and (as much as it pains me to say those health gurus are right) I’ve noticed definite positive changes in my mood and energy levels after exercise.

To stay motivated during my workouts, I started listening to Mindset by Carol Dweck—a book that has completely changed how I view effort and progress.

What is the Growth Mindset?

Dweck is a renowned psychologist and describes two main types of mindsets in her book:

1. Fixed Mindset: People with this mindset believe their abilities are static. They tend to avoid challenges, give up easily, and feel threatened by the success of others.
2. Growth Mindset: People with this mindset believe abilities can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence. They embrace challenges, persist through difficulties, and view failure as an opportunity to grow.

The beauty of the growth mindset is that it’s not something you either have or don’t have. It’s a choice you can make every day.

It’s also not uncommon for some people to have a combination of both mindsets about different topics – for example, you may have a growth mindset about your children, and how they can improve with practice, but you may have a fixed mindset about your own abilities, believing that no matter how much you practice, you will never be “good” at something.

How You Can Apply the Growth Mindset

Here are a few practical ways to embrace the growth mindset and keep moving forward, even when progress feels slow:

1. Reframe Your Failures: Instead of seeing setbacks as proof you’re not good enough, view them as opportunities to learn and improve. Treat yourself like you would a child – we aren’t born able to walk or talk, but nobody tells a child that they are stupid or will never be able to develop those skills. Everything you know how to do today is something you were once unable to do!
2. Celebrate Small Wins: Progress is often slow, but every small step counts. Take a moment to acknowledge what you’ve achieved. Setting yourself small milestones to hit is also a great way to do this. With my running, I’ve been tracking the speed at which I can run 3K. It’s a small goal, but seeing the number decrease over time and sharing that win with my partner has been integral to me persevering with the effort.
3. Commit to Lifelong Learning: Just as I’m learning through Mindset while running, find ways to integrate growth-focused content into your routine. There are loads of creators out there sharing great mindset based tips and inspirational content – follow them!
4. Keep Showing Up: Whether it’s the gym, work, or a personal goal, consistency is key. As I’m learning with content creation, it can be really tricky to stay consistent, but put plans in place to help support you and make it as easy as possible to stay consistent.

Progress isn’t always about massive leaps but about showing up, learning, and improving a little each day. And you can do the same.

Don’t let failures or slow progress stop you—use them to fuel your journey. With a growth mindset, anything is possible.

Happy #MindsetMonday!