They say real battles are fought silently in the mind, and honestly, that’s where most of us lose before the match even begins. The “Fixed vs Growth Mindset” debate is less like a psychology lesson and more like having two neighbours living rent-free inside your head—one constantly complaining and the other rearranging furniture at midnight because “change is exciting.”
A fixed mindset whispers,
“This is just who I am.”
Meanwhile, a growth mindset smirks and replies,
“Or is it who you’ve decided to be?”
The truth is, we all carry traces of both. One shows up with a blanket of comfort, the other storms in with roller skates and a megaphone yelling, “Let’s evolve!” It’s chaotic, but it’s also the reason we grow.
Think about the times you’ve said: “I am bad at maths” or “I can’t speak in public.” Did nature tag your brain with labels like supermarket prices? Of course not. But the fixed mindset loves labels. It thrives on them. Labels make life easy—no growth required, no sweat, no embarrassment.
But growth mindset? Oh, that one is dramatic. It loves plot twists. It insists:
“Abilities are muscles. Use them, and they strengthen. Ignore them, and they sulk.”
One of my favourite imaginary quotes from a plant (yes, a plant):
“I didn’t grow by staring at the sun. I grew because someone watered me consistently.”
Consistency is that quiet friend who never gets credit but always shows up.
People often think having a growth mindset means being positive all the time. No. A growth mindset also cries in the bathroom, washes its face, and says, “Okay, one more try.” It doesn’t deny difficulty—it dances with it. Sometimes terribly. Sometimes beautifully. But always willingly.
If a fixed mindset is a closed door, a growth mindset is the naughty kid pushing it open just to see what’s inside. “Curiosity didn’t kill the cat,” it argues. “It educated it.”
The irony is, many people believe they already have a growth mindset simply because they like the idea of it. But liking spinach doesn’t make you healthy; eating it does.
Similarly, growth mindset is not a belief—it’s a behaviour.
The bestselling book on life that hasn’t been written yet will have one line highlighted in gold:
“Growth is rarely comfortable, but comfort rarely grows you.”
We applaud children for learning to walk, fall, stand, and walk again. But when adults fall, we call it failure. What changed? Only our mindset. We forgot that stumbling is not a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of motion.
So the next time your mind says “I can’t,” reply gently, “Maybe not yet.” The most powerful word in the growth dictionary is “yet”—small, humble, but revolutionary.
💭 Thought to Ponder
If your mind had a garden, would you fill it with seeds that grow or stones that never move?
Sharon's Read And Reflect 
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