With the new year in full swing, most of us have a list of ambitious resolutions to make the best start to 2025. Whether it’s to hit the gym more often, cut back on screen time, or aim for A’s at school, each has one key commonality—the mindset driving it.
We look for improvement when we make our resolutions, wanting to proactively better ourselves and understanding that effort, commitment, and a willingness to work is vital to our achievement. A growth mindset is a 2025 must-have that should top every list of resolutions.
Being a teenager is hard. Academic pressures, unrelenting assignments, and time constraints can build up to a mountain of stress and expectation. Paired with friendship dramas and the obstacles of peer pressure, it’s fair to say that the going can get pretty tough.
In facing all these challenges, young people have significantly less life experience—so cue the value of a growth mindset. It’s common knowledge that good habits are most successfully ingrained at younger ages. As a gradual process that takes time and patience, now is a better time than any to welcome this open and confident way of thinking. A growth mindset will benefit various aspects of your life, and it’s only through embracing this journey that you’ll fully reap the rewards.
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The Meaning Behind The Mindset
So, if we were to paint the picture of an individual who has embraced a growth mindset, what would we see? Someone who appreciates a challenge, who accepts setbacks as part of the journey, and who also recognizes mistakes as opportunities to improve. A growth mindset means adopting beliefs that we can make progress through endeavor, learning, and dedication.
Gone are any feelings that success is only enjoyed by the naturally gifted or that challenges could potentially translate into failure and disappointment. These ‘fixed outlooks’ only serve to limit our perception of what we are capable of and, in turn, put a firm cap on what we actually achieve. A growth mindset understands that our abilities are not innate but acquired through proactive efforts, just like the perspective itself.
Carol Dweck, American psychologist and Stanford alumni member, first coined the term ‘growth mindset’ in her incredibly popular TedTalk called “The Power of Yet.” She highlighted how persistence and confidence blossom with “yet” and “not yet” language as we set ourselves up for success, not necessarily right now but certainly in the future. Dweck transforms the meaning of effort and difficulty—casting it in a positive, forward-looking light as a welcomed opportunity to improve.
What is most striking is its application to multiple aspects of our lives—our relationships, school, and work—as evidenced by several studies referenced throughout. Dweck concludes her talk by reiterating a key message: opportunities to nurture a growth mindset as early on as possible should be open to both children and adults to allow our basic human abilities to bloom.
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A growth mindset can branch into all aspects of your life; here's how:
For The Students
Fixed Mindset: “ Teacher feedback often feels like criticism towards my work. I’m already really good at this.”
Growth Mindset: “I appreciate feedback from teachers; it always helps me learn and improve my understanding.”
Students who employ a growth mindset are more inclined to take risks in their learning with the viewpoint that everyone can learn something new and become good at it over time. Endeavor to try your best—even failing at first still presents us with an opportunity to learn. This means a step closer to success next time, reaffirming Carol Dweck’s idea of “not yet.” Valuing process over outcome is not always straightforward, especially in the face of exam pressures regularly confronting students at school.
But by maintaining a process-driven focus, we are better able to overcome challenges we meet, bolstering our resilience along the way. Therefore, we can hold a powerful reassurance that encountering obstacles does not equate to failure as the end result. Furthermore, research has revealed a link between a growth mindset and improved mental health for students. This includes a greater ability to cope with anxiety and stress and lower susceptibility to mental health problems. It’s evident that a growth mindset should be high on our priorities this year, even more so with its positive effects on our well-being.
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For The Athletes
Fixed Mindset: “Seeing my peers succeed makes me feel inadequate.”
Growth Mindset: “The successes of people around me are inspiring and show what is possible to achieve.”
Sports rewards us with skills for life just as much as the athletic ability it gifts us. Like students, young athletes can have a tendency to excessively focus on the outcome. This is especially harmful when setbacks occur, whether that be a spell of loss or a necessary time out.
It’s common knowledge that no sporting career is a continuous rising slope. However, a growth mindset means you can navigate your way through these difficult periods. The benefits of a growth mindset can even extend from training to competition itself. For instance, athletes may often find themselves up against a higher-ranked opponent or one with the upper hand on paper. With a fixed mindset, doubt and demotivation have the potential to kick in as you tell yourself they’re “too good” or “too strong.” An athlete with a mindset of growth approaches these situations differently. They recognize the opponent’s high skill level and therefore are determined to make the most effective changes, including tactical choices, to try and secure the win. The mental side of sport is half the battle, and a growth mindset plays a major part in achieving every athlete’s ambitions.
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For Our Relationships
Fixed Mindset: “You keep canceling plans. Are we still even friends?”
Growth Mindset: “We haven’t hung out in a while. Let’s find a time that would work for both of us.”
It’s no surprise that utilizing a growth mindset is beneficial to our friendships and personal relationships, too. As a result, we are more adept at dealing with conflict and resolving problems using effective communication. All issues are surmountable, and longer-lasting, stronger relationships can develop as a consequence.
Communicating well is truly at the heart of this—being open when problem-solving is ultimately the biggest stepping stone to making things better. Good friendships play a huge role in shaping who we are as young people, so it is really worth the effort to nourish and maintain them.
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Do It For Your Future Self
Adopting a growth mindset is a gradual process. Here are some tips to help along the way:
- Be Curious - look forward to challenges and appreciate the opportunity to learn more.
- Enjoy the Journey - focus on your efforts and progress rather than just aiming for an outcome.
- Be Patient - trust the process and understand that setbacks are part of the journey in the long run.
- Put in the Hard Work - success arrives much more when you are giving your best rather than innate talent.
- Be Open - seek feedback from others and use this as a welcomed tool to expand your knowledge.
With all the rewards that come with cultivating a growth mindset, there is no doubt that this is an essential stepping stone to making the most of 2025. The best of you is yet to come.
