All In On Growth

Guest Blogger: Rachael Clutter

 Business Development-Stewart Title Company

At 22 years old I realized I wanted more for myself.  I no longer wanted just a job, I wanted a career.  I knew my journey wouldn’t be easy or glamorous, but it’s what I wanted.  Starting out I knew I’d be the low woman on the totem pole, but I also knew with time and hard work I would grow into my career path.  I had my mind made up and was ready for the work ahead.  What I didn’t know was this was a mindset, let alone a growth mindset.  All I knew was I wanted more in life and would do whatever it took to get there.  The words growth mindset wasn’t something I knew or had ever heard anyone use.  I simply wanted better for myself.  I took on new challenges, accepted criticism and most importantly I had the desire to learn all that I could.

What is growth mindset you ask? 

Growth mindset is a concept developed by psychologist Carol Dweck, of self-perception of “self-theory” that people hold about themselves.  In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work.

We all have this ability, it’s all in how we use it.  You either have a fixed mindset, which doesn’t allow for growth or you have a growth mindset and the possibilities are endless.    

An example of a fixed mindset is believing you are ‘smart’ or ‘dumb’, you already have a preconceived notion that you can only be one of those things.  Imagine you fail a test, if you don’t believe you can improve, you won’t.  You will lack the motivation to improve your score. This is an example of a fixed mindset.  On the other hand, if you believe in your skills and abilities and you push through your weaknesses and struggles and put in the work, you’ve changed your mindset and will see the growth in your work.  What you must keep in mind is that we as humans are always evolving, personally and professionally.  

Did you know as we grow up sometimes, we change our perspective; we stop believing that we are capable of growth and development, and we build a debilitating and static self-image instead.  Along my journey into my career I have developed several tips and tricks that keep me in the growth mindset and keep me on track to be the best I can be.    

Set SMART Goals:

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and time based.  Failing to set goals can lead to delays and set you off track.  I set yearly goals of course, BIGGER goals that I want to achieve throughout the year.   However in the last couple of years I have found that setting weekly SMART goals makes each week purposeful.  Weekly smaller goals ultimately help me achieve my yearly goals. 

Be Intentional:

Put in high quality effort towards your goals.  Be intentional, work hard and let your motivation fuel your fire.  Intentionally focus on your learning and growing.  Make every move count.  

Push through mistakes and failures:

Someone very wise once said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”  Mistakes are inevitable and failure is often unavoidable.  However, it’s not just a matter of your resilience; you must adapt to not repeat the same mistakes.  Learn from your mistakes, edit/update your goals and try again. 

Accountability:

Holding yourself responsible for your goals is important to your success.  In addition to yourself, have accountability partners with like-minded goals and drive. This can be detrimental to your success.  Share your goals and what you’d like to achieve with an accountability partner and make them hold you to those goals and challenge you when needed.  

Reflect Often:

Self-reflection is essential to learning and growing.  It lets you ask yourself questions, pushes you to think deeply about your processes, and reevaluate your strategies.  Self-reflection uncovers lessons we didn’t know we needed and can help lead you to new positive insights.

The most important thing I have learned in a growth mindset, is it’s okay to fail.  Not only is it okay, it’s encouraged.  It’s only through failure we can learn and grow because we can differentiate through what works and what doesn’t.  

The realization of mindset and what it can really do for my personal and professional life has led me on a journey for which I am forever grateful.  I’ve grown to understand that my growth mindset is what leads me to strive for excellence not perfection. If you are struggling with your mindset, I encourage you to sit down and decide what you want out of life, what your personal and professional goals are, and be prepared to make adjustments to reach those goals. Never give up on yourself. Push through the hard times. Take on new challenges and most importantly celebrate your successes!