How Adopting A Growth Mindset Can Help You Make Progress And Stay Motivated

Thought For The Week

Psychologist Carol Dweck coined the term growth mindset to describe the belief that our abilities can be developed through learning, effort and persistence. It’s the opposite of a fixed mindset, which assumes we’re either “good” or “bad” at something and there’s not a lot we can do to change it. Research shows that adopting a growth mindset can help us bounce back from setbacks and stay motivated. It encourages us to see change as a process, rather than a pass/fail test — and that’s incredibly useful, because it frees us from perfectionism and allows us to focus on learning, adjusting, and showing up even when things don’t go to plan.

Exercise Tip

You might find yourself thinking you’re just “not naturally sporty” or, on the flip side, you might expect to be able to master something new straight away. But a growth mindset reminds us that progress in exercise is earned, not inherited. Every run, every rep, every sweaty session is part of a learning curve. Strength, skill, and endurance are developed over time with consistent effort and patience; they’re not things you either have or don’t. Besides, this isn’t a competition. You’re not here to measure yourself against anyone else. When you’re able to keep the focus on your own journey, movement becomes less about proving something and more about exploring what your body is capable of.  

Try this: Instead of setting outcome-based goals like “I want to deadlift 100kg,” try setting process-focused goals like “I want to train consistently, two times a week”. It leaves more scope for adjustment, should you change your mind, or things not go according to plan.

Nutrition Tip

Thinking in black-and-white terms about food — “good” vs. “bad,” “clean eating” vs. “junk food,” “on track” vs. “off the wagon.” — can generate feelings of guilt, shame and failure when your resolve inevitably slips and you spiral into “I’ve blown it, so what’s the point?” territory. But adopting a growth mindset can help break that cycle. A growth mindset encourages you to think about eating well as a pattern, not as perfection. One snack doesn’t undo your progress, just as one salad doesn’t fix everything. With practice, you can start to view nutrition as a skill — something you get better at over time through learning, experimenting, and noticing what makes you feel energised, healthy, and good.

Try this: Instead of focusing on calories, restrictions, or “good” and “bad” foods, try keeping a food diary where you note not just what you eat, but how different foods make you feel. This kind of mindful tracking helps you build self-awareness and learn what truly supports your wellbeing. 

Links & Resources

Book: Mindset by Carol Dweck explains why it's not just our abilities and talent that bring us success, but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset.

Video: In this short video, Carol Dweck provides a neat little introduction to the idea that we can grow our brain's capacity to learn and to solve problems.

Recipe: If you’re someone who thinks salad is boring, try challenging that fixed mindset with my recipe for roast chicken salad with grapes and almonds.

Inspirational Quote

“Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better?”

Carol Dweck