A growth mindset is one that believes in change and improvement.

Someone who has a growth mindset believes that their skills and talents can be improved through hard work, practice, and dedication. Natural talent is a gift of genetics, but it alone is not enough to make someone a master of their craft, and even the most talented person can get better through practice.

People with a growth mindset have a love of learning and never stop trying to learn new things, even many years after they get out of school. They’re always trying to understand the latest methods in their field, improving their skills at a sport, or learning something new.

For example : The 80-year-old woman in the Beginning French class has a growth mindset, as does the newly retired executive who takes up windsurfing for the first time.

A growth mindset embraces challenges, sometimes to the point of seeking them out. People with this mindset set challenges as learning and growth opportunities rather than obstacles standing in their way. They don’t get easily frustrated by failures and roadblocks; they believe these things are to be expected and are a sign they need to adjust and try again.

Intelligence and other personal attributes aren’t fixed, or so believe those who have a growth mindset. They believe that these things can change with hard work and effort. Genetics are merely a starting point, a blueprint provided by nature that the architect (the person in question) can improve upon.

Growth mindset people see constructive feedback as a helpful method of improving themselves rather than criticism or a personal attack. They take the feedback and use it to improve their performance in whatever area it’s regarding.

Stress doesn’t affect those with a growth mindset as strongly as it does those with a fixed mindset. This mindset confers a resilience that allows them to be less affected and to bounce back faster than other people. This is not to say that serious problems or negative life events (such as deaths in the family) don’t affect them, but they tend to recover faster.

The success of other people is inspiring to those with a growth mindset. They try to figure out how the other person succeeded and how to imitate them. This increases their own odds of success.

Persistence, resilience, dedication, and a commitment to growth are the hallmarks of the growth mindset. No one has a pure growth mindset, but every person can work on cultivating their mindset to make it more growth-oriented.