2020.   ¯\_(?)_/¯  Am I right?  And we just keep stretching on into 2021.  The pandemic isn't over, the virus isn't gone.  And here we still are.

Thriving?

Stuck?

Research psychologist, Carol Dweck, says that there are two mindsets we can have:  fixed and growth.

In the fixed mindset, we think we are just the way we are.  Our personalities and skills are just a part of who we are.  "A natural athlete/writer/salesman/comedian," or whatever else.  We just are born with those skills... or personalities.

In a growth mindset, we can learn... grow and change.  We can get better in something we want to improve.  No, that doesn't mean that anyone can be a world-class athlete.  But if I want to improve my abilities, I can.  If I want to shoot better free-throws, I can practice.  If I want to improve my writing, I can practice.  I can get better through, learning, effort, and practice.

It seems obvious when we look at it that way, but many of us accidentally fall into a fixed mindset, both of ourselves and others.  Experts change their recommendations, and we can either see that as a failure on their part, "wishy-washy" and up to no good.  Or we can see that they, too, are learning and sharing from what they are learning.  Fixed or growth.

And we can also look at how we, ourselves, are learning to shift, pivot, alter, and change our lives in the face of a pandemic.  When we get back to normal, it won't be the normal of December 2020.  It will be different.  How will we shift?

RELATED RESOURCES

Carol Dweck's book, Mindset

Podcast on Growth

Podcasts on Coping with COVID