Should I stay or should I grow?

Last week the topic of having a 'Growth mindset versus a Fixed mindset' came up as a topic in my networking group. As it was my turn to speak, I thought I would read up a bit about it. Turns out, it wasn't at all what I thought it was.
Many people, including me, believe that having a Growth mindset means that you're flexible, open minded and have a positive outlook on life. That is apparently not the case, and these things are not the same at all...

According to Carol Dweck ( her book Mindset, published in 2006, has sold more than 800,000 copies) and her research, people who have a Fixed mindset believe that the talent / skill set they have is just what they have been given, that is the hand they have been dealt and this is simply what they were born with. 
People with a Growth mindset, believe that their talents and skill set can be developed through hard work, with goal strategies and with the help and input from others.​

Believing that your qualities are carved in stone - the Fixed mindset - creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. Every situation is evaluated: Will I be successful or will I fail? Will I look smart or dumb? Will I be accepted or rejected? Will I feel like a winner or a looser?

The Growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things that you can cultivate through your efforts, that anyone can change and grow. Examples of a Growth mindset are:
Responds to honest feedback rather than responding defensively, seeks to build skills, collaborates with others. Strive to get better rather than blame others. Take charge of their own success.

So do people with the growth mindset believe that anyone can be anything? That anyone with the proper motivation and help can be Einstein or Beethoven? No, but they do believe that a persons true potential is unknown, that it is impossible to foresee what can be accomplished with years of hard work, passion and training.
A growth mindset creates a passion for learning instead of a hunger for approval. With the belief that intelligence and personality can be developed rather than just being ingrained traits, it means everyone can change and grow through application and experience. 

Dweck writes: "Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better? Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? Why look for friends or partners who will just shore up your self-esteem instead of ones who will also challenge you to grow? And why seek out the tried and true, instead of experiences that will stretch you?"

Bottom line here is this: The view you adopt of yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life!

Note: The views here are mine, but the sources I have quoted and based this on are as follows:
https:www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/ written by Maria Popova
​https://www.mindsetworks.com/webnav/whatismindset.aspx