Does our mindset play any part in determining how successful we become in both our business and personal lives? According to the book written by Professor Carol Dwek, mindset: The New Psychology of Success, and How we can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential" in the hope that it will help the ordinary human being comprehend that life is what you make it and not what was dealt with you at birth. In the first section of this book, professor Carol Dwek introduces the two types of mindsets, the fixed mindset, and the growth mindset and how our success or failure can be governed according to which mindset we possess. In this article, we will highlight these two types of mindset and how they can affect our success both in running a business and on a personal level.

Fixed Mindset

Fixed mindset people believe that an individual's intelligence, quality, and traits are a fixed quantity which cannot be increased. They believe that their basic qualities are already carved out for them. They believe that they have to be flawless in order to succeed. They spend time to prove that they are better in the qualities dealt with them just to prove they were dealt a healthy dose and that they are not deficient. They always have to prove themselves to be better than anyone else and avoid failure and mistakes at all costs. As a result, they tend to fail in life as the thought of failing at something new often deters them from trying new opportunities. These individuals tend to judge and label people by how intelligent and talented they are. They also constantly need praise and often only continue doing what they know well and don't take any chances in life. If something doesn’t work for fixed mindset people, they always blame it on something else.

It was concluded with the fixed mindset that this person easily exposes who he/she really is, and tends not to try hard when a challenge is posed to them or when they face a difficult task. Those with this mentality is going to make you believe they are moving through life smoothly without making any effort. It does not mean that people with this kind of mindset are mediocre; it is just that the identification with the mind they have developed leaves them with far fewer opportunities than may have been the case if they had ventured farther afield.

Attributes of a Fixed Mindsets People

• Always try to avoid challenges- Fixed mindset people believe that taking a new challenge is always hard. After all, success is not guaranteed, so instead of taking this risk, they will often avoid challenges and stick to what they think they know best.
• Tends to give up easily- In this case, they always give up easily when faced with an obstacle on their way to success. They quit and look for easy alternatives.
• Fixed minded people ignore useful negative feedback most of the time- These set of people always ignores useful negative feedback, and often time they take it as an insult. Which then discourages people around them from giving any negative feedback.
• They are mostly feel intimidated by the success of others- Usually, when others win or succeed, people with the fixed mindset will try to convince themselves or other people around them that the success was due to luck. They are excuse-makers.

Growth Mindset

A person with a growth mindset, however, believes that they can continually enhance and develop their skills with effort and practice. Their mindset urges them to get a deeper understanding of a subject rather than be content with basic knowledge to look good or merely just to pass a course. They have a more flexible approach to life and will compile a list of reasons why they can succeed with a new business venture. If they experience a problem along the way, they will work hard to find a resolution to the problem and will invariably go on to succeed. A person with this mindset will be more likely to succeed both in business and in their personal lives and will go on to prosper. People with these mindsets adopt a positive attitude to everything in life.

Growth mindset people work hard to do better always. They do not sit back and see their accomplishments as their final goal. In their minds, there is always room for improvement. They have no time to sit and see themselves as the best or better than others. They have no time to sit and think that they have exceptional talent. They are busy thinking of how they can make it better and what changes they can make if something expected did not go right. To them, if something doesn't go right, it's not a failure; it is a challenge to find out ways to make it happen.

Attributes of a Growth Mindsets people

• Desire to learn and improve at all cost- People with a growth mindset hat intelligence can be developed, and our brain can be trained to learn new things. Therefore, this leads to a desire to improve.
• Growth Mindset People embrace challenges- Unlike fixed mindset people, individuals with a growth mindset are always ready to take a new challenge since they know they will come out stronger.
• They are not always discouraged by setbacks or obstacles- They believe failure is an opportunity to learn more. They quickly recover from setbacks and move on. They believe that “Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance” – Samuel Johnson
• Growth Mindset people learn from criticism – people with a growth mindset believe that criticism and negative feedbacks are excellent sources of information. Hence, they take it as an opportunity to change and improve themselves.  
• Lastly, growth mindset people find inspiration and success in the success of others – The success of others is seen as a source of inspiration and information for them to improve their own agenda. And because of this, they reach a high level of achievement.

It is always crucial to know that mindset is something that you decide. Choosing the mindset you embrace will deduce whether you succeed or fail. Having a positive growth mindset will enable you to prosper. Cultivating a growth mindset is important to success, especially if you are starting your own business. Having a growth mindset is a very powerful tool that will lead to success.