When you’re stuck in a bad mood, face a challenge, or don’t have enough confidence in your ability to accomplish a task, how do you react? Is your automatic reaction to think, ‘I’m just not able to do this. I don’t have it in me,’ or, do you react by thinking, ‘I can get better at this if I work at it?’
The truth is, according to social psychologists, that most of us feel we don’t have the innate ability to do certain things, but that’s not the way it works.
Social psychology, and specifically Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson, describe incremental theorists as the group of people who feel they can ‘get better,’ practically at any task or line of goals, they apply themselves at.
This is in contrast to entity theorists who believe they have a fixed amount or type of, say, intelligence or personality. These folks want to just ‘be good,’ and routinely be validated to prove they have ‘it,’ i.e. intelligence, personality, etc. or else they feel rejected.
What is the overarching difference between the two types? One, according to social psychology, is better for you, and the other will make you feel like you’ll never have enough.
Let’s take Roger Federer, a star sports athlete and the GOAT of the sport of tennis. Many critics have said he couldn’t last as successfully as he has in the sport at a later age. That his age would have limited him. What did Federer do? He has kept his personal and professional lives balanced and successful to the point where he was ‘getting better with age’ in the sport in his late mid to later 30s.
So what can we learn from Federer and other front-running athletes? That ‘getting better’ is an art form in itself. The mindset is key. The poignant motivational attitude is key. The ability to maneuver difficulty and challenges tagged with giving yourself permission to feel down when things don’t work your way is quite valuable and even indispensable.
Moving up, through downs, and moving onward all come with your effort and experience. Amassing a simple network of support, friendships, respect and love for what you do is also key. Federer himself points to his friends, family and coaching team all a big part of his success. Together, they’re part of what makes the magic of ‘getting better’ the more rewarding mindset.
Ultimately, the successful mindset of ‘getting better’ is more optimal than just your common ‘be good’ attitude in terms of receiving lasting satisfaction and happiness. Hopefully, you will find the ways to achieve a more successful ‘get better’ mindset now.
For more on the social psychology, click here: “The Success Myth” & Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals
Source/Credit for Photo Above: https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/blog/transformative-leadership-in-schools-helping-districts-get-better-at-getting-better/