Do you genuinely know your potential for learning new things and attaining greater heights? Or are you in the class of contenders who experience challenges on the road to success and give up? You believe whatever will be will be, so you just accept your fate.

Here's the good news: It doesn't have to be like that. You can develop a growth mindset and overcome your present fixed mindset. With a growth mindset, you'll become a better contender in the ring and your life.

We'll be discussing more benefits later in this post. First, let's understand what a growth mindset is.

What Is A Growth Mindset?

Professor Carol Dweck was the first person to sufficiently bring the concept of a growth mindset to life, in her book-- "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success."

Professor Dweck defined mindset as a theory people have about themselves, which can either limit them or foster growth. In other words, if you believe you can or you can't, you're right.

This thought is what inevitably forms your character. Dweck also theorized that people could either be aware or unaware of their mindset. As we know at Gloveworx, successful contenders consciously and intentionally strive to develop an unstoppable mindset. That brings us to the term "growth mindset."

Contenders with a growth mindset believe that they can develop their primary skills and abilities with hard work and dedication. They know talent and brains are just the starting point, but that they aren't always enough.

"It's perception—growth mindset—that makes someone derive love for learning and a strong resilience that produces great accomplishments," writes Professor Dweck.

In essence, a growth mindset is one that's positive, resilient, dedicated, and strong-willed. Nonetheless, a growth mindset doesn't just happen to you. It takes time to develop.

What is a Fixed Mindset?

A fixed mindset is the opposite of a growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset are rooted in a place of negativity and blame. Rather than seeing challenges as obstacles to be overcome, they see them as barriers that will prevent them from ever reaching their goals. A fixed mindset is very black and white, with thoughts like “I can either do this or I can’t; my fate is predetermined,” and, “I will never be able to do this so I’m giving up now.”

People with a fixed mindset tend not to be coachable, as they take constructive feedback personally and get caught up in their self-fulfilling prophecy. As the saying goes, “whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

How to Develop a Growth Mindset

Here are eight steps for developing a growth mindset:

See Every Challenge as an Opportunity

For you to have a growth mindset, you must be able to see every problem that comes your way as a new step to get to higher levels.

As a contender, you shouldn't see a more physically active opponent as a challenge; rather see your challenger as an opportunity to get closer to achieving your goal.

Embrace and Accept Your Imperfections

Everyone has weaknesses. As someone with a growth mindset, you must refrain from hiding those weaknesses. Instead, build on them and become stronger. If you hide from your weaknesses instead of accepting them and striving to improve, you'll never overcome them.

Replace "Failing" with "Learning" in Your Personal Dictionary

Every time you make a mistake, don't look at it as a failure. Instead, learn from it and do better next time.

Thomas Edison tried making the lightbulb 1,000 times before he was successful. He said, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps. Great success is built on failure, frustration, even catastrophe."

Develop a Sense of Purpose

Contenders with a growth mindset have a greater sense of purpose than those with a fixed mindset. In other words, contenders with a growth mindset always keep the big picture in their mind and act with intention.

Enjoy the Process!

Successful contenders strive to enjoy the process and celebrate along the path to their successes. They don't mind if it continues beyond the expected time frame because they have seen the end over and over again through visualization.

Remember, you can't control the outcome, just the steps you take to get there.

Fall Forward

Society, family, school, etc. has always cautioned most of us to have a fallback plan. In other words, have an option B in case option A fails. A person with a great growth mindset is built to "burn the ships" and go forward only.

That way, you'll always have a strong fighting spirit that never gives up. Most times, in such cases, success becomes inevitable. Falling forward is stumbling toward your goal, rather than settling for something less.

Embrace Criticism

Most people don't like criticism. They take it hard. To Become Unstoppable, you must learn to take constructive criticism without internalizing it. To develop a growth mindset, you must learn to be coachable.

Learn from Others' Mistakes

No one is perfect. Even Superman grows weak when he comes in contact with kryptonite.

Find someone you admire and respect who shares their mistakes. Try as much as possible to learn from others' mistakes, instead of praising them for their successes alone or repeating history.

The Benefits of a Growth Mindset

The following are the benefits of a growth mindset:

Improved Self-Esteem and Self-Awareness

Contenders with a growth mindset are confident in their abilities. They build on their basic skills to improve at whatever they do, whether it's perfecting their left hook during training or enhancing their presentation skills at work. With this confidence comes improved self-awareness and self-esteem.

Improved Relationships

Clients with a growth mindset always create the right environment for ideal relationships. How so? They're not scared to share their weaknesses, either past or present, and the things they did or are doing to work on them.

Thus, openness is the order of the day. Honesty creates a perfect atmosphere for healthy relationships. People value authenticity and realness.

See One-time Events for What They Are

When you lack a growth mindset, you can sometimes measure your self-worth based on a single event, such as a bad training session. With a growth mindset, you know that a single event doesn't define you and you go back and try again.

Appreciate Where You Are

One great feature of a contender with a growth mindset is the fact that they don't beat themselves up. They don't have to be great at something to do and enjoy it, especially if they're new to it. Since their focus is on appreciating where they are at right now, it becomes easier to learn new things.

Be the Greatest at Being You

Muhammad Ali's secret weapon in the ring wasn't his right jab or his left hook—it was his mind. He possessed a growth mindset, which made him a great contender. His iconic boxing career had a lot to do with his growth-oriented psychology.

The fight that made him famous was against Sonny Liston, who had all the strength, experience, physique, and punching power than the champ.

So how come Ali won the fight?

Ali came to the ring leading with his brains, not his brawn. The legendary boxer studied his opponent's weaknesses, how he thought, and his life in and outside the ring. He assessed Liston, accepted his own weaknesses, and played to his strengths.

When asked about the fight, Ali said he read everything about Sonny Liston, talked with people around him. Then, he gathered all the information and visualized the fight every night before he slept. Ali won the battle hundreds of times before stepping into the ring.

Your mind is the powerhouse of your life. Having a growth mindset will help you Become Unstoppable. Although there are challenges or setbacks you may face along the way—you'll continuously win from inside out.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a session with one of our unstoppable Gloveworx coaches.