Do you believe you can?

"If you believe you can or you can't - you are right." - Henry Ford

In her book "Mindset," author Carol Dweck divides people into two groups: those with a fixed mindset and those with a growth mindset. Those who believe in growth think that intelligence, abilities, and talents can be improved through effort and work. Those with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence, abilities, and talents are something we are born with, something that is given to us. The problem arises when we eventually encounter an obstacle that we cannot easily overcome. What then?

If we have a growth mindset, this is not a problem. We believe that we can learn things, that we can improve our abilities through effort, and eventually overcome the obstacle. But if we believe that our abilities are fixed, we will avoid the obstacle. Because if we can't overcome it, that means we're not capable enough. It means that others will see that we can't do it. Such an obstacle endangers our identity and status, so we avoid it. Phrases we often hear that indicate a fixed mindset may be: "No, I can't go to that college, it's for smart people," "Math isn't my thing," "I've never been much of a sports person." Often, however, we don't say these things out loud, but we believe them ourselves. That's why we close doors in our lives. We give up before we even try.

Thiat is the biggest tragedy of the fixed mindset. When we encounter a big enough obstacle in life, we give up. If we recognize the characteristics of a fixed mindset in ourselves, it's an excellent start to redirect our thinking to a growth mindset. But how? The first step is to recognize that we have a problem. If we have had this attitude all our lives, we can't change it overnight. Many small steps are needed.

First, win the easy battles. This is the leading principle of warfare that Sun Tzu writes about in the book "The Art of War." We can transfer this principle to our own lives. We need to find challenges that are still easy for us but still move us toward our growth goal. If we don't believe we can run five kilometers, we start by putting on our running shoes and leaving the house every day. When that becomes easy, we take a walk on the path we want to run someday. At first, we can walk a few hundred meters, then we start increasing the distance. When we get used to this walk and being outside regularly, we start running part of the way. At first, a small part, then more and more. When that becomes easy, we gradually increase the difficulty. In a few months, we can go from the belief that we can't run a few kilometers and sitting on the couch to achieving our goal. With this, we prove to ourselves that we are capable of growth. This self-confidence can then be transferred to other areas of life. If I can do this, what else can I do?

Exercise may be an example where people find it easiest to believe that change can happen. We see athletes training and becoming better and better. We know friends and family who didn't do sports before, but now regularly run or cycle. However, we rarely believe that we can improve our intelligence, our "smartness". But the same rules apply here. With regular training and trying new things, we can learn a lot.

Of course, it's very easy to type this, but actually doing it is another matter. However, with small steps, we can achieve big changes. Whoever chooses the beginning of the path chooses the place where the path leads.