What Golden Berries can teach us about the Growth Mindset
No matter what you decide to do in life or how unbelievably accomplished you might be, learning and growth are important professionally. After all, the world is an incredibly competitive place.
Whether you are an employee at a conglomerate, part of a small start-up, entrepreneur, medical professional, lawyer, teacher, student, service worker, or any other profession, the growth mindset will help you achieve your goals, remain ahead of the competition, and take tangible steps toward your desired career progression.
More broadly, though, I argue the growth mindset should be embraced on a personal level as well.
In every interaction in life, there is something to be learned and explored. Everyone has a unique perspective that brings its own distinctive value. While we expect to learn from mentors, elders, or supervisors, I would argue we should aim to learn from all of our encounters.
As a personal example, each time I see my wonderful nieces and nephews (aged 6-12), I leave with a new perspective and appreciation for something I had not considered previously. Children have a wonderful sense of curiosity, excitement, and raw emotion that gets dulled as they age. Regardless of their age, they teach me as much as I teach them.
The growth mindset can even be used in the way we eat, drink, consume entertainment, and interact with our communities.
Let’s use food as an example. We’re all guilty of having our “go-to” order when eating particular cuisines or at specific restaurants. Go ahead, think about your favorite restaurant—do you even need to look at the menu?
I’d bet you have a set of one to three dishes you choose from every single time. And while I understand the beauty of having this comfort food (I’m personally thinking of chicken-fried chicken at Cracker Barrel), I bet there is a plethora of other foods you would enjoy from that particular restaurant.
As I’ve embraced the growth mindset in my own life, I challenge myself to try new foods regularly.
Yes, even at restaurants I dine at frequently. I still get my soul-warming comfort dishes from time to time, but if I do, I also try to order an appetizer, side, or even a whole second entrée I’ve never tried before just to experience something new.
Hello, leftovers!
I won’t lie, this has led to me trying some seriously disgusting foods (I’m looking at you, golden berries), but it has also led to me discovering some truly remarkable and delightful dishes with uniquely delectable flavors and textures.
Don’t get me wrong, those comfort foods still have a special place in my heart, but because of my growth mindset in this instance, other delicious alternatives have also joined their ranks.
Note: Golden berries were absolutely terrible in my opinion. It was like a tart orange, a sweet blueberry, and a grape tomato all came together to create a diabolical concoction of all of their features. Sometimes tastes complement each other, but in this case, it was as symphony of nastiness. I’m still glad I tried them though :)
Growth Mindset Exercise:
Instructions: As you work to integrate the growth mindset into your daily routine, let’s build a plan to actively incorporate learning and development into your next week.
Did you attempt something new today or earlier in the week? If yes, what was it? How did you like it?
Can you think of a new food, drink, or activity that you would like to try? Is there something you can do tomorrow to help you get a step closer to trying it?