When I first came to personal recovery in 1986 I had a very fixed mindset. This mindset was not only fixed; it was very self-destructive. I was looking through the lens of a person who was trapped by addictive behaviors that had the power to destroy me physically as it was emotionally, mentally and spiritually. In 1983 I was clinically diagnosed with an obsessive disorder. The prognosis was that I would not become well.
I ended up getting clean and sober in 1986 and life was going along fine. In 1993 I began to become stagnant and began to plateau and once again became fixed in my mindset. I was then introduced to and challenge by Principal Centered Leadership by Stephen Covey. This introduction into the Quality Movement suggested I needed to develop a new and expanding paradigm. I needed a new way of thinking that would cause me to Break with to Breakthrough.
It became necessary to let go of the Fixed Mindset by adopting a Growth Mindset. I fully embraced the notion that I could become anyone and do anything providing my thinking broke of the shackles of a failed mentality.
What Is Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset is simply the belief that our basic abilities can be developed and improved through dedication and hard work. It’s not so much that this belief is some kind of magic. It’s just that without a growth mindset, we don’t exert the required effort and so we remain perpetually stuck.
But with a growth mindset, we can break through the stuck-ness and achieve the results we desire, whether that be at work, in our relationships, or in other aspects of our lives.
Growth mindset means one embraces challenges, persists in the face of setbacks, takes responsibility for their words and actions, and acknowledges that effort is the path toward mastery. It is basically the reason why “practice makes perfect”.
By choosing to make the extra effort to build a growth mindset, you can make your mental processes to work for you, resulting in a greater likelihood that you get the results you’re looking for and live the life you want to live.
I know for me in my maturing life of recovery I have learned so much more by believing I could always grow from one level to another. I try to identify any fixed notion, challenge it and then determine the best way to move it to a growth mindset. If my choice is being in a fixed position or always ready to grow I will take growth any day.
Robert Pardon
Robert is the Recovery Guy. Getting clean and sober on April 25, 1986 has given me the insight and practical skill set to not only stay sober, but to also re-invent myself to the person I always wanted to become. Showing others how to do this is my life goal.
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