Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset – Which Are You?

This Simple Quiz Reveals Your Real Mindset

We all have a mindset – but most of us never stop to question what it is or how it’s shaping our lives.

Your mindset is the lens through which you view yourself, others, and the world. It influences how you respond to failure, how you handle criticism, how you approach challenges, and whether you believe growth is possible for you. In short, your mindset determines what you believe about your own potential.

Here’s the catch: most people are living out patterns based on unconscious beliefs. They’re stuck not because they can’t grow, but because they’ve been conditioned to believe they can’t. That’s where understanding your mindset becomes a game-changer. When you uncover the belief systems that are driving your thoughts and actions, you take back control of your direction.

What Exactly Is a Mindset?

A mindset is your mental filter – your beliefs about what you’re capable of. It’s not just how you feel on a good or bad day. It’s deeper than that.

There are two main types:

• A fixed mindset believes your abilities, intelligence, and personality are set. You either “have it” or you don’t.
• A growth mindset believes you can develop and improve with effort, practice, and time.

One keeps you stuck.
The other sets you free.

But before you assume which one you have – let’s test it.

Which Mindset Are You?

Let’s walk through some thoughts you may have had lately. Read each scenario, pause, and answer honestly.

1. When you fail at something, what’s your first thought?

• “I suck at this.”
• “That was rough – but I can figure it out.”

If you tend to judge your worth based on performance, that’s a fixed mindset creeping in. If you see failure as feedback, you’re growing.

2. When you see someone doing better than you, what do you feel?

• “I’ll never get there. They’re just more talented.”
• “They inspire me. I wonder what I could learn from them.”

Jealousy, comparison, and shame are signs you’re believing talent is fixed. Curiosity and motivation come from a growth-focused frame.

3. When things get hard, do you want to give up?

• “This is too hard. Maybe I’m not meant for this.”
• “This is tough – but challenges are part of the process.”

Avoiding discomfort is often tied to fear of failure. A growth mindset sees challenge as necessary, not threatening.

4. How do you respond to feedback?

• “I feel attacked – even if they’re trying to help.”
• “I don’t love criticism, but I want to improve.”

A fixed mindset sees feedback as personal. A growth mindset uses it as data, not a declaration of worth.

5. Do you believe people can really change?

• “Some people just are the way they are.”
• “We can all grow, even if it’s slow.”

This one’s big. Your belief about others often mirrors how you secretly see yourself.

What Your Answers Reveal

If most of your answers leaned toward:

• Doubt
• Fear of failure
• Avoidance
• Taking things personally

…you’re likely operating from a fixed mindset in some areas.

But if your answers leaned toward:

• Effort
• Curiosity
• Willingness to learn
• Openness to growth

…you’re developing or already living from a growth mindset.

Here’s the truth though: mindset isn’t black-or-white. You might have a growth mindset around your fitness, but a fixed one when it comes to relationships. Or maybe you’re open to learning professionally, but constantly beat yourself up emotionally. That’s normal. Mindsets aren’t all-or-nothing – they’re patterns. And patterns can be changed.

So, What Does This Mean for You?

Understanding your mindset is the first step toward changing your results.
Why? Because you act on what you believe.

If you believe you’re stuck, you won’t even try.
If you believe you’re capable of growth, you’ll keep going – even when it’s hard.

People with a growth mindset tend to:

• Take more risks (in a good way).
• Bounce back quicker after setbacks.
• Learn faster and improve more consistently.
• Build healthier relationships – with themselves and others.

And they aren’t magically more motivated. They’ve just chosen to see challenges differently.

How to Shift Your Mindset, One Thought at a Time

If you caught yourself in a fixed mindset today, good. That awareness is powerful. Here’s how to start shifting:

1. Notice your “I can’t” moments

Whenever you hear yourself say, “I can’t,” add the word yet.
“I can’t do this” becomes “I can’t do this yet.”
That single word cracks open the door to possibility.

2. Change how you talk to yourself

Instead of: “I failed again.”
Try: “That didn’t work – what can I try differently?”
The goal isn’t to avoid failure. It’s to fail forward.

3. Normalize discomfort

Growth feels awkward. Uncomfortable. Vulnerable.
That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong – it means you’re doing it right.

4. Surround yourself with growth-minded people

We mirror what we’re around. Get in rooms (online or off) where learning, effort, and growth are normal.

5. Track progress, not perfection

Don’t wait until you’ve “arrived” to feel proud.
Every mindset shift, every brave moment, every time you show up when it’s hard – that is the work.

Your mindset doesn’t just shape your goals – it shapes your standards, your boundaries, and how you respond when life pushes back.

A fixed mindset keeps you tied to past versions of yourself, convinced that change is for other people. But the truth is, you’re allowed to grow out of old beliefs. You’re allowed to stop playing small. Nothing will change until you believe it can – and that starts with shifting how you see yourself.

Adopting a growth mindset means choosing progress over perfection. It’s not about being fearless – it’s about moving forward despite the fear. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to be willing to do things differently. If this made you pause or look at yourself more honestly, good. That’s the start of something. Don’t ignore it. Lean into it. Growth begins the moment you stop running from it.