We live in “the age of information”, but it might be more accurate to call it the age of confusion.
Especially with the advent of the internet, there is so much new information bombarding us each day that the very meaning of words like “truth” and “facts” are being obfuscated.
With special thanks to the mainstream media, we are losing the thread of what objective truth really means in favour of spoon-fed “alternative facts”.
In the relentless pursuit of Feeling Good, we have invented a different shade of rose-colored glasses for everyone, so that if we do glimpse the naked truth, we tend to avert our eyes and look upon something, anything, more pleasant.
How are we to continue growing and learning, when we feel suspicious of the sources of intellectual nourishment we are being offered?
For me, the answer comes down to consciously choosing a growth mindset over a fixed mindset.
What’s the difference? Someone with a growth mindset is open to change and criticism, and knows that even the most solid beliefs and structures still have room for growth, change, and improvement. It requires having the humility to admit that you might have been incorrect or misled before, embracing self-responsibility, and learning from the past.
A fixed mindset suggests someone who tends to take things at face value, and sees people, beliefs, and situations as static and unchanging. It tends to involve someone who wants to minimize risk by primarily working with what’s “known”, without leaving much room for the potential to change your mind as you learn and experience new things.
Approaching things with a fixed mindset is not always a bad strategy – but it can make you myopic if you’re never willing to think outside the box.
Fixed Mindsets Decay Over Time
When we feel threatened, it might seem like relying on traditional knowledge is playing it safe – but when we do this, we cut ourselves off from welcoming in new information. When we do this, we’re thwarting growth, and we eventually settle into stagnant patterns of thought.
For better or worse, we’re finally awakening to the reality that there is no such thing as “settled science”. We’re starting to accept the fact that “scientific truth” is an ever-evolving concept that morphs as we discover new things. New information may be critically important to understanding the overall landscape of truth.
Remaining open to growth and change may feel scary during uncertain times, and it’s not uncommon for our default response to be to cling to what feels certain, familiar, and reliable.
However, when we consciously choose to remain open to alternative possibilities, we give ourselves the gift of humility, and we can rest in the awareness that an ideal solution to our troubles may yet show up – we simply haven’t discovered it yet.
The idea that there are things we don’t even know we don’t know can definitely feel a bit overwhelming at times. The world may feel staggeringly large, but it also feels so much more hopeful when we can embrace a growth mindset.
The Quiet Strength of Flexibility
When I was training in midwifery, we would talk about the incredible strength of labouring women. A beautiful poem about pregnancy and labour begins, I am a willow tree, strong yet fluid…It goes on to espouse that while the Willow tree may appear delicate and fragile, its greatest strength is made evident by its ability to withstand extreme weather.
While the branches of mighty Oaks are rigid and firm, they often snap in high winds and heavy rains. Meanwhile, the fluid, flexible Willow is protected by its ability to bend and change with the storm.
The Willow’s greatest strength is found in its ability to be flexible, to shift and change.
I believe that we are being invited, collectively, to show strength like the Willow, because we are in the midst of a storm that’s been brewing for centuries…and fixed beliefs can be a liability in such volatile times.
Living by a set of rules might be efficient, but it may also create a too-tight cage for your heart.
Sometimes, the fixed beliefs we create to protect ourselves can end up crippling our empathy and foresight in the long run.
When a situation calls for vulnerability, empathy, and the humility to admit that perhaps we’ve been wrong–embracing the strength of flexibility, like the Willow, can help us to grow and change.
A Growth Mindset Requires Vulnerability
Embracing a growth mindset means that you’re willing to revisit new information, even when it’s inconvenient…or embarrassing. It takes vulnerability to admit the possibility that you’ve been mistaken, and are now seeking to re-learn and even rectify any harm you may have caused.
In a culture that feeds on decisiveness and snap-judgments, the pressure to be certain can be immense. It takes strength of character to reject the notion that if you change your mind, you’re flaky or incongruent. In the age of (mis)information, it’s powerful to acknowledge that there’s always more to learn, explore, and reflect upon.
Sometimes, our greatest strength is found in our ability to ebb and flow with the winds of change, instead of raging against them with fury.
When we shift into a growth mindset, we invite truth and awareness to show up for us in ways that we could never have imagined–and this emerges as one of the great gifts of times of uncertainty.
