15 Real Examples Of Growth Mindset To Energize Your Life (For The 40+)
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Carl Bard
Learning and growth don’t stop with age; they evolve. As you move through life, for many over 40, the focus shifts from rapid career advancements to personal fulfillment, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of life’s possibilities.
Whether it’s learning a new skill, pursuing a long-held dream, or simply finding joy in continuous self-improvement, real-life examples of growth mindset can inspire and guide you in taking up the opportunities that each stage of life offers.
Embracing a mindset that thrives on growth, even in later years, can lead to new experiences and renewed passions. Here in this post are some simple growth mindset examples that can make a difference in your life.
Table of Contents
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on them, we may earn some commissions.
How To Cultivate An Unshakable Growth Mindset In Midlife
Have you ever stopped to introspect on the kind of mindset you have? Your life beyond your 40s is the second stage of your life.
It’s time to reflect on your life until now, and you need to understand the nitty-gritty of your mind to make the necessary changes for growth in the next chapter of your life.
Do you believe that intelligence, creativity, and other abilities can be developed through hard work, dedication, and practice?
If yes, it means you belong to a group of people with a growth mindset. You understand that life skills are not fixed but can increase with effort. If there is something in life you want to achieve, time and age will not be a barrier for you if you have a growth mindset.
This is the opposite of a person who typically has a fixed mindset and feels that talents or abilities are innate and cannot change. It can be summed up as “I am what I am.”
On the other hand, people with a growth mindset believe they can do anything if they put in the necessary work. This includes learning a new art or skill and developing their intelligence.
This belief is at the heart of the work, practice, and habits that allow you to grow as a person, irrespective of your age.
The concept of growth mindset was floated by Stanford professor Carol Dweck, who wrote the book “The Growth Mindset: How A New Psychology Can Help You Reach Your Potential.”
If you feel that all this while you have been stuck in a fixed mindset, no worries. With the correct strategies and correct mindset, you can make the necessary amends. All you need is to make the shift from your limiting beliefs to a progressive mindset.
Here Are Four Steps For Cultivating An Unshakable Growth Mindset
- Embrace challenges and setbacks.
- Look for learning opportunities in everything you do.
- Be open to feedback and criticism.
- Practice gratitude and celebrate your progress along the way.
Pause to self-reflect on your mindset and ascertain whether you need to make some changes to it. If you lack the necessary motivation to do so, please read our blog post on 15 Proven Tactics Of How To Get Motivation Back In Life (For The 40+)
Growth Mindset As The Key To A Successful Life After 40
Some people are born with growth mindsets, while others have to cultivate them. The good news is that you can learn how to cultivate an unshakable growth mindset even in your midlife.
The first step is to recognize that your mindset is the key to your success. Your thoughts and beliefs will determine whether you’re able to achieve your goals. Many people give up on their dreams as they feel they have crossed the age at which they can fulfill their dreams.
You can achieve all your dreams whatever your age. All you need is a growth mindset that will push you to achieve new heights of success.
Did you read the story of 58-year-old table tennis player Tania Zeng who made her debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics? If you master your mindset your life will have no limitations.
Next, you need to start believing in yourself and your abilities. You also need to be open-minded about the possibility of failure and learn from it so you can use it as a stepping stone toward success.
Finally, focus on what’s possible instead of what’s impossible. Keep this in mind – “You may not be able to control all the events that happen around you, but you can control the way those events affect you.”
A growth mindset is one of the most important things you can cultivate in your life. It’s the belief that you can always grow and improve, no matter where you are in life.
The following are some examples of how a growth mindset can be beneficial to you :
- It helps you recognize when you need help from others.
- It motivates learning and practicing.
- It helps you take on new challenges and learn from mistakes.
Journaling is a great habit to understand your mind and make a new beginning. Download The Daily Journal we have designed for you using the templates at Creative Fabrica.
Examples Of Growth Mindsets Of Famous People To Inspire You
Examples of growth mindset show that skill sets can be honed. A growth mindset means and believes that intelligence can be enhanced. This theory has been backed up by research and has been adopted by many famous people.
Here are some examples of growth mindsets in the lives of famous people that you can use as an inspiration to make a fresh start in your 40s and beyond.
Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, and Maya Angelou are all examples of successful people who have a growth mindset.
They have overcome difficult obstacles and achieved great things because they believe that they are responsible for their own life. They believe that they are the masters of their destiny.
Oprah Winfrey is an excellent example of a person with a growth mindset. She has faced many challenges in her life, but she has always overcome them.
She is always learning and growing, and she is an inspiration to others. You can all learn from her example and not let your limitations in life be a hindrance and adopt a growth mindset in your own life to achieve success.
J.K. Rowling is another great example of someone with a growth mindset. She didn’t let her difficult childhood stop her from becoming one of the most successful authors of all time.
Even when she was rejected by dozens of publishers, she didn’t give up and eventually found someone who believed in her. Her story is an inspiration to everyone who has ever faced difficulties in their lives.
Maya Angelou is a renowned poet, memoirist writer, and civil rights activist who overcame many hurdles in her life. She grew up in a time and place where Black people were discriminated against.
Yet she rose to become one of the most influential voices of her generation. She is an excellent example of a person with a growth mindset who defied all odds to get what she wanted out of her life
Angelou didn’t let her difficult childhood stop her from becoming one of the most successful and respected people in the world. She is proof that with hard work and determination, anyone can overcome difficulties and achieve their goals.
A growth mindset is not just a good way to enhance your intellect, but it can also help you discover your talents. The reason is that once you start believing that you can get better at something, then you are more likely to keep practicing it and improving.
15 Ways To Change Your Growth Mindset Beliefs In Life After 40
Your growth mindset beliefs have a powerful impact on your behavior and whether you ultimately achieve all that you want in your life.
The belief that your abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching, and persistence—is critical to achieving success in work and life.
Below is a checklist of the qualities people with a growth mindset possess. Analyze your mindset vis a vis people with growth mindsets and make the necessary changes in your way of life for a glorious second chapter!!
Take Risks: People with a growth mindset are more likely to take risks. This means that they are not afraid to fail, so they are more likely to try new things.
Improve With Time: People with a growth mindset believe in their ability to improve over time. They are aware that mistakes do happen, but it’s important to not let them demoralize you.
Believe In Putting Effort: They understand the importance of effort in achieving success but also know the importance of luck or chance in getting there.
Believe In Themselves: They believe in themselves even when others don’t believe in them. They know the value of believing in themselves and their abilities, no matter what others say or think about them. They pay attention to the bigger picture.
Know The Importance Of Persistence: They do not let failure stop them from trying again and again until they succeed. They understand the need for encouragement to keep going. They know the importance of persisting through failure and the value of trying several times before succeeding or giving up.
Continuously Move Forward: They believe that it is not their final destination that matters. What matters is that they are continuously moving forward. They also understand how important persistence and diligence can be in a competitive society.
Try New Things: People with a growth mindset believe that people are capable of anything. They are willing to try new things and be creative. They are not afraid to give it an attempt and see what happens, even if they know it might not work out in the end.
Like Challenges In Life: They like taking on challenges and opportunities. They see these opportunities as something to learn from. They realize the importance of considering failure as a part of life.
Are Focused: The eighth example of a growth mindset is that after accomplishing one goal, they look for new challenges to keep them interested. They do not lose interest and focus before any project comes to a fruitful conclusion.
Problem-Solving Approach: The ninth example of growth mindset is that such people have a problem-solving approach because they know there are always hurdles in life that they need to overcome.
Set Realistic Goals: They set goals that are appropriate for them, and they have an understanding of the time they might need to complete their goal.
Learn From Mistakes: The eleventh example is that people with a growth mindset believe in perseverance. They don’t give up easily when they have difficulties or setbacks. They also believe in allowing others to learn from their mistakes. They appreciate constructive criticism and learn from it.
Have A Plan: The twelfth example is that people with a growth mindset know the strategies and tools to use to achieve a goal.
Are Optimistic People with a growth mindset are optimistic. They have the attitude of the glass being half full rather than the glass being half empty!!
Challenge Themselves: They also challenge themselves to be their best selves every day. They take life as it comes and do their best in any given situation.
How many of these characteristics do you have and what do you need to improvise in your life today to develop a growth mindset!! Sit down with a notebook and analyze it for yourself.
Examples Of Growth Mindset In Everyday Life
A growth mindset means believing in yourself. Its application in your day-to-day life is the starting point towards your journey of personal development.
You can find many examples of growth mindset in your day-to-day life. With years of experience behind you, all you need to do is learn from those experiences in life to build a growth mindset.
How many times have you had to deal with a difficult situation in your daily life? You may feel like you are stuck and can’t move forward. Yet, if you have a growth mindset, you will find a solution and grow from the experience.
Another example is when you have been struggling with an assignment or project for a long time and you finally figure it out by yourself. You now feel confident and accomplished because you were able to work through your problem.
Another example of growth mindset in everyday life is when you are learning something new. If you have the right mindset, you keep getting better at it and enjoy the process of learning.
Another example would be when you are not good at something, but instead of getting upset about it, you try to work harder and improve your skills. This way, the same task gets easier over time.
When I started this blog, I had to acquire new skills. Apart from setting up the blog, which involved tech skills, I also needed to learn about content writing, growing traffic to my blog, and many other nuances.
There were moments when I felt like giving up, but with the help of a growth mindset, I have been able to overcome the odds.
In this, I have had the support of my blogging friends from the PIPs community and my mentor, Sadie Smilie, who has one of the best life examples of a growth mindset you can get to interact with.
I took up the various courses she has created, which help beginners and pros learn all about how to blog and build a passive income, which is so important in today’s life, especially for people over the age of 40.
Growth Mindset Vs Fixed Mindset
If you want to understand the difference between the two mindsets better, imagine that you have enrolled yourself in an online course.
The person teaching the course is expected to be knowledgeable and honest, while students enrolled in the course are expected to ask questions and work hard.
But what happens when people involved in the course do not have a growth mindset? They forget that they can ask questions and interact to get the most out of the course.
They don’t want to ask questions because they think the information will come easily. For example:
- A student leaves the class and doesn’t ask a question because he doesn’t want to seem ignorant or is not interested in the material.
- A student is assigned to do an assignment but doesn’t do it because he thinks it will just come naturally to him or he assumes that it is too easy for him.
In both of these examples, the student enrolled in the course is not taking responsibility for his actions and is assuming that things will just come easily.
Opposed to this is a student with a growth mindset who is encouraged to ask questions and works hard to figure out what she needs to do to succeed.
Whether you choose to be proactive or otherwise will hugely depend upon how you typically talk to yourself and the steps you take to progress in life.
Imagine you keep telling yourself, “I’m really bad at this.” You then sigh and continue to do the task at hand. You repeat these words to yourself or use these words as a form of negative self-talk when you feel discouraged.
Yet, when you tell yourself that you’re bad at something, your brain begins to believe it’s true. There are two ways your mind will interpret this type of self-talk:
- Negative: Your brain will believe that you’re bad at the task. This causes your performance to decline even more because it’s now convinced that it can’t succeed. (Example of Fixed mindset)
- Positive: Your brain will interpret this as a challenge because it already believes that it is capable of overcoming obstacles despite what it has been told about its capabilities. (Example of Growth Mindset)
Best Practices For Developing The Growth Mindset In Yourself And Others Via 3 Crucial Steps In Your 40s And Beyond
We have seen that the growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be honed and that intelligence and talent are not fixed traits.
The following steps can help you develop a positive and growth mindset in your life and help you accomplish the purpose of your life.
- The first step to developing a growth mindset is understanding that the brain is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger and more capable it becomes.
- The second step to developing a growth mindset is understanding that there are no limits to what you can learn.
- Finally, embrace challenges and be open to feedback. This will help you develop your skills and grow your intelligence over time.
Examples of Growth Mindset: Key Takeaways
People with a growth mindset believe that their skills are malleable, and they never give up when they face challenges. It’s important to understand this because it’s a key factor in achieving success, especially in your life after the forties.
To develop a growth mindset, it’s important to:
- Believe in the power of practice
- Focus on learning new skills and developing your strengths
- Find meaning in setbacks
The benefits of having a growth mindset are huge. It can help you to overcome any obstacle and it can also help you to improve yourself.
Having a growth mindset is not the same as being egotistical because you want to be better than everyone else. It’s more about wanting to improve yourself and working hard to reach your goals.
The first thing that people with a growth mindset will do is accept that they are not perfect, but this doesn’t mean that they will stop trying their best. They will take on challenges and try new things to improve themselves and grow in their skill set.
Growth Mindset Quotes and Books are other great sources and tools to harness a growth mindset. You may also read our blog post on Savage Growth Mindset Quotes and the 10 Best Books About Growth Mindset.
IF YOU ENJOYED READING THIS POST, PLEASE PIN ONE OF THESE IMAGES BELOW!
I will be grateful for your kind gesture. Thank you!
