Growth mindset and Blue Zones

Have you ever wondered why some people succeed yet some people who are equally talented do not? For years, Stanford University Professor Carol Dweck, a psychologist, studied this and concluded that people’s mindset plays a crucial role in this process.

What is a growth mindset and how does one develop it for success? This was the topic at the Philippine National Bank’s  (PNB) thanksgiving event held on March 7 in Citadines Hotel, Bacolod, presented by licensed psychologist and guidance counselor Rebecca Lanes, associate professor at Bacolod’s University of St. La Salle.

A growth mindset, as coined by Dr. Dweck, is “the belief that our abilities and intelligence grow and can be developed through dedication, hard work, and persistence. It therefore encourages resilience, adaptability, and a passion for learning, allowing individuals to thrive through life’s challenges.”

The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset, or when people believe that their abilities are set and can’t be changed — you either have it or you don’t, so there is no need to learn. Effort is looked at as a waste of time since it won’t change anything. Challenging situations are avoided and considered as threats. It is the belief that you are not in control of your abilities, and that you don’t need to learn and grow because you can’t. People with fixed mindsets focus on performance and how they look, only ensuring they don’t look bad. They fear failure because it makes them look bad, so they avoid challenges and become less resilient in the face of obstacles. They see no value in feedback, taking them personally and becoming defensive as they don’t believe in their capacity to grow.

Dr. Dweck said a growth mindset is a foundation for learning. The belief that you can grow is powerful and a concept that has helped many people. People with a growth mindset believe that their skills and abilities can grow and develop over time — thus, they focus on their efforts and the process to learn and be better. Mistakes are seen as learning opportunities, akin to John Maxwell’s “Failing Forward” philosophy. People with growth mindsets can embrace life’s challenges and take constructive criticism as steps to learn and improve.

Is a growth mindset important in business? Definitely! With the belief that abilities are built, people can focus on efforts to learn and grow. This matters as it allows people to embrace innovation and risk-taking and foster a culture of learning, development, adaptability, and resilience.

One can improve at any age. It’s good to start young and to believe that talents can be developed with hard work, good strategies, and practice. Remember, when we were toddlers, we fell many times but stood up again and again.

How can we develop a growth mindset? Ms. Lanes said there are four ways:

– Practice self-awareness, such as your strengths and weakness

– Emphasize effort and talent. You may have natural talent but if not exercised or developed, one with no natural talent can overtake you through regular practice.

– Seek feedback to improve and learn from mistakes.

– Take calculated risks and experiment.

Meanwhile, a day earlier at the PNB customer appreciation dinner held at Citadines Iloilo, we had Louie Tirador, former president of the Philippine Heart Association’s Western Visayas chapter and also a farmer and an entrepreneur as our guest speaker. He spoke about the Blue Zones, where people have exceptionally long lives, happy and healthy. These include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California. In these zones, local whole food diets, physical activity, good sleep, strong spiritual life and positive attitude and low stress play an important role. He also emphasized rich social interactions, family and friends’ support. The term Blue Zones was coined by Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Explorer and fellow and journalist.

The visit to Iloilo and Bacolod was informative, fruitful and fun. The PNB board and advisors met clients, renewed relationships with old friends and gained new ones, did some sightseeing and even had a whole day planning session. Thank you to the thorough preparations by PNB Marketing Head Jen Ng, PNB Branches Head Caloy Dimaano, PNB Corporate Secretary Atty. Pam Tanghal, and the support of the wonderful PNB staff in Iloilo led by Tracey Sio and in Bacolod by Russel Lau. We headed back home with our minds filled with good learnings, our hearts and spirits with joy, and our stomachs with Negros delicacies.

Let’s start to have a growth mindset and believe we can always learn and improve. Continuous lifelong learning is in. Let’s also start moving, walking, eat healthy, and start connecting with friends and family. Here’s to our health, continuous learning and a better tomorrow!

The views expressed herein are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of her office as well as FINEX.

Flor G. Tarriela is a banker and finance person by profession, an environmentalist, and a gardener and farmer.