A Growth mindset
The term growth mindset is overused in the business world and it is indeed one of my trending hashtags # in Linkedin.
It can truly unleash or even create new superpowers, but alone, it’s not enough.
A growth mindset is a philosophy of life, it’s about turning challenges into opportunities, and scientific evidence shows that intelligence, talents and abilities don’t stop when we reach adulthood, so it has unlimited potential.
It really starts with having an open mindset, as by definition, we can’t grow something that is locked. But what does that mean? how do we open our mindset?
Self-awareness
The first step is to have self-awareness: by nature, humans find comfort in the familiarity of the things we like, the people that are “more like us” and the things we are good at. That’s our comfort zone.
However, in order to open our mindset, we have to deliberately create challenges to take us outside our comfort zone. Personally, I have applied this “open mindset” philosophy throughout my life and my career in very different contexts:
1) Moving to China
A the age of 23 I moved to China with a one-way ticket to learn about the culture, learn Chinese and start my career. I didn’t know a single person in China (this was 2003!) and it was challenging at first as I didn’t understand a word. It pushed me to think differently, to learn a foreign language and to understand why people do things differently. It really helped open my mindset and develop cultural agility. It also opened an amazing opportunity in my career: working at Apple!
2) Public speaking
Speaking to large crowds is intimidating for many, especially if you are more of an introvert like myself. I knew it was a critical skill to develop in the business world, and I decided to jump at every opportunity. I volunteered to speak at events and even accepted a job as the Director of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong that required me to speak on a stage in front of hundreds of people (even in Chinese!). I overcame my fear and I am now a Podcast speaker and have done multiple public speeches throughout my career. You can too!
3) Learning about the Metaverse
Instead of learning about things you are already good at or have some knowledge, try venturing into something completely different: a new language, developing an app, writing a book…when you force your brain into a new space, you are receiving an overload of stimulation that makes it grow and expand. No wonder learning a new language is the best remedy against Alzheimer! I recently started learning about the Metaverse, Web3.0 and NTF, a new world to me, and it really pushed my brain and my mind to think beyond.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to move to China, start talking on podcasts or learn about blockchain to open your mindset, but you do have to seek opportunities to challenge yourself and get exposure to what’s different and uncomfortable. That’s when you truly grow!
This is my story about unleashing my superpowers and I would love to hear yours!
