Ian Bowen positive persistence

Fixed vs Growth: How One Simple Shift Changes Everything

July 28, 20252 min read

Some people stay stuck. Others keep moving forward.
The difference is not talent. It is mindset.

How you think about your abilities, challenges, and mistakes shapes everything—your results, your relationships, your confidence.

If you want to grow in life or work, you need to understand this one thing.
You are either operating with a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.
And the shift between the two can change your life.

Fixed vs Growth: How One Simple Shift Changes Everything

What Is a Fixed Mindset

A fixed mindset believes your intelligence, talent, and potential are set in stone.
You are either good at something or you are not. You either have it or you do not.

This mindset says

  • I am just not a creative person

  • I am bad at math

  • I will never be a leader

  • I failed, so I must not be good enough

It avoids hard things. It fears failure. It stays in the comfort zone.
Why? Because every challenge feels like a test you are afraid to fail.


What Is a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset believes you can learn and improve with effort, feedback, and time.
You are not stuck with what you were born with. You can build it.

This mindset says

  • I do not know this yet, but I can learn

  • That did not work, but now I know what to try next

  • Failure is feedback

  • The more I practice, the better I get

It welcomes challenge. It leans into discomfort. It sees effort as the path forward.


Why It Matters

Your mindset shapes how you handle stress, take risks, deal with failure, and chase growth.

Fixed mindset keeps you small

  • You avoid trying new things

  • You fear feedback

  • You take failure personally

Growth mindset sets you free

  • You take action even when it is hard

  • You learn from every setback

  • You stop tying your worth to your wins

And when your mindset shifts, everything shifts with it—how you lead, how you learn, how you live.


How to Shift Your Mindset

You do not have to be stuck with the mindset you have now.
You can train your brain to think differently.

Start here

  • Catch fixed thoughts like “I cannot do this” and reframe them

  • Add the word yet to your language: I cannot do this yet

  • Look at mistakes as data, not drama

  • Surround yourself with people who believe in growth too

This is not just mindset work. This is identity work.


Final Thoughts

You are not broken. You are just using an old mindset.

Growth is available the moment you stop asking Am I good enough and start asking How can I get better

You do not have to have all the answers
You just need to believe they are possible


Ready to make the mindset shift that unlocks everything else
Let us build it together—step by step, one belief at a time.
👉
Book your free coaching call here

Ian Bowen is the founder of Positive Persistence, a platform dedicated to helping individuals embrace challenges, celebrate their wins, and build a mindset for success. With a passion for personal development and resilience, Ian shares actionable strategies and motivational insights to inspire readers to persist through adversity and achieve their goals. Drawing from his own journey of overcoming obstacles, Ian empowers others to see the strength within themselves and live with purpose. When not writing, Ian enjoys coaching individuals and groups on how to make their greatest comeback from setbacks in life and fostering meaningful connections within the Positive Persistence community.

Ian Bowen

Ian Bowen is the founder of Positive Persistence, a platform dedicated to helping individuals embrace challenges, celebrate their wins, and build a mindset for success. With a passion for personal development and resilience, Ian shares actionable strategies and motivational insights to inspire readers to persist through adversity and achieve their goals. Drawing from his own journey of overcoming obstacles, Ian empowers others to see the strength within themselves and live with purpose. When not writing, Ian enjoys coaching individuals and groups on how to make their greatest comeback from setbacks in life and fostering meaningful connections within the Positive Persistence community.

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