Why A Growth Mindset Is Best For Team Armijo
Once the boys created a website and YouTube channel, I felt it was important to give them resources to support their journey. One of the resources we decided on was Impact Theory University Business Track from Tom Bilyeu, which is a platform for entrepreneurs that feature modules that teach them important skills every step of the way. There are also live classes and live Q & A sessions with Tom.
Bilyeu caught my attention about 5 years ago when I started watching Impact Theory (originally called “Inside Quest”, as he was the creator of Quest Nutrition). I feel his main goal with the show is to teach every human that our potential is much greater than we initially think it is.
This concept has always resonated with the coach in me. I’ve always told my players that greatness is within all of us. It’s my responsibility to tap into that potential to achieve greatness as a team.
I try to model this behavior for my family. I am constantly thinking, “Remember, my actions speak so loudly it’s hard to hear the words coming out of my mouth!”
In one of my favorite episodes, Tom interviewed Carol Dweck (watch here). She is a famous professor from Stanford University who completed a study on what factors consistently contributed to student success over time.
Her conclusions were logical but not obvious. It starts with our beliefs and values. We either believe that we are born with a certain personality, talents and level of intelligence and there's nothing we can do about it OR we can develop, change and improve on our intelligence, personality and talents throughout our lives.
The idea that we could develop intelligence or create talents was a foreign concept to most. She proved that if we believe we can give effort towards a goal, we will improve and the more we improve the better we will be at any one skill.
There is neuroscience that shows that our brains are malleable. Our neurons have the ability to develop and adapt new skills if we are willing to put in the work. She called this a “fixed mindset” versus a “growth mindset”. The first step in the success in reaching your potential is having a growth mindset.
Individuals may not necessarily be aware of their own mindset. But their mindset can still be discerned based on their behavior. It is especially evident in their reaction to failure.
Fixed mindset individuals dread failure because it is a negative statement on their basic abilities, while growth mindset individuals don’t mind or fear failure as much because they realize their performance can be improved and learning comes from failure.
These two mindsets play an important role in all aspects of a person’s life.
After watching that episode with Dweck, and recognizing Tom’s belief in the value of a growth mindset, I have pushed my chips into the middle of his table. I have since watched the majority of episodes of Impact Theory and am using the fundamentals of a growth mindset to lead my family.
This growth mindset has helped me get through my life - the ups and downs, the good and bad that life has to offer. What I care about most is the TEAM ARMIJO has the same set of skills to help them get through their life.