What is a successful mindset? How much does your mindset impact your success?

It turns out, quite a lot.

According to decades of research on achievement and success by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, your mindset shapes your goals, your attitude towards work and relationships, and ultimately determines how much you achieve.

There are two types of mindset. The Fixed mindset believes that talents and abilities are inborn and don’t change. You’re either intelligent or you’re not, you’re a leader or you’re not, and you have to have all the answers.

At the opposite end is the Growth mindset, with the belief that talents and abilities are nurtured and developed over time. This view sees skill gaps as opportunities to learn, not as shortcomings.

So which mindset do you have? Not sure? You can test it here

Here’s how you can build your mindset for success.

1 Exercise the muscle that is your brain

Your brain and intelligence are not fixed – they both expand when you learn! Practice is key to learning, just like training your muscles to get stronger at the gym.

The harder you work at something the better you’ll be at it. Your efforts are rewarded by growing new connections in the area of our brain responsible for learning that particular ‘thing’. Don’t shy away from failure; turn it into your drive to do it better through practice.

2 Learn and challenge your ability

The brain grows more cells and connections as you learn. Stretch yourself to explore new information, learn new concepts and practice skills. Use mistakes as feedback for you to grow further, faults as a challenge to be a better person, and be curious as a means to understand more.

3 Seek out new things

Once you initiate the learning and open up new connections in your brain, the easier it gets to make new ones. Brain growth is all about active learning through practice. Volunteer for projects you have little knowledge of, put yourself in new environments – you are never too old to learn and develop your brain!

Use these simple tips to tune your mindset and train your brain for growth.