Have you ever feared or tried to avoid feedback?

2 min read

 

When you are in a fixed mindset, everything feels like a test of your abilities. Feedback from other people — whether friends, family, coaches, colleagues, your teacher or your boss — feels like a judgment on whether you are good enough. This judgment is seen as a threat, not just to your pride, but your sense of worthiness, too. This makes feedback scary — something you would prefer to avoid. 

 

But it doesn’t have to be this way. We know that by taking a growth mindset — where you believe that with effort and strategy you can always learn, improve and grow — feedback feels completely different. When mistakes are seen as feedback for error correction rather than judgments they are no longer something to fear. Instead, they become something to seek out and embrace, because they give you the information you need to move towards your goals. 

 

Next time you feel like you have fallen short, or don’t want feedback, remember that your abilities aren’t fixed and feedback isn’t judgment. 

 

Embrace feedback to fuel your growth, it will move you towards where you want to go.