Recently we had given a mindset workshop to a group of engineers who were participating in Engineering Warriors Training® (EWT). We constantly seek to strengthen our training process, where learning is not only technical, but we also aim to provide tools that enrich the engineer’s personal and professional life.

We found in the book “Mindset, The New Psychology of Success” of Carol Dweck PhD, that by cultivating a growth mindset the person becomes more open to learn through new experiences; instead of being intimidated by a new situation or something that may be considered difficult, the engineers (people like you and me) will feel attracted and interested, so that they are willing to try harder than they would normally do to overcome the challenge.

People with this type of mindset are excited when they face a problem or something unknown; this is seen not even as something negative but as an opportunity to grow and learn. They have greater resilience and therefore greater perseverance.

We may think that someone that has born with this mindset has a great advantage over others; however, in Carol’s proposal she shares that mindset is something that can be trained, just as you train your body for a marathon or for any sport.

The “growth mindset” is a choice on how to see the challenges that arise in your life: you can see them as big stones that stop your progress, or as learning bridges through which you will have to stretch your capacity and once reaching the other side you will be stronger and bigger than before.

A strategy to cultivate the “Growth mindset” is known as “The power of yet”, this is the power of believing that you can improve. Just by putting the word “YET” before any of your thoughts about your ability to solve something, this way you will open the possibilities for yourself, accepting that you are in a process of growth and learning, from which you will come out bigger than how you began.

Small changes that we make in the way we see professional and life challenges, will open us up to greater possibilities and better results.