Last month, I watched a TED talk called “The power of believing that you can improve” by Carol Dweck. After which, I was inspired to read her book “Mindset: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential”.
According to Carol Dweck, every one of us have both a fixed mindset and a growth mindset within us.
A fixed mindset is the thinking that intelligence is static. This leads to a desire to look smart and therefore a tendency to avoid challenges, get defensive or give up early when facing obstacles, see effort as fruitless or a sign that they are not talented, ignore useful negative feedback, and feel threatened by the success of others. As a result, people with a strong fixed mindset plateau early and achieve less than their full potential.
A growth mindset is the thinking that intelligence can be developed. This leads to a desire to learn and therefore a tendency to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, see effort as the path to mastery, learn from criticism, and find lessons and inspiration in the success of others. As a result, people with a strong growth mindset reach ever higher levels of achievement.
I found the book to be slightly long-winded, but there were a couple of points mentioned that I felt were very meaningful. So, I am going to leave them here, in hope of inspiring you.
Continue reading “Have you heard of the growth mindset?”