Mindset

I recently read Mindset by Dr Carol Dweck, a highly influential book which differentiates between the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe their abilities, traits and intelligence are fixed and unchangeable. They don’t take up difficult tasks nor do they go out of their comfort zones in case they fail. They are always trying to prove their abilities, and failure is seen as a way of doing the exact opposite.

While the fixed mindset dreads challenges, growth mindset loves challenges. They believe that abilities, traits and intelligence can be developed through hardwork and determination. They aren’t fixed by birth and you can go out of your way to achieve the best possible. Failures aren’t seen as something negative, instead they are seen as a learning lesson.

This book has a lot of real life examples such as Thomas Edison and Michael Jordan. They have failed countless times but rather than being disheartened, they pushed through and reached the level they are at right now. This is because they had the growth mindset and never gave up.

To foster the growth mindset, it is necessary to praise efforts rather than someone’s abilities. Praising them by saying “You worked hard” instead of “You are so smart” makes a lot of difference. Viewing challenges as opportunities to grow and accepting constructive criticism gracefully makes the growth mindset flourish.

Reading this book and applying it into our day to day life helps one live a happier and better life, where one strives for betterment and looks at every challenge as positive, as something to be overcome and learned from.

Photo by Franciele da Silva on Unsplash