John Y’s Musings from the Middle: A Growth Mindset

Want to have a brighter future?

Here’s how.

Have a “Growth Mindset” –as opposed to a “Fixed Mindset.”Mindset is a simple idea discovered by Stanford professor, Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., in decades of research on motivation, achievement, and success.

Mindsets are beliefs individuals hold about their most basic qualities and abilities.In a Growth Mindset, people believe they can develop their brain, abilities, and talent.

This view creates a love for learning, a drive for growth and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishments.On the contrary, people with a Fixed Mindset believe their basic qualities, such as intelligence and abilities are fixed, and can’t be developed.

They also believe that talent alone creates success, and see effort as a sign of weakness rather than as a positive element of life needed to reach one’s full potential.

The diagram above shows how people with different views of intelligence behave in different situations.

(Thanks to Lee H. Baucom for teaching me about this theory and doing it in such a memorable and meaningful way).