I really bit off more than I could chew in trying to review this rare and powerful book Mindset by Carol Dweck in a couple days! The three main points I hope we can all take away are:
(1) Which Mindset do you have- Fixed or Growth?
(2) How does that affect all the areas of my life?
(3) How can I change my Mindset?
What exactly is a Mindset anyway? I could try to explain it, but the Mindset website says it so well, I'll just share what it says:
"Mindset explains:
* Why brains and talent don’t bring success
* How they can stand in the way of it
* Why praising brains and talent doesn’t foster self-esteem and accomplishment, but jeopardizes them
* How teaching a simple idea about the brain raises grades and productivity
* What all great CEOs, parents, teachers, athletes know
Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck in decades of research on achievement and success—a simple idea that makes all the difference.
In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong.
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities."
Which Mindset do you have? You can take a quick test right here to find out!
While I have considered myself a growth mindset person, as I read the book, I realized that is not the case in all areas of my life. There are areas like art and math that I was told I was terrible at, and always believed that, never making an effort. I just thought those were talents or areas people were just naturally smart or good or not. I didn't realize that if I made the effort to really learn, I could be good at those things too.
One of the best examples in the book, as far as illustrating the growth vs. fixed mindset, was the story of Michael Jordan. We all think of him as the most naturally talented player in basketball history. That is not the truth of it. He was cut from his high school varsity team, wasn't recruited by the college he wanted to play for, nor was he chosen by the first two NBA teams that could have selected him. When he was cut from the varsity team, his mother told him to "go back and discipline himself". He took her words to heart.
His work ethic became unparalleled. He would leave home at 6 AM to go practice before school. When he played college ball, he was constantly working on his weakenesses, staying after lost games to work on his shots, even at the end of the season in preparation for the next one. John Bach, former Bulls assistant coach called Jordan, " a genius who constantly wants to upgrade his genius."
Michael Jordan understood that success came from more than talent- it came from effort and practice, from heart and character. He said once, " The mental toughness and the heart are a lot stronger than some of the physical advantages you might have. I've always said that, and I've always believed that."
Having talent is almost worse than not having talent, because when you are not as talented (pretty, smart, rich, etc.) you have to work twice as hard.
The key is in the right mindset and the willingness to make the effort to grow.
You may find yourself saying, my mindset has been holding me back not only financially, but in many areas of life. Maybe you would like to change your mindset. We'll talk more about that tomorrow, as we go through the steps to change your mindset.
Comments (1)
Great job with your reviews of this book. I started a blog dedicated to this Mindset topic. Check it out at growth.weebly.com
Posted by Adam | September 29, 2007 7:12 PM
Posted on September 29, 2007 19:12