MINDSET

Mindset

The word can mean a lot of things but in the context of this book it refers to a belief system about abilities, talent and skills. Examples are things like intelligence,athletic abilities(talent vs hard work?),leadership skills(leaders are born or made?),personal relationships(you are either good or bad?)etc

Some people think theses things are fixed you either have them or not or you can only improve them to a certain extent= FIXED MINDSET.

Other people think considerable effort and the right strategies can change/grow these abilities= GROWTH MINDSET.

For the sake of simplification you either have one of the two i.e the most dominant because if you closely examine you will find that depending on the subject being discussed our mindsets are always oscillating between between the two.And it being a belief system the one you have largely depend on how you act and not your knowledge and declarations about the the two ideas.

As you might know belief systems are like the building blocks of our character and how we react when faced with situations in life be they good or bad, encouraging or discouraging. I will briefly talk about the implications these mindsets might have in different areas of life.

1.Intelligence

One of the most controversial subjects of all time.Some people think you are either born a genius or you are not an some other people intelligence can greatly vary and improvements can be made to God only knows what the upper limit might be to that.Others are more moderate saying you can work hard but that can only take you as far(fixed mindset).Others think by employing different learning strategies we can improve(growth mindset). The challenge with the growth mindset is if you don’t perform well it is difficult to improve since you believe intelligence is a fixed trait like tongue rolling.It is equally a problem if you are a good performer because you might start avoiding challenging tasks so that you guard your “smart” status as such people always do not require much effort,it the repeatable story of the smart high school student who became overwhelmed with university and was barely holding.The growth mindset tries to find strategies to cop up with challenges and always find ways to improve.All in all it is evident that genes play a role but they are not everything as the environment is equally important and what you’ll notice is that despite the predispositions some intelligent people might have they are equally passionate about their fields are ready to put in considerable effort compared to the average person and if everyone did their very best no one knows how far we would go.

2.Sports and Leadership

Others might agree with the growth mindset on the intelligence front but think when it comes to sports nothing else will beat talent and same goes for leadership as the conventional wisdom says leaders are born and you can see it right from childhood except in a few cases.

In the fixed mindset camp people tend to rush they don’t have the talent so that they avoid the hard work that goes into improving skills because they are too afraid to fail and look like a clown. Even if you are truly talented having a fixed mindset puts at risk because anytime you encounter a setback it is like a reminder that maybe you were not talented after all and you will either find someone to blame or withdraw from further challenges to avoid being judged as the inferior.

On the hand if you have a growth mindset challenges are stepping stones to self improvement and you are satisfied if you know you gave your all in spite of the outcome. This is not to say you can do anything or that natural dispositions do not exist but it a message that don’t run away from challenges to avoid looking like the least talented and when you are talented you need to put in effort to maintain your performance otherwise when challenges arise you will withdraw and keep busking in past glory.

The same principles are applicable to leadership and creates the difference between good leaders and mere bosses.

3.Parenting and Teaching

Well even you are a fixed minded parent you are willing to take a leap of faith your children are the best at one thing or another. But the probability of having an exceptionally gifted child is equally low, so what is your approach when you find your child isn’t special according to your definitions?

It is better to treat children like they posses potential which they need to develop in all aspects and them being at a tender age they are still exploring the world and trying to see what interests them. Some people do actually believe in the growth mindset but just do lip service as they are the first to proclaim that their children are dumb and same goes for teachers.

It is also important for teachers and parents to watch the vocabulary they use when they praise their students and children. Example a child does gets extra ordinary results and the praise goes like “look at how you did that with no effort, you are so talented”. To some children that might mean that if they are talented then they do not need to put in more work as hard work is for the less talented and that will backfire when they go into a transition period and they need to just to put in more effort. This is also important also for children who are not performing well as labeling them will deter them to employing different learning strategies that will improve their abilities.

But stay alert as having the growth mindset is not identical to lowering standards as many children have fallen prey to the idea that they are okay the way they are and hence there is not need to work so hard to improve themselves and this becomes a problem when you are no longer a child as the world becomes less forgiving.

4.Relationships

What do you think about your ex?

For some it is visceral hate that they would sacrifice their own happiness to see this person?

For others they think they hard some good moments and bad ones equally but the whole thing taught them some lessons that have helped them become better people or at least not repeat the same mistakes?

I think by now you can guess which mindset is which.

There is a ton of relationship out there but in relation to mindset it is important to go into a relationship with a growth mindset and try to learn about the other person. There are theories that “with the right person things will just” but time and time again despite the chemistry it won’t be enough when there is turbulence and you just need time and effort to communicate effectively.

It also applies to friendships you need friends who are interested in your development not to shove you down or always try to prove they are better but they equally should not be too comfortable with everything you do.

In conclusion the mindset you adapt ripples through various aspects of your life and depending on the situation you can have different sets of mindsets in relation to different situations at hand.

Changing Mindsets

As with all change the first ingredient is knowledge so having a knowledge on the mindsets is a step forward as it will make you conscious of which one you are trying to adapt in a situation

The second part is the willingness to change or at least just improve especially in areas where your mindset has affected your life negatively: academics, career, business, relationships etc

And thirdly is to adopt a growth mindset to your resolution understanding that change will not happen overnight and trying with the best strategies at your disposal to make the whole process worthwhile.

My thoughts

The book is good read but when the author said her writing style is unorthodox I have now understood as personally I like narratives and she does not do a very good job at that as she narrates a plethora of stories which you can guess will relate to the two mindsets.

It also paints the world in black and white and despite her clarification that we are indeed a mixture there is a proclivity to duality throughout the book.

For all intents and purposes it is quite astounding for mindsets to be simplified to a belief system in a society that is trying to become too materialistic.

I wish you a great year ahead.

@Chungamu