Mike's Monday Message
Growth Mindset
Once You Stop Learning, You Start Dying - Albert Einstein
Growth Mindset - most likely you've heard the term because it has been around for some time, but do you really know what it's all about? It's based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can grow and strengthen through your efforts, strategies and help from others. That doesn't mean everyone can be a Thomas Edison or Beethoven. It does mean that a person's true potential is unknown and without hard work, and commitment we most likely will never know what we can accomplish or who we can become. I remember a time when I was struggling with some conflicts with another person that were real hard. I finally said to a wise friend, "You know, that's just who I am and if people can't accept that then too bad." She responded by saying, "Well, who you are can change." Ouch! I had a fixed mindset in that situation and she was pushing me to have a growth mindset. I needed that.
Failure - The First Step in Learning
Even in the growth mindset, failure can be a painful experience. But it doesn't define you. It's a problem to be faced, dealt with, and learned from. That inner critic can be so harsh though, can't it? Having awareness of how we are thinking is half the battle. Turning the failure into a growth experience is the other half.
Carol Dweck The power of believing that you can improve