“it’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.” ― Carol S. Dweck
In this day and age, we read a lot about mindsets. Particularly regarding competition, diversity, hospitality, and many others. Mindset has been defined as an established set of attitudes held by an individual. Of course, we could also say that groups, organizations, and families can adopt a mindset. These mindsets have the potential to define our future and our lives. That’s where Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success comes into play. Her research began with the premise there were two meanings for ability. The first is a fixed ability that must be proven and the second is a changeable ability that can be developed.
Dweck went on to develop her theory of two primary mindsets that guide the lives of most people in their work, play, and social lives. The first is the fixed mindset. That is the belief in fixed ability. This mindset seeks to demonstrate its superiority at every opportunity and tends to avoid challenges. The all-consuming goal is to prove themselves and affirm their value.
Conversely, the growth mindset believes ability can be developed. People with this mindset do not deny their gifts they have but see them as the starting point. It is the belief and practice of continual development and improvement. We all know the stories of people like Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, and Richard Branson. These individuals did not rely on the gifts they started with but continued to develop across their careers.
No matter where we are at this point in our lives, we can choose to pursue the growth mindset. We can choose to pursue changeable abilities. We may not have started where we wanted, but we absolutely do not have to end there.
“Success is about being your best self, not about being better than others; failure is an opportunity, not a condemnation; effort is the key to success.” ― Carol S. Dweck