Mindset

Question 1

Think about your hero.

Answer 1

Do you think of this person as someone with extraordinary abilities who achieved with little effort? Now go find out the truth. Find out the tremendous effort that went into their accomplishment—and admire them more.

Question 2

Think of times other people outdid you and you just assumed they were smarter or more talented.

Answer 2

Now consider the idea that they just used better strategies, taught themselves more, practiced harder, and worked their way through obstacles. You can do that, too, if you want to.

Question 3

Are there situations where you get stupid—where you disengage your intelligence?

Answer 3

Next time you’re in one of those situations, get“yourself into a growth mindset—think about learning and improvement, not judgment—and hook it back up.

Question 4

More than half of our society belongs to a negatively stereotyped group.

Answer 4

First you have all the women, and then you have all the other groups who are not supposed to be good at something or other. Give them the gift of the growth mindset. Create an environment that teaches the growth mindset to the adults and children in your life, especially the ones who are targets of negative stereotypes. Even when the negative label comes along, they’ll remain in charge of their learning.”

Question 5

Mindsets frame the running account that’s taking place in people’s heads

Answer 5

They guide the whole interpretation process. The fixed mindset creates an internal monologue that is focused on judging: “This means I’m a loser.” “This means I’m a better person than they are.” “This means I’m a bad husband.” “This means my partner is selfish.”

People with a growth mindset are also constantly monitoring what’s going on, but their internal monologue is not about judging themselves and others in this way. Certainly they’re sensitive to positive and negative information, but they’re“attuned to its implications for learning and constructive action: What can I learn from this? How can I improve? How can I help my partner do this better?”

Question 6

Even worse, since I was taking more risks, I might look back over the day and see all the mistakes and setbacks

Answer 6

And feel miserable.
What’s more, it’s not as though the fixed mindset wants to leave gracefully. If the fixed mindset has been controlling your internal monologue, it can say some pretty strong things to you when it sees those counters at zero: “You’re nothing.”

Question 7

Every day people plan to do difficult things, but they don’t do them

Answer 7

They think, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” and they swear to themselves that they’ll follow through the next day.

Question 8

Vowing, even Intense Vowing–

Answer 8

is often useless. The next day comes and the next day goes.
What works is making a vivid, concrete plan: “Tomorrow during my break, I’ll get a cup of tea, close the door to my office, and call the graduate school.” Or, in another case: “On Wednesday morning, right after I get up and brush my teeth, I’ll sit at my desk and start writing my report.”

Question 9

Think of something you need to do, something you want to learn, or a problem you have to confront. What is it?

Answer 9

Now Make a Concrete Plan to Achieve it.
When will you follow through on your plan? Where will you do it? How will you do it? Think about it in vivid detail.
These concrete plans—plans you can visualize—about when, where, and how you are going to do something lead to really high levels of follow-through, which, of course, ups the chances of success.
So the idea is not only to make a growth-mindset plan, but also to visualize, in a concrete way how you’re going to carry it out

Question 10

Critical to Make a Concrete, Growth Oriented Plan

Answer 10

And stick to it no matter what. be stubborn in clinging to it.
The worse they felt, the more they did the constructive thing. The less they felt like it, the more they made themselves do it.

Question 11

The ones with the fixed-mindset thought: “If I have ability, I’ll do well; if I don’t, I won’t.”

Answer 11

As a result, they didn’t use sophisticated strategies to help themselves. They just studied in an earnest but superficial way and hoped for the best.

Question 12

people in a growth mindset don’t merely make New Year’s resolutions and wait to see if they stick to them.

Answer 12

They understand that to diet, they need to plan. They may need to keep desserts out of the house. Or think in advance about what to order in restaurants. Or schedule a once-a-week splurge. Or consider exercising more.
They think actively about maintenance. What habits must they develop to continue the gains they’ve achieved?”

Question 13

“Then there are the setbacks. They know that setbacks will happen.

Answer 13

So instead of beating themselves up, they ask: “What can I learn from this? What will I do next time when I’m in this situation?” It’s a learning process—not a battle between the bad you and the good you.”

Question 14

When people drop the good–bad, strong–weak thinking that grows out of the fixed mindset

Answer 14

they’re better able to learn useful strategies that help with self-control. Every lapse doesn’t spell doom. It’s like anything else in the growth mindset. It’s a reminder that you’re an unfinished human being and a clue to how to do it better next time.”

Question 15

“It’s amazing—once a problem improves,

Answer 15

people often stop doing what caused it to improve. Once you feel better, you stop taking your medicine.
But change doesn’t work that way. When you’ve lost weight, the issue doesn’t go away.

Question 16

When Peoplechange to a growth mindset, they change from a judge-and-be-judged framework

Answer 16

to a learn-and-help-learn framework. Their commitment is to growth, and growth takes plenty of time, effort, and mutual support.”

Question 17

Regardless of how bad you may feel, do it!

Answer 17

And when you succeed, don’t forget to ask yourself:

What do I have to do to maintain and continue the growth?”

Question 18

that the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. It can determine whether you become the person you want to be and whether you accomplish the things you value. How does this happen?

Answer 18

Believing that your qualities are carved in stone—the fixed mindset—creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character—well, then you’d better prove that“you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldn’t do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characteristics.”

Question 19

This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way—in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments—everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

Answer 19

they believe that a person’s true potential is unknown (and unknowable); that it’s impossible to foresee what can be accomplished with years of passion, toil, and training.
Did you know that Darwin and Tolstoy were considered ordinary children?”

Question 20

You can see how the belief that cherished qualities can be developed creates a passion for learning. Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better? Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them?

Answer 20

why seek out the tried a“nd true, instead of experiences that will stretch you? The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”

Question 21

those with the fixed mindset who accounted for almost all the inaccuracy in estimating their own abilities

Answer 21

The people with the growth mindset were amazingly accurate.
When you think about it, this makes sense. If, like those with the growth mindset, you believe you can develop yourself, then you’re open to accurate information about your current abilities, even if it’s“unflattering. What’s more, if you’re oriented toward learning, as they are, you need accurate information about your current abilities in order to learn effectively.

Question 22

The other thing exceptional people seem to have is a special talent for converting life’s setbacks into future successes.

Answer 22

there was wide agreement about the number one ingredient in creative achievement. And it was exactly the kind of perseverance and resilience produced by the growth mindset.”

Question 23

People in a growth mindset don’t just seek challenge, they thrive on it

Answer 23

The bigger the challenge, the more they stretch. ”

Question 24

Clearly, people with the growth mindset thrive when they’re stretching themselves. When do people with the fixed mindset thrive?

Answer 24

When things are safely within their grasp. If things get too challenging—when they’re not feeling smart or talented—they lose interest.”

Question 25

Becoming is better than being.”

Answer 25

The fixed mindset does not allow people the luxury of becoming. They have to already be.”

Question 26

Even in the growth mindset, failure can be a painful experience.

Answer 26

But it doesn’t define you. It’s a problem to be faced, dealt with, and learned from.”

Question 27

What’s more, instead of trying to learn from and repair their failures, people with the fixed mindset may simply try to repair their self-esteem.

Answer 27

For example, they may go looking for people who are even worse off than they are or by assigning blame or making excuses.

Question 28

When we taught people the growth mindset, it completely changed the way they reacted to their depressed mood.

Answer 28

The worse they felt, the more motivated they became and the more they confronted the problems that faced them.
In short, when people believe in fixed traits, they are always in danger of being measured by a failure. It can define them in a permanent way. Smart or talented as they may be, this mindset seems to rob them of their coping resources.
When people believe their basic qalities can be developed, failures may still hurt, but failures don’t define them. And if abilities can be expanded—if change and growth are possible—then there are still many paths to success

Question 29

From the point of view of the fixed mindset, effort is only for people with deficiencies. And when people already know they’re deficient, they have nothing to lose by trying.

Answer 29

But if your claim to fame is not having any deficiencies—if you’re considered a“genius, a talent, or a natural—then you have a lot to lose. Effort can reduce you.”

Question 30

In the Fixed Mindset Effort Robs You

Answer 30

of all your excuses. Without effort, you can always say, “I could have been [fill in the blank].” But once you try, you can’t say that anymore. Someone once said to me, “I could have been Yo-Yo Ma.” If she had really tried for it, she wouldn’t have been able to say that.

Question 31

Many growth-minded people didn’t even plan to go to the top.

Answer 31

The top is where the fixed-mindset people hunger to be, but it’s where many growth-minded people arrive as a by-productMany growth-minded people didn’t even plan to go to the top.

Question 32

This point is also crucial. In the fixed mindset, everything is about the outcome. If you fail—or if you’re not the best—it’s all been wasted.

Answer 32

The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome. They’re tackling problems, charting new courses, working on important issues. Maybe they haven’t found the cure for cancer, but the search was deeply meaningful.”

Question 33

People are all born with a love of learning, but the fixed mindset can undo it. Think of a time you were enjoying something—doing a crossword puzzle, playing a sport, learning a new dance.

Answer 33

Then it became hard and you wanted out. Maybe you suddenly felt tired, dizzy, bored, or hungry. Next time this happens, don’t fool yourself. It’s the fixed mindset. Put yourself in a growth mindset. Picture“your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going.

Question 34

It’s tempting to create a world in which we’re perfect. (Ah, I remember that feeling from grade school.) We can choose partners, make friends, hire people who make us feel faultless.

Answer 34

But think about it—do you want to never grow? Next time you’re tempted to surround yourself with worshipers, go to church. In the rest of your life, seek constructive criticism.

Question 35

Is there something in your past that you think measured you? A test score? A dishonest or callous action? Being fired from a job? Being rejected? Focus on that thing. Feel all the emotions that go with it.

Answer 35

Now put it in a growth-mindset perspective. Look honestly at your role in it, but understand that it doesn’t define your intelligence or personality. Instead, ask: What did I (or can I) learn from that experience? How can I use it as a basis for growth? Carry that with you instead.”

Question 36

How do you act when you feel depressed? Do you work harder at things in your life or do you let them go?

Answer 36

Next time you feel low, put yourself in a growth mindset—think about learning, challenge, confronting obstacles. Think about effort as a positive, constructive force, not as a big drag. Try it out.

Question 37

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but were afraid you weren’t good at?

Answer 37

Make a plan to do it.”

Question 38

What Set Edison Apart

Answer 38

was his mindset and drive. He never stopped being the curious, tinkering boy looking for new challenges. Long after other young men had taken up their roles in society, he rode the rails from city to city learning everything he could about telegraphy, and working his way up the ladder of telegraphers through nonstop self-education and invention.

Question 39

Most often people believe that the “gift” is the ability itself.

Answer 39

Yet what feeds it is that constant, endless curiosity and challenge seeking.
Is it ability or mindset? Was it Mozart’s musical ability or the fact that he worked till his hands were deformed? Was it Darwin’s scientific ability or the fact that he collected specimens nonstop from early childhood?”

“Most were not that remarkable as children and didn’t show clear talent before their training began in earnest. Even by early adolescence, you usually couldn’t predict their future accomplishment from their current ability.“Only their continued motivation and commitment, along with their network of support, took them to the top.”

Question 40

Just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn’t mean that others can’t do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training

Answer 40

This is so important, because many, many people with the fixed mindset think that someone’s early performance tells you all you need to know about their talent and their future.”

Question 41

the growth mindset lets people—even those who are targets of negative labels—use and“develop their minds fully.

Answer 41

Their heads are not filled with limiting thoughts, a fragile sense of belonging, and a belief that other people can define them.”