The book discusses the difference between people with a fixed mindset and the growth mindset.
It shows that we can achieve our goals when we can change our mindset.
Almost all our physical characteristics are predetermined from the start. Yes sure, we can break bones and even get plastic surgery to change our looks, but it's still limiting because we don't have much control over the features of our body.
But when it comes to our intellect or abilities, scientists agree that it can be improved. And it is our mindset that dictates if we can do one thing or not.
There are two extremes to this. The fixed mindset and the growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe that they were born naturally gifted for doing certain things. Meaning that they are not gifted at others.
On the other hand, people with a growth mindset think that with the right amount of effort and dedication, of course taking into consideration realities, they can be gifted with different things.
So people with the growth mindset, keep growing since they keep acquiring new skills.
As opposed to the fixed mindset, if they are not able to do things they will say that they are just born that way and sometimes even blame external factors. It's like hoping to find the perfect partner for a relationship, instead of putting in the effort to be the perfect partner.
For people with a fixed mindset, things are set in stone. Either you have talent and intellect or not. And you can't do much to change it. They are quick to judge and they believe that practice does not make perfect.
This is why they feel a need to keep proving to people that they are talented every chance they get. And if they make mistakes, they feel that it's their identity at stake.
For people with a growth mindset, they believe that growth and development are possible. A good example of this would be when you give challenging math problems to kids. The ones with a growth mindset would want to solve similar problems at home. They understand that the more they can solve, the more they learn. They are not concerned about getting the highest grades, but they are happy to push themselves to their full potential. For the growth mindset, failure and practice is the way! They learn, unlearn, and relearn, how they can use their strengths and eradicate their faults and weaknesses.
For people with a fixed mindset, they seek approval.
That is why they see failures as disasters and when something is challenging, they see risks and usually question themselves when they fail.
For those with a growth mindset, they seek development.
Failures are opportunities for them so it's okay. They always ask themselves, how can I do better regardless that the output is good or bad?
All these might seem daunting but the good thing is anyone can adopt a growth mindset and make the impossible possible. This is because the brain can be trained like any other muscle. We don't need to be a victim of our environment.
And if we want to practice the growth mindset, then we can teach ourselves to think that way - one step at a time.
For example, you dropped your cellphone while using it. And it fell down screen first on the concrete floor and your screen protector shattered. Good thing you have a screen protector. You might tell yourself, "Why am I clumsy like this?" This is a good example of a fixed mindset. If you had the growth mindset, you would say, "Oh well, this happens. I will just get a new screen protector and be more careful next time."
But don't get me wrong, it's easier said than done. Since humans are hardwired to have a fixed mindset. This is what protects us from failure and it is the same thing that makes us appreciate recognition when we do something well.
And that's completely fine. You don't need to get rid of the fixed mindset completely. As long as you can have a growth mindset in situations where you can grow, that is good enough. And soon enough you will be achieving things.
This is close to me since I told myself before that I was not smart. This was because I failed a lot and used to be ranked lowest compared to my peers in school. One day, I just committed to pushing myself no matter how frustrating it was. I didn't know that it was the growth mindset then but this has led me to finish my Ph.D. and enjoy something that I hated before: learning.
At the end of the day, it’s all about confronting our attitudes and ideas. And if we can do that, slowly we can develop a growth mindset.
And that was a quick summary of Mindset: By Carol Dweck