Mindset

One day, my students sat me down and ordered me to write this book.

These children were my role models. They obviously knew something I didn’t and I was determined to figure it out—to understand the kind of mindset that could turn a failure into a gift.

What are the consequences of thinking that your intelligence or personality is something you can develop, as opposed to something that is a fixed, deep-seated trait?

Believing that your qualities are carved in stone—the fixed mindset—creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over.

In this mindset, the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development.

Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better?

In one world—the world of fixed traits—success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself.

You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are.

The bigger the challenge, the more they stretch.

Believing that your qualities are carved in stone—the fixed mindset—creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over.